Happenings

Studio Session

May 2025 | Denver Botanic Gardens

On May 1–2, 2025, Franklin Street convened 22 social impact leaders, designers, and facilitators from across the country for our second Studio Session, an immersive, hands-on experience focused on designing and facilitating meaningful professional experiences.

As in the first Studio Session, participants arrived with high-stakes projects they would be leading within months, using them as the foundation over the two days. Throughout the experience, participants were invited to push beyond their typical design patterns, reconsider their roles and identities as facilitators, and experiment with new facilitation approaches. We hosted skill-based clinics on: how to ask sharper questions, hold space under pressure, and design for real human dynamics.

One participant said, “I derived so much wisdom from the group and really internalized the importance of approaching design and facilitation in your own individual way. The tools that Franklin Street provided in the architecture of the experience and the Franklin Street methods provided were incredibly helpful in making a project that felt overwhelming to me at first seem more manageable. I've already gone back to the materials to spark ideas.”

By the end, each leader had made meaningful progress on their work, and they left with increased confidence, a new network of professional peers, and appreciation for how intentional facilitation drives lasting impact.