Jammin’ Sessions
Jammin’ Sessions are interactive sessions that are open to the public and held online the first Tuesday of each month (except for January, July, and September), from 8 – 9:30 a.m. via Zoom video conferencing. These interactive sessions feature keynote speakers and cover a range of topics that address virtually every aspect of business and life. Our Jammin’ topics draw in people of all ages— from 10-year-old children to 92-year-old grandparents—and from all walks of life. Everyone is encouraged to step outside their comfort zone and participate in energizing and thought-provoking discussions.
A $20 donation will be requested for each Jammin’ Session. All proceeds will be donated to the Prouty Project Stretch Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation.
Established in 2005, the Stretch Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation is committed to making the world a better place through building leadership skills in kids ages 6-18 to help them lead lives of courage and adventure. When we reach $2 million in the Fund, the intent is to give back with a primary focus on children and education. The Stretch Fund is supported by the Minneapolis Foundation – one of the first community foundations in the world, which brings together people, ideas, and resources to improve the lives of all people.
Why Jammin’ Sessions?
Jeff Prouty was inspired by John Kao, author of Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, when the idea for Jammin’ Sessions was realized nearly 30 years ago in 1995. Prouty read the book and heard the Harvard Business School professor speak at a conference.
“It took a Chinese American student listening to jazz and jamming with a group of African Americans at a private boarding school to internalize the polar tensions between musical score and improvisation and come up with a formula for creativity. Kao, now a professor at Harvard Business School, has been using the jamming metaphor to teach creative entrepreneurship for 14 years. In business, the score is not a musical theme but an idea, process or question that takes on new dimensions when bandied about by a group. This business version of jamming, Kao says, is the creative advantage that can give a company a competitive edge.” From the Publishers Weekly review of Kao’s book.
Since then, The Prouty Project has hosted 9 to 10 “jams” a year!