City of Kingston announced it has been chosen to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ International Innovation Training Program. The program is described as an innovation bootcamp that uses human-centred design methods to develop high-impact solutions to challenges facing municipalities.
“This is a unique opportunity and an honour to be among the cities chosen to participate. Now more than ever, we need to leverage innovative solutions to the challenges ahead,” said Mayor Paterson.
“We are proud that our application attracted Bloomberg’s attention and look forward to using the new knowledge and resources provide by Bloomberg to benefit our community,” added Craig Desjardins, Director, Office of Strategy, Innovation & Partnerships.
Cities selected to participate have been attending virtual classes while receiving support from a design coach who helps them apply innovative techniques.
According to a City release, “City of Kingston staff have completed an extensive problem mapping exercise and, in the coming weeks, will be conducting research in the community to identify some of the major barriers residents are encountering in the COVID-19 job market. Staff will be applying concepts in design thinking and process mapping to identify high-impact, attainable solutions for residents.”
Cities across the globe take part in the Bloomberg Philanthropies program with 13 cities participating, including Los Angeles, U.S.A.; Helsinki, Finland; and Trenggalek, Indonesia, participating in 2019.
