Running head: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT 1

Community Engagement Project: Omaha Street School

Ryan Ehresman, Collen Findall, Cailin Gentrup, Kamryn Pullen, Makayla Sedlacek, Grayson

Stanton, Anna Swodoba, and Joe Wright

University of Nebraska at Omaha

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Introduction

Science fiction novelist Max Carver stated that “​Empathy is the starting point for creating

a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change.” While we as future

engineers and information scientists deal with real science, not the science fiction of Carver, this

quote remains applicable as we prepare for our futures as agents of change.

Our Leadership Development course encouraged us to follow Carver’s words and use

empathy to insight change by assigning us a Community Action Project. ​For this project, we

were assigned to use the skills we have developed during our individual coursework, our

Leadership Development class, and the Stanford D. School Design Thinking workshop to assess

the needs of a nonprofit in Omaha and create a prototype as a solution. After the course is

complete, we will continue to work on and launch our prototype for the organization.

Initially, we were each given four nonprofits to choose from. After reading each of their

descriptions, the eight of us gravitated towards the Omaha Street School(OSS) because we

believed in its mission of e​mpowering students “to discover new hope through education and

love in a Christ-centered environment” (“​Mission & History,” n.d.).​ Located in North Omaha,

the OSS offers a second chance to students who have had low academic success, have made

negative past choices in school and life, and lack hope for their future. The Omaha Street

School’s mission is to help their students move passed these experiences, even going so far as to

offer their students a “tabula rasa,” or clean slate, as they seek transformation through education.
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Problem Statement

We began our journey with the Omaha Street School by meeting with its representatives,

Linda Reimer and Susan Schaaf. During this meeting, Linda and Susan gave us a brief

explanation of their organization before explaining the perceived problem they have. They

believe their biggest problem is organizing their annual Gala, their biggest fundraising event of

the year. The system they currently have for keeping track of financial records during the Gala is

time consuming for their small staff. To solve their problem, they proposed an application that

would keep track of all of the financial transactions, making the process more convenient for

them, as well as the attendees.

Design Thinking Process: Empathy

After being briefed by Linda and Susan as to what they believed their problem was, our

group had to decide if that was the problem we were going to solve. To make this decision, our

group relied on the skills we gained from the Design School workshop we attended at the

beginning of the year. In the workshop, the instructor illustrated the importance of design

thinking, a process used to stimulate innovation and solve problems. The design thinking process

incorporates five elements: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. So it follows that as we

began our project for the OSS, we began by trying to empathize with them.

We began our process of empathizing by visiting the Omaha Street School. Along with

touring the school and seeing the classrooms, we also talked to the teachers and learned about the

special programs they offer their students. Gap U, one of the three programs they provide, grants

an intentional gap year before OSS graduates attend college or enter the workforce to bridge the
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gap between what they have learned and the practical application. In addition to Gap U., the OSS

offers a H.U.D.L program. H.U.D.L. is an acronym for Honesty, Understanding, Desire, and

Light. The program aims to provide both mental and social support through counseling sessions.

Lastly, they offer a Leadership Academy which is required for all seniors. The objective for this

program is to give the students an idea of success while learning about possible career interests.

Overall, these three programs provide the students the simple necessities of nourishment, college

preparation, and one-on-one interaction.

Following our visit with the OSS, our group got together to discuss how we felt the tour

went. We each had unique takeaways from the visit: one group member was discouraged at the

apparent lack of motivation in the students, another group member was impressed with the

various programs that the school implements. After we reflected on our visit, we talked about

where we should go with the project. Some members believed we should develop the application

that Linda originally proposed, while other group members wanted to address the students’ lack

of motivation. Our group was at an impasse with no idea on how to proceed.

To address our gridlock, we met with Harnoor and explained our dilemma. It was through

his guidance that we realized we had barely begun to empathize. One tour of the school was not

enough to truly fulfill the design thinking process of empathizing. So, we drafted a new plan of

action and decided that to truly understand and empathize with this organization, we needed to

talk to them: their teachers, their students, and their donors.

After finding our new direction, we began by meeting with the school’s teachers and

administrators. We asked them about their experiences with the organization. They told us that
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the students do really well with the programs they are offered. However, there is a drop off in the

students’ efforts when the program or semester comes to an end. The students are not used to

continued success and are wary of the responsibilities that come with it. So, the students end up

self-sabotaging. Overall, the faculty at the OSS wants to see their students succeed, but it is hard

to help them succeed when they are scared to.

We also asked the faculty about their goals for the Omaha Street School as a whole. They

all agreed that they wanted to get the students in a positive learning mindset. Additionally, they

wanted to broaden their influence and help more kids by establishing four other Street Schools in

the Omaha area. Having the faculty explain their goals helped us to define other problems,

outside of the Gala app, that we could help them with.

We also asked the faculty about their income. They explained that while the Omaha

Street School is making a bigger impact in their community, they are receiving less money from

grants and donations as a whole. The teachers and administration made it clear that they wanted

to help more students, but they did not have the money to do so.

Ultimately, the meeting with the Omaha Street School’s faculty was both a humbling and

invaluable experience. It gave us a better understanding of the struggles the organization as a

whole, and their students face.

After meeting with the faculty, we went and had lunch with the students. While we ate,

we observed the students socializing with each other. During our observations, we discovered

that the seniors disliked their leadership class. When we asked them why, they stated that they

did not do anything in the class. Once, they had a robotics workshop during class and a student
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commented, “I don’t want to mess with robots, I’m trying to get scholarships.” It was through

this comment where our group finally began to understand these kids. The students do not

necessarily lack motivation, they just do not care about things that are not relevant to them. If

they think they could be doing something better with their time, they will not commit.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to meet with any OSS donors, yet. With that being

said, our meetings with the faculty and students were crucial in getting a better insight to their

motivations, their goals, and also their problems. It allowed us to see the Omaha Street School

not as a client, but as a partner in this project.

Design Thinking Process: Define

By empathizing with the Omaha Street School we have a better understanding about the

struggles they face. We have not been able to define one singular problem the OSS faces.

Instead, we have defined three: a lack of funding, a lack of publicity, and a lack of motivation for

success. All three of these problems restrict how much the OSS can do for the students they help.

The first problem, their lack of funding, is quite clear. They rely on donors and dwindling

grants, so they struggle to obtain the money they need to expand the organization like they want.

Along with a lack of funding, the Omaha Street School also lacks publicity. They are a

small non-profit that few people in Omaha have heard of. With such a small community

presence, it is difficult for the OSS to reach new donors and volunteers.

Lastly, we have identified their students’ lack of motivation as the final problem they

face. We want to be especially sensitive in looking to solve this problem because none of us can
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truly understand what the students go through. We have had very different experiences in life

which means empathizing with the students will be crucial in trying to get them motivated.

Design Thinking Process: Ideate

After identifying the three problems we believe the Omaha Street School faces, our group

began to ideate. During this stage, our group formulated ideas, individually and as a group, to

help the OSS. Often, ideas would be created by one team member sharing a thought; the whole

team discussed, argued, and modified the ideas until we reached a product that we all liked.

After some time of ideating and creating, we had several prototypes, and it was time to

narrow down our options. Ultimately, we narrowed down our choices to three prototypes: a Gala

app, the “Ultra” app, and a billboard.

As a team, we have spent a lot of time in the ideate stage of the Design Thinking

Process. We used what we have learned in the empathize and define stages to help us envision

ideas that would promote positive change at the Omaha Street School. We hope that these ideas

will create a lasting impact. Currently, we need more time to ideate, effectively discuss, and

argue which of our top three prototypes will benefit the Omaha Street School the most.

Proposed Prototype Solution and Anticipated Impact: Gala app

Our first prototype idea is to create a specific app for the Omaha Street School’s Gala.

The application would assist all transactions made at the Gala by electronically handling credit

card information and funds. In previous Galas, the bidding system was unorganized and relied on

paper copies of transactions. Our new Gala app would allow the user to select a specific account

to send their money to, making it easier to ensure the money is going to the right area.
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Additionally, this application would keep track of a bidding number and all previous bids for

each attendee. This will allow them to keep track of their money and feel more comfortable

about how much they are willing to give.

This prototype is aimed at solving the fundraising problem the Omaha Street School

faces. We thought improving their top fundraising event would be a great way to maximize the

money they raise. Increasing revenue at the Gala would provide excess money that the staff has

never been able to spend before. This extra funding could be put into multiple areas for school

improvements, facilities, and supplies for the students. Not to mention, a Gala that is on the rise

will be sure to attract more and more guests every year.

Proposed Prototype Solution and Anticipated Impact: “Ultra” app

The “Ultra” app is a mobile application that could also solve many of the Omaha Street

School’s problems. The app would feature a social media platform that allows users to subscribe

to charities that they support, see detailed statistics about the charity, and view a short

description of its goals. Charities can send users updates about daily events and volunteering

opportunities as well as accept donations through their account page. Additionally, as more

charities join the app, there will be more avenues for advertising the app. With more

advertisement, more people will be on the app and able to read up and learn about the Omaha

Street School.

In this way, the app would increase exposure and pull in donations from sources that the

OSS does not currently reach. With their increased revenue, the OSS will be able to hire more

staff to help with events, add on programs to increase student motivation, and find more donors.
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Proposed Prototype Solution and Anticipated Impact: Billboard

The last idea we are considering is creating a program where the students raise money to

pay for a billboard to advertise the Omaha Street School. When we spoke to Susan, she

mentioned that the students often say, “If only we had a billboard,” then they could get the word

out about their school. So, we want to create a process where the students can raise money for

their billboard by creating a product or service to sell.

Our idea solves all three of Omaha Street School’s needs: funding, advertising, and

student motivation. By having the students come up with their own fundraising idea, our goal is

to engage and motivate them while teaching them work ethic. They will be able to see their hard

work pay off when they get the billboard they have been yearning for. The billboard will, in turn,

create publicity for the Street School, which will hopefully lead to increased donations.

Next Steps to Implementation

In order to implement our prototype, we need to decide which one of our three ideas will

bring the most radical change to the Omaha Street School. However, we do not have enough

information to make this decision, yet. In regards to the Gala app, we need to attend the OSS’s

Gala. By attending the Gala, we can interview donors as well as faculty and other important

positions involved with the school.The visit will give us more insight on how to adjust our app so

that it can make a valuable and realistic impact.

For the “Ultra” app, we would like to meet with donors to see why someone donates to

the Omaha Street School. What about the Omaha Street School’s mission appeals to them? How
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do they feel when they donate? Both of these questions would allow us to understand if the

“Ultra” app would be impactful for donors. If they would even use it.

Lastly, before we decide to go with the billboard idea we need to talk to the kids more.

We need to see what motivates them, how they are motivated, if they would even go along with

our idea. By gathering extra information, we will be able to decide which prototype will be the

most impactful. Once we decide which prototype we are going with, we will dive deeper into the

prototype and testing stages of design thinking.

Summary of Group Process

While our group is excited about the direction our project is taking, there were many

obstacles that we had to overcome to get to where we are now. At the beginning of this project,

the biggest hindrance we faced was getting all of our schedules to line up. In the end, not all of

us could make it to the meetings with the teachers and students. Since not all of us had the same

information, it was difficult to agree on a direction for our project.

This difficulty was compounded with how we worked together as a team. We are not too

proud to admit that we experienced all five dysfunctions of a team throughout our time with the

project. At the beginning of the project, very few of us were actually friends. At the most, we

were colleagues. As such, we had yet to build trust amongst each other.

Without trust, we were unable to have constructive conflict. We did not trust each other

to hear our thoughts and opinions so we each, for the most part, stayed quiet. Since many of us

did not initially voice our opinions, it was difficult for people to buy-in to the direction of our

project. It was actually this lack of buy-in that spurred greater discussions and pushed people to
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be honest about their thoughts. Originally, we decided to go with the Gala app as our final

prototype. However, many group members did not like the idea. They believed there were

greater problems that we could solve for OSS. So, they finally decided to speak up. They

challenged the “group” decisions and started a dialogue around whether our decision was

actually the best choice. By challenging the group decision, the group mentality completely

shifted. We each felt comfortable raising our points and challenging each other’s ideas. In the

end, we got more done in this one session than we did since we started the project.

In order to overcome the dysfunctions we faced, we relied on emotional intelligence. To

begin with, we each had to be self aware of where we wanted this project to go. Once we knew

this, we then had to utilize our social awareness to see if our group members’ goals aligned with

our own. It turned out that we did not share the same direction or goals, so we had to come

together to find some cohesion amongst ourselves. We relied on self-management in keeping

hold of our emotions when our discussions turned tense. Additionally, we practiced relationship

management in deciding when to push our point and when it was best to compromise for the

good of the team.

Throughout this project, we went from a group of people who were too afraid to disrupt

the status quo to a group of friends that know when to speak up. We have all grown individually

from these experiences and now we are excited to grow together as a team. Our journey together

has just begun and while we all have different ideas about what would help the Omaha Street

School the most, we all agree on one thing- we are all agents of change and we are committed to
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helping the Omaha Street School change for the better. As we help the Omaha Street School

change for the better, maybe we, too, will grow as students, as friends, as innovators, as leaders.

References

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). ​Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of

emotional intelligence.​ Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

Lencioni, P. (2002). ​The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable​. San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass.

Mission & History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2019, from

https://omahastreetschool.org/who-we-are/mission-history