AIR Collaborative

Helping creative people expand their business skills, and business people become more creative!

¡Estamos ayudando a la gente creativa a ampliar sus habilidades empresariales, y a la gente de negocios a ser más creativa!

Waco is honored to be the first community in Texas to launch Air Collaborative’s creative business development program of this kind bilingually — in English and Spanish.

Waco tiene el honor de ser la primera comunidad en Texas en lanzar Air Collaborative un programa basado en pensamiento de diseño y desarrollo de negocios creativos de forma bilingüe - en inglés y español.

Air Collaborative is a program that sparks arts and business collaboration, invites curiosity, and leads to the exchange of skills and ideas by bringing community members of diverse backgrounds to the table together. Participants in other communities have reported:

Expanded networks and connection
Higher morale and motivation
Increased productivity
Increased revenues
Confidence and skills to start new projects, programs and businesses.

Air Collaborative es un programa que despierta la colaboración artística y empresarial, invita a la curiosidad y conduce al intercambio de habilidades e ideas al reunir a miembros de la comunidad de diversos orígenes. Los participantes de otras comunidades han reportado:

Ampliación de las redes y la conexión
Mayor moral y motivación
Aumento de la productividad
Aumento de los ingresos
Confianza y habilidades para iniciar nuevos proyectos, programas y negocios.

Learn more about air collaborative/APRENDE MÁS SOBRE AIR COLLABORATIVE

Air Collaborative Cohorts

English Shift Cohort - Summer 2022

In July 2022, the inaugural Air Community Cohort convened to participate in the three-day Shift workshop. During this collaborative experience, participants were prompted to reflect on the pivotal roles they individually play within the community and explore how their unique life experiences could be harnessed as assets for the greater community good.

Over the course of the second and third workshop days, participants were divided into three groups to engage in brainstorming sessions focused on identifying community needs and developing projects aimed at addressing those needs. At the end of the workshop, each group presented their projects to a feedback panel, with the ultimate objective of bringing a version of the project to fruition within a year and at a budget of $10,000 or less.

The three projects presented:

A Spoonful of Culture: A Food and Cultural Experience
Passport of Waco - Dive into Waco's locally owned businesses
Redefining Back to School Drives

Spanish Shift Cohort - October 2022

In October 2022, Air's inaugural monolingual Spanish community cohort gathered to participate in the three-day SHIFT workshop. Much like the previous cohort, participants were prompted to reflect on their roles within the community and consider how their individual experiences could be harnessed as assets for the greater community good in developing a project that addresses a need identified in the community.

Two projects are currently in progress:

Calle 7 Plaza: This group hosts monthly cultural and artistic programming in Spanish at the 7th Street Pedestrian Plaza, promoting Latinx and Hispanic representation in Downtown Waco.
La Pila: This project focuses on the reclamation and revitalization of the historic La Pila (fountain in Spanish), which served as a gathering point for the Calle Dos neighborhood in the early 20th century. The landmark was plugged and covered up as part of The Waco Urban Renewal Project in 1958. The group aims to rebuild and recognize the historic presence of Latinx and Hispanic people in the heart of Downtown Waco.

WISD Shift Cohort - February 2023

In February 2023, we collaborated with Waco ISD to facilitate the inaugural Shift workshop in Spanish for University High School students. This design thinking model empowered the students, encouraging them to perceive themselves as leaders in the community and envision a proactive role as change-makers and trailblazers for shaping the community they desire in Waco.

During the workshop, students spoke openly about the challenges they face within their communities and school environments. They proposed solutions aimed at enhancing the quality of their educational journey. The students successfully developed four projects addressing peer-led mental health support, ensuring basic accessibility to bathrooms, promoting equitable end-of-the-year celebrations, and launching a community awareness campaign on the value of bilingual staff members.

About Air Collaborative in Waco:

The program Director, Soledad Bautista, has been working with Air Collaborative nationally, and Creative Waco locally, since she moved to Waco to join our team in March 2022 as the Director of Professional Development & Outreach. Already, she has helped refocus the national program’s transformation from “AIR Institute” to “Air Collaborative”, and guided its bilingual development. She has led the selection and training of the first cohort of Waco-based facilitators, who will develop the program in Texas. We believe the talents of creativity, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving flourish best when diverse people connect, Therefore, we are especially honored that Waco will soon be the very first community to pilot a bilingual format.

Sobre Air Collaborative en Waco:

La Directora del programa, Soledad Bautista, ha estado trabajando con Air Collaborative a nivel nacional, y con Creative Waco a nivel local, desde que se trasladó a Waco para unirse a nuestro equipo en marzo de 2022 como Directora de Desarrollo Profesional y Alcance. Ya ha ayudado a reenfocar la transformación del programa nacional de "Instituto AIR" a "Air Collaborative", y ha guiado su desarrollo bilingüe. Ha dirigido la selección y formación del primer grupo de facilitadores con sede en Waco, que desarrollarán el programa en Texas. Creemos que los talentos, la creatividad, el espíritu empresarial y la resolución de problemas florecen mejor cuando se conectan personas diversas, por lo que nos sentimos especialmente honrados de que Waco vaya a ser la primera comunidad en pilotar un formato bilingüe.

If you are interested and curious to know more before making a commitment, Soledad is happy to talk with anyone in the community who would like to know more. You can contact Soledad at [email protected].

Si está interesado y tiene curiosidad por saber más antes de comprometerse, Soledad estará encantada de hablar con cualquier persona de la comunidad que quiera saber más. Puedes contactar a Soledad en [email protected].