Creative Problem Solving Institute 2026

How can we turn fear of disaster into fuel for community resilience? Join this high-energy "Design Studio" to use Creative Problem Solving (CPS) to catalyze social impact. In this hands-on session, you will work in a small team to ideate and develop a "Quick Quest" — a 5-10 minute game-based activity — to help individuals and communities prepare to face a wildfire, flood, or other disaster. You’ll leave with a tangible game concept, a behind-the-scenes look at designing for social impact, and a playful yet powerful tool for rapid collaborative problem-solving.    

Takeaways

• Rapid CPS Iteration: Experience a ""lightning-fast"" application of the CPS stages to move from problem description to playable prototype in under 90 minutes.
• Game Design for Impact: Embrace the concept of ""Serious Games"" and see how play can create a safe space for addressing sensitive and high-stakes issues.
• The ""Serious Creativity"" Mindset: Discover how to maintain a bias toward results while balancing divergent exploration with convergent decision-making.

Kaleidoscope of YOU offers an intimate yet expansive invitation to pause, play, and reawaken child-like curiosity. You will engage in guided daydreaming, visible thinking, writing, and creative mark-making to explore your past, present, and future creative selves. The journey continues in a “Living Gallery Walk.” This innovative workshop also invites others in the CPSI community to contribute to the collective creativity of the Kaleidoscope of YOU.

Takeaways:

• Reframe your creative identity through reflection and playful exploration.
• Reconnect with early experiences of creativity, joy, and imagination.
• Integrate past, present, and future creative selves into your practice.

Illuminators shine a light on others. They make people and their ideas come alive. 
With their distinct blend of skills, they excel as facilitators and relationship builders.

Illuminators make others feel seen, heard, and appreciated. Their curiosity invites richer stories and deeper insights. They see and celebrate others’ strengths.

Takeaways:
In this session, you’ll work with a partner to cultivate illuminator skills and instincts.
You’ll see what distinguishes an illuminator from a diminisher and learn a variety of illuminator “moves”:

• Genuine Curiosity: Asking surprisingly simple questions that reveal richer stories
• Active Listening: Using your eyes and body (and silence) to make others feel heard
• Celebration of Strengths: Expressing your partner’s unique qualities to create a deeper connection

Elevate Emerging Potential: Using CPS & Innovation Sprints to Build Creative Readiness    Many emerging professionals—and the educators, mentors, and managers who support them—struggle to name themselves as creative problem solvers. This session explores how Innovation Sprints, paired with Creative Problem Solving (CPS), build creative confidence, agency, and adaptability across varied age groups and experience levels. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that elevate voice, encourage collaborative problem solving, and translate across educational, professional, and community settings. Attendees will leave with practical tools to help learners and early-career professionals navigate ambiguity, contribute meaningfully, and thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.    

Takeaways

• Strategies for elevating creative confidence and self-efficacy in young and emerging professionals through fast-cycle innovation experiences.
• Adaptable CPS tools that help early-career individuals frame challenges, explore options, and act boldly.
• Sprint-based methods educators and youth leaders can employ in classrooms, leadership programs, and internships.