​What if fixing government services felt more like a hackathon and less like a committee meeting?

​Philly GovJam is a hands-on design jam focused on public services, and it’s part of the global GovJam movement. You’ll team up with people you’ve probably never met. You’ll go out and talk to the people this challenge affects. Then you’ll build prototypes people can actually test: real things to touch and try.

​The challenge🎯

​How might we help Philly’s small businesses stay, grow and get noticed?

​We’ll look at it through three lenses:

• ​Affordability: keeping the costs of doing business within reach

• ​Visibility: helping neighbors and visitors find local shops and choose them

• ​Transit-powered development: turning stations and routes into engines for the businesses around them

​Who’s in the room

​You’ll work alongside public servants, designers, organizers, business owners and curious Philadelphians. Some participants run the region’s transit, and some steward a neighborhood commercial corridor. A panel of Advisors will also join: experts in their fields who work close to this challenge. They’ll test your ideas, push on them and help sharpen them.

​You don’t need design experience. You do need curiosity and a willingness to make things happen.

​What we ask of you

• ​Join both days. Teams form on Friday and keep building through Saturday.

• ​Get out of the room. On Saturday you’ll talk with constituents, Advisors and strangers.

• ​Build fast and let go fast. You’ll prototype, test, throw ideas out and try again.

​You’ll leave with a tested prototype, an action plan and a new circle of people working on the same problem.

​Schedule🗓️

​🗓️ Saturday, Dec 5 · 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Arrival and coffee/tea · Welcome and challenge orientation · Team formation · First rapid prototypes · Deep investigation with constituents, Advisors and strangers · Lunch · Define stakeholders and the opportunity · Full-room brainstorm · Prototyping · Share-out

​🗓️ Sunday, Dec 6 · 11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Brunch · First round of testing · Prototyping · Second round of testing · Convening: discussion, feedback and action plan

​🍽️ Your ticket includes food on both days.

​Spots are limited, so please register only if you can commit to both days.

​Who’s hosting

​We’re Philly Jams, a team of independent change instigators and facilitators. We believe small businesses are the backbone of this city and this country. We’ve been researching this challenge alongside local business owners, and their experiences shaped the questions we’ll take on together. We also believe the most impactful change happens when people with different perspectives work on a problem together. This jam is built to make that happen.

​Marquis Harmon (Facilitator/Advisor) and Tatiana Fakoukaki (Jam Lead/Facilitator)

​Samantha Yannucci (Team Sidekick) and Abby Jamiel (Team Sidekick)