About FutureFixers, LLC
FutureFixers, LLC exists to empower kids all over the world to use their creativity and knowledge to identify and solve problems. We do this by teaching, or enhancing, the skills and the character traits that enable them to create compelling futures for themselves and those around them, avoiding being victims of the many problems they may face.
This work generally takes the form of workshops and programs ranging from quick 1-hour to multi-week experiences. Groups vary in size from just a few kids to dozens at a time, usually centered around ages 10-15. As the organization grows, there will also be online resources supporting ongoing learning and interactions supporting kids who have gone through the programs and also those who do not otherwise have access to these resources.
We offer a portfolio of types of programs with various focus areas, as described in the What We Do section. We work with a network of people, some of whom are subject experts who add their expertise to our programs, some are local facilitators for FutureFixers and other programs, and some are leaders of their own programs, which we help lead.
While FutureFixers draws upon and reinforces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), as well as art, history, and language skills, the real value we add is that our programs empower young people to apply their knowledge and intelligence in new ways. The world is filling up with complex, significant challenges. It is critical for young people to start practicing now the thinking tools, habits of mind, and attitudes that will that enable them to create compelling futures for themselves and those around them, avoiding being victims of the many problems they may face. Whether through inventing products, investigating mysteries, grappling with puzzles and brain teasers, delving into the workings of a strange machine, or building contraptions, kids need to develop the capacity for generative, creative thinking and problem solving that so often gets lost in the “academic standards" shuffle. In the world that lies in front of them, they must be able to identify opportunities, see things as systems, separate signals from noise, and appreciate impacts. In addition to these skills, kids must get the chance to explore and reinforce the mental traits and attitudes that go along with them, such as resiliency, grit, willingness to “fail,” creative confidence, collaboration, and patience.
This work generally takes the form of workshops and programs ranging from quick 1-hour to multi-week experiences. Groups vary in size from just a few kids to dozens at a time, usually centered around ages 10-15. As the organization grows, there will also be online resources supporting ongoing learning and interactions supporting kids who have gone through the programs and also those who do not otherwise have access to these resources.
We offer a portfolio of types of programs with various focus areas, as described in the What We Do section. We work with a network of people, some of whom are subject experts who add their expertise to our programs, some are local facilitators for FutureFixers and other programs, and some are leaders of their own programs, which we help lead.
While FutureFixers draws upon and reinforces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), as well as art, history, and language skills, the real value we add is that our programs empower young people to apply their knowledge and intelligence in new ways. The world is filling up with complex, significant challenges. It is critical for young people to start practicing now the thinking tools, habits of mind, and attitudes that will that enable them to create compelling futures for themselves and those around them, avoiding being victims of the many problems they may face. Whether through inventing products, investigating mysteries, grappling with puzzles and brain teasers, delving into the workings of a strange machine, or building contraptions, kids need to develop the capacity for generative, creative thinking and problem solving that so often gets lost in the “academic standards" shuffle. In the world that lies in front of them, they must be able to identify opportunities, see things as systems, separate signals from noise, and appreciate impacts. In addition to these skills, kids must get the chance to explore and reinforce the mental traits and attitudes that go along with them, such as resiliency, grit, willingness to “fail,” creative confidence, collaboration, and patience.
About Rudy Ruggles
Rudy formed FutureFixers, LLC in 2013 because he saw a world filling up with challenges. After many years consulting to companies on more effective approaches to innovation, he realized that many of the skills and, more importantly, the ways of thinking involved in tackling complex problems needed to be developed long before adulthood. The urgency of working with kids became even more apparent as he shifted his professional focus to helping organizations create new solutions to environmental and social challenges. The scale and scope of these challenges can seem intimidating, and in fact can be overwhelming to young people, leaving them with a sense of despair. He decided to apply his expertise and experience to helping young people learn the tools and techniques that will empower them to see these challenges as opportunities, and the attitudes and character traits that will help them not only survive, but even thrive, in the difficult times ahead.
Rudy is a specialist in innovation and learning, focused primarily on tackling social and environmental challenges. He has helped discover, design, and deliver new solutions to problems faced by organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to homeless shelters. Prior to founding FutureFixers, Rudy was the President of Collaborative Innovation Services, LLC, a consultancy helping organizations use the tools and principles of sustainability to create innovative solutions to strategic and organizational challenges. His work combined his 20 years of professional experience working with clients in multiple industries to enhance their organizational learning, knowledge management, and innovation capabilities with his expertise in environmentally and social responsible business practices, particularly as they apply to product design and development.
He previously worked as an Experience Leader at Monitor Executive Development, and led the knowledge management and connected innovation research programs at the former Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation. His work has included projects with companies in a variety of industries, nonprofits, and foundations, delivering everything from learning journeys, competitive simulations, large conferences, and multi-client workshops, to strategic plans, innovation programs, and group ideation software.
In addition, Rudy is on the Board of the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Waltham, on the Environmental Sustainability Committee of the Museum of Science, a founding member of the Weston Climate Group, and Chair of the Weston Emergency Reserve Corps (WERC). As a member of the WERC, he has passed all CORI/SORI background checks.
Rudy has written numerous papers and articles, and produced the book The Knowledge Advantage. He is co-author, with Clay Christensen, of an article in the December 2006 Harvard Business Review called “Disruptive Innovation for Social Change.”
Rudy has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, an MBA from the Kellogg School, Northwestern University, and a Certificate in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Rudy is a specialist in innovation and learning, focused primarily on tackling social and environmental challenges. He has helped discover, design, and deliver new solutions to problems faced by organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to homeless shelters. Prior to founding FutureFixers, Rudy was the President of Collaborative Innovation Services, LLC, a consultancy helping organizations use the tools and principles of sustainability to create innovative solutions to strategic and organizational challenges. His work combined his 20 years of professional experience working with clients in multiple industries to enhance their organizational learning, knowledge management, and innovation capabilities with his expertise in environmentally and social responsible business practices, particularly as they apply to product design and development.
He previously worked as an Experience Leader at Monitor Executive Development, and led the knowledge management and connected innovation research programs at the former Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation. His work has included projects with companies in a variety of industries, nonprofits, and foundations, delivering everything from learning journeys, competitive simulations, large conferences, and multi-client workshops, to strategic plans, innovation programs, and group ideation software.
In addition, Rudy is on the Board of the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Waltham, on the Environmental Sustainability Committee of the Museum of Science, a founding member of the Weston Climate Group, and Chair of the Weston Emergency Reserve Corps (WERC). As a member of the WERC, he has passed all CORI/SORI background checks.
Rudy has written numerous papers and articles, and produced the book The Knowledge Advantage. He is co-author, with Clay Christensen, of an article in the December 2006 Harvard Business Review called “Disruptive Innovation for Social Change.”
Rudy has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, an MBA from the Kellogg School, Northwestern University, and a Certificate in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
