Enabling Half-Baked Ideas through Storytelling
Half-Baked
Challenge
Enabling people to share their half-baked ideas
Outcome
Half-Baked, an event series that invites people to share their half-baked ideas in a half-pecha-kucha style
Role
Identify community needs, develop concept design and facilitation, activate and scale program. This was independent and self-initiated work done while at Cornell in collaboration with other university leaders.
Process
1. Opportunity
The idea stemmed from the challenge of college seniors leaving campus, with half-baked ideas on how to improve campus culture, but no one to share it with. After they graduate, these rich ideas baked in with years of insight and experience are left unheard and unrealized. How do we create an outlet for these ideas to be heard? How do we give these ideas a chance, or atleast inspire others? How do we create a culture that is comfortable with sharing in-progress ideas? How do we avoid killing our ideas before we can expose and gather feedback from others?
2. Design
How might we create an outlet for half-baked ideas?
Program design: Half-baked ideas in Half-pecha kucha format (10 slides, 20 seconds per slide) where speakers can share half-baked idea(s) on how to improve campus culture.
Environment design: Create a safe environment that’s both quirky and community-driven. A mash-up of slumber party meets Ted-talk.
3. Activate + Expand
Speakers presented ideas on: mental health, clothing sustainability and swap, community gardens, etc. Attendees and speakers were a cross-section of different colleges on campus.
Since its creation, Half-Baked has become an annual tradition at Cornell and has expanded to NYC and Beijing as part of the Schwarzman Scholars Program.
