Roots + Rivers Collective
In the same way that roots are the essential foundation for a plant’s health, growth, and survival, we work using a ground-up approach. Social and organizational problems typically begin beneath the surface, calling for a process that embraces challenges as a way to progress forward. Going deeper into the root causes creates an environment for positive change to develop and endure.
Roots + Rivers Collective
Rivers contribute to ecosystem resilience and human well-being. Once solutions are planted in good ground, we water and nurture them with context-specific resources that enable them to thrive.
Roots + Rivers Collective
We build with–not for–people in the interest of advancing our shared humanity and future.
We believe in the power of active learning and responsible leadership to transform the way humans connect, build healthy communities, and lead successful, fulfilling lives.
We are empaths, educators, and strategists partnering with individuals, communities, and organizations to creatively solve challenges of varying scopes. From mind mapping personal mission statements to innovating local economies, we invest in every stage of the design process. We are a hands-on, people-first firm dedicated to co-creating sustainable solutions.
Human-Centered Design is a problem-solving approach that uses design thinking tools to identify unmet needs of a population in order to collaboratively and iteratively develop meaningful and innovative solutions. (Brown, 2008)
We engage diverse stakeholders across the appropriate ecosystem to uncover the root causes of challenges.
We analyze what we’ve learned, identify patterns, tensions, and insights that guide solution development and business decision-making.
We facilitate collaborative workshops to generate bold, creative ideas that address the core challenge while honoring the cultural context.
We guide clients and communities through the rapid prototyping of potential solutions.
We build internal capacity by equipping teams with the tools, training, and processes needed to sustain and scale the solution upon launch.
We can support clients by monitoring launched solutions to ensure they are effective and resilient over time.
We embrace honesty, transparency, and integrity in all that we do. Grounded in our shared humanity, we work to build genuine relationships with our colleagues, partners, and clients that not only yield successful outcomes but also enable healthy collaborations.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We listen closely to our clients’ needs, empathize with their experiences, and ensure the voices of all relevant stakeholders—especially those at the margins—are heard. Through an energetic process of feedback and iteration, we build mutually beneficial solutions that address core issues.
We share in the joys of this world as well as its challenges. We believe everyone has a part to play in improving the world's conditions. It begins with awareness, and requires the compassion and resources of corporations, communities, and everyone in between. We are committed to partnering with leaders across sectors to employ a cross-collaborative approach to problem solving.
We see problems as blank canvases to paint possible pathways. Through a spirit of play, we foster a culture of innovation, curiosity, and continuous learning. We embrace failure as a steppingstone to success, challenge the status quo, and take calculated risks to drive progress.