It’s been five months since the pilot for the WTIA Ion Program concluded. In the first cohort, we connected 18 natural collaborators from tech, government, and community-based organizations to solve some of the region’s biggest problems. These fellows, now called the Ion Collaborators, formed three cross-sector, cross-functional volunteer teams who invested six months in a collaborative process that resulted in discovering, designing, and creating three specific projects:

1) an online resource to access information to ensure that everyone — no matter where they live in Seattle — has the same access
2) a story sharing format to promote inclusion
3) an online resource for employers to become inspired to consider second-chance hiring

The Ion program requires each team to try to find a permanent home for their project, and WTIA continues to check-in to catch up on the latest developments. Because it was the pilot, it was interesting to see the range of projects that emerged. One team’s project fit the mold of technology helping to create a solution, while another team’s project did not involve tech at all. The third team’s project continues to evolve and grow, months after the pilot concluded.

WTIA checked in with three members of teams in the first Ion cohort, and how the projects have come together since.

Neighborhood Finder

After interviewing Commute Seattle, the Accessibility team decided to build an online resource to help people find housing options within easy public transit commute time. Accessibility Team members were able to bring their unique perspectives to this project; they worked at  Moz, BrandVerity, Goodwill, City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, and East African Community Services. They built and designed a website tool, titled Neighborhood Finder, that offers information on different areas of Seattle to help individuals making at or below the median income in King County find housing options based on desired commute time and amenities. The project was an immense task, with the team made of volunteers given less than four months and no budget to create a minimum viable product. WTIA helped source a recent graduate, Amy Tang, from the University of Washington’s Human Centered Design Engineering School to help the Accessibility team design the portal. The Neighborhood Finder now lives on the Commute Seattle site.

Commute Seattle Executive Director Jonathan Hopkins discussed how Commute Seattle was looking for a team to make the Neighborhood Finder possible, and through Ion, the concept became a reality. “We’re not a tech organization [ourselves]. We work a lot with them, but we are not one; we’re non-profit transportation consultants,” said Hopkins. “It was great to be able to work with some tech folks.” Working together as a team came easy to the Accessibility team. “Our [Ion] team was great. Collaboration was one of the easier parts. It was nice to see the ideas come together.”

The Neighborhood Finder allows users to sort surrounding neighborhoods by monthly budget, the length of the commute to Downtown Seattle, the types of nearby transportation, as well as local amenities. With the initial work completed by the Ion team, Commute Seattle is now looking for someone to further improve its functionality. Hopkins says that additional plans are being made to add more features to the tool.

Hopkins said, “It’s currently up on our website. It’s a really complex task that is going to need a bit more work; we’d love for there to be be some mapping functionality. We are currently trying to see if someone wants to build it out.”

Overall, the experience of participating on an Ion team was positive for Hopkins. “Seattle has become a center for tech and innovation. Amazon, Microsoft, and all the different startups that have helped to create a place of tremendous innovation. There’s a lot of technological advances happening, but we don’t always successfully unite our tech experts with some of our social challenges,” said Hopkins. “I think the most valuable part of Ion is seeing other people find value in something that could help the community.”

Bonfire: Story Sharing

The Livability team’s project created Bonfire, a unique story sharing format for small groups of strangers. Their team members worked atd Data for Good, Washington Bus, Seattle Works, Xealth, as well as the HR and the City Planning departments at the City of Seattle. The Livability team hoped Bonfire would bring together people to share their personal stories through intimate conversations. They created a story sharing template to be used by other organizations to encourage inclusion.

During the exploration stage of their Ion collaboration, the Livability team saw that people were yearning for a sense of inclusion, and the feeling of being invited. Ion volunteers learned about the community needs first, then crafted a solution they could build in four months. Bonfire brings people together in a semi-structured environment to share and learn. It’s a small step towards people feeling more included in the community. Bonfire offers a chance to feel connected to other people. Instead of doing an open call for volunteers to share their stories, the team invited people because they discovered an intentional, targeted invitation helped people feel included.

Ben Reuler, Executive Director at Seattle Works, said, “During the interview portion, there were simple but powerful takeaways by allowing people to share their story and be heard in a meaningful human-to-human way. When we thought about a feeling of inclusion and belonging, we came back to a concept that was very simple, and in many ways, very revolutionary.”

Lauren Ferguson is the Program Manager at Limeade, an engagement platform that builds great places to work by improving well-being and strengthening workplace culture. She discovered Bonfire through an online search for inclusion exercises and she used it at a corporate event attended by co-workers.

“It was so well put together,” said Ferguson. “The flow of it, the suggestions, and the photos within the package were really impressive. Kudos to the Ion team that put it together because it’s clear that they took a really innovative yet realistic approach to inclusion, and starting conversations about it.”

“Storytelling can be so powerful, especially when you’re at a smaller company,” she said. It’s nice to be afforded an opportunity to have an intimate connection.”

Ferguson was impressed with how the team found a way to focus on inclusion while still making the activity personal. “The coolest part of the activity is how it uses storytelling, and the power of storytelling combined with inclusion,” said Ferguson.”Bonfire was a good chance to validate that it’s possible to make a difference with inclusion, using a structure that a group of people worked on over a long period of time.”

The concept of Bonfire surprised many because it is not a tech-based solution. WTIA did not make it mandatory for all projects to be associated with technology. Instead, each team was charged with creating a solution that could make measurable impact within the tight limits of the collaboration. The team held two live Bonfire events, a prototype atImpact Hub which tested two different versions of the format before they organized a larger event at Seattle Public Library using the format surveyed to be the most satisfying to both the story sharers and the listeners.

“When I reflect about our work on Bonfire, I sometimes think, ‘I worked six months with a cross-sector group. Did I miss bedtime with my kiddos?’ Hell yeah I did, and I’m damn proud of it. Seeing a Bonfire be held was a very proud moment. It’s what this town needs more of, and I’m very thankful for it,” said Reuler.

Second Chance Hiring / Second Chance Opportunities in Puget Sound

Members from Amazon, Deloitte Digital, King County Council, Year Up, SEIU 6, and City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods made up Ion’s first Economic Growth team. They focused on creating a website that serves as a collection of resources for employers to learn about second chance hiring. The website features best practices from both companies that have successfully recruited and retained second-chance employees, and community organizations that successfully have helped former inmates find work. Its purpose is to help employers learn more about second chance hiring, and help those who are leaving prison get acclimated back into society.

Carmela Ennis, Outreach Coordinator for the King County Council and member of the Economic Growth Team, first heard about the Ion program from one of her colleagues. She was drawn to the program because of its goal to connect and work with people from other sectors.

“The experience was great. We started out slow as a team, in terms of how we could come together; it took a while to find that sweet spot,” said Ennis “Once we found a way to figure out how we want to meet and when, our creative mind went to work.”

Ennis’s experience on the Economic Growth team allowed her to see the real impact a resource like the website can provide. “There’s definitely a big interest and social conscience attached to it. This is not just about providing jobs. You’re changing this person’s path and the the trajectory of the person’s life. When they’re released, these people don’t have a job or a home. Once you provide that stability, you’re solving an important part of the problem.”

Five of the six Economic Growth team members are still working together today. They know that the website they have created will need continuous support. They have mobilized their own professional networks to raise awareness for Second Chance Hiring.

While working on their project, The Economic Growth team worked closely with Post Prison Education Program, a local program that offers services to releasing prisoners and their families, providing them access, support, and the resources to attain post-secondary education.

Ennis said her team is currently planning a fundraising event for Post-Prison Education Program to in turn promote Second Chance Hiring. They are considering doing a viewing of a documentary that is currently being filmed that details the program. Having enjoyed the experience working with the Economic Growth Team, Ari Kohn, the founder of Post Prison Education Program, is a part of the second Ion cohort.

Looking back on the pilot, there were many things we learned. We didn’t expect such a wide range of projects–we thought all the projects would be like the Commute Seattle project where a team got inspired by someone they interviewed and created a tech solution for them. We never imagined a solution not being technical, though it was not an explicit requirement. We didn’t expect any team to continue to collaborate past their six months together. We didn’t expect someone a team helped to join the second cohort of Ion Collaborators.

This is just an early report five months out on the projects from the first cohort. We expect the impact of the projects will grow over time. But the projects are just the start. The Ion program is also teaching us about the nature of collaboration itself.