# Scout and Scale: Unlocking Collective Genius | Jacqueline Jones & Megan Smith | TEDxBoston Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_GR4YwjBFA Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/3_GR4YwjBFA Generated: 2026-01-23T21:30:44.691+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Megan Smith and Jacqueline Jones discuss leveraging collective genius and community networks, like the global Fab Lab network and the UN Solutions Summit, to foster innovation and tackle global challenges, emphasizing the importance of empowering local doers and creating inclusive frameworks. **Key Points:** - The discussion highlights the success of the UN Solutions Summit, which gathered over 1,400 solutions-in-progress from more than 141 countries in just three weeks. - Jacqueline Jones described the concept of 'collective genius' as essential for solving complex problems, citing examples like the 800 people writing in to protest the Apollo 11 launch cost relative to feeding starving children. - Megan Smith emphasized the importance of empowering 'doers' and building inclusive frameworks, referencing the need to move away from relying solely on government or large corporations for solutions. - The global Fab Lab Network features over 3,000 labs in 150+ countries, demonstrating a massive existing infrastructure for community innovation and making. - The concept of 'Scout and Scale' involves identifying exceptionally talented individuals or groups who are already solving problems locally and amplifying their work. - Smith contrasted the self-organized, temporary community of Burning Man with a refugee camp of similar size to illustrate the difference between voluntary, creative organization and imposed structures. - The conversation stressed the need to support diverse voices, referencing historical figures like Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson, and contemporary groups like Women Techsters, to ensure solutions are inclusive and effective. ![Screenshot at 00:05: 13:The slide titled "Community Mapping Activity" visually represents the global reach of crowdsourced mapping data, emphasizing that such resources exist due to the goodwill of people sharing knowledge to improve their own lives and communities.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-05.jpg) **Context:** This TEDxBoston presentation features Jacqueline Jones and Megan Smith in a dialogue about fostering innovation through collective action and community empowerment, particularly focusing on how to identify, support, and scale solutions developed by diverse individuals globally. The speakers draw parallels between historical examples of social action and modern technological networks like the Fab Labs, framing their discussion around the idea of unlocking 'collective genius' to address major societal issues, including those highlighted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ## Detailed Analysis Megan Smith and Jacqueline Jones engage in a discussion centered on unlocking collective genius to solve large-scale problems, arguing that solutions often come from grassroots efforts rather than solely from established institutions. Jones introduced the concept of collective genius by citing historical examples, such as protests against the Apollo 11 launch cost where people pointed out the resources could feed starving children, demonstrating powerful community agency. Smith further elaborated on this by discussing her work at the White House where she focused on empowering 'doers' and building community capacity, rather than relying on top-down government structures. She contrasted the spontaneous, creative organization seen at Burning Man with the rigid layout of a refugee camp to illustrate the power of self-directed community building. Smith also highlighted the vast global network of over 3,000 Fab Labs, which represents an existing infrastructure of local innovators ready to collaborate. The speakers stressed the necessity of 'scouting' these talented individuals and scaling their solutions, pointing out that many innovators are already working on similar problems globally but remain disconnected. They advocate for building connective tissue between these innovators, citing examples like the UN Solutions Summit, which successfully crowdsourced over 1,400 solutions from 141 countries in three weeks, and encouraging the audience to actively seek out and support these existing efforts. ### Collective Genius and Community Empowerment - Jones and Smith discuss leveraging collective genius; Jones cites the Apollo 11 protest as an example of community agency - Smith emphasizes empowering local doers and building inclusive frameworks rather than relying on government mandates. ### Examples of Global Innovation - The discussion references the UN Solutions Summit gathering 1,400+ solutions from 141 countries - The global Fab Lab Network consists of 3,000+ labs fostering local making and innovation. ### Scout and Scale Methodology - The strategy involves identifying existing, exceptionally talented people solving problems locally (like those in the Amazon or from the Mercury 13) and scaling their impact through networks. ### Contrast in Organization - Smith compares the planned, rigid structure of a refugee camp with the self-organized, vibrant community of Burning Man to show the power of voluntary, creative organization. ### Historical Context and Representation - The speakers reference historical figures like Ada Lovelace (inventor of algorithms) and Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician) to underscore the long history of women's contributions to science and technology, criticizing the media's gender bias in dialogue. ### Actionable Takeaways - The core message is to actively seek out and connect existing pockets of genius and creativity globally, using tools like Google to find active problem-solvers rather than waiting for centralized direction. ![Screenshot at 00:02: 03:Title slide for the TEDxBoston event, presenting the speakers Megan Smith & Jacqueline Jones.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-02.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:05: 13:Slide illustrating the global reach of community mapping activities, noting that these maps rely on the goodwill of people sharing knowledge to improve their lives and communities.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-05.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:08: 45:Slide showcasing various tech meetups and organizations involved in initiatives like 'Girl Develop It' and 'All Star Code', alongside a map of GDG chapters worldwide.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-08.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:10: 14:A slide juxtaposing portraits of Ada Lovelace and Princess Leia, highlighting the long history of influential female figures in technology/science.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-10.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:57: 57:Slide displaying the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals \(SDGs\) alongside examples of solution makers from Uganda, Peru/Brazil, Burkina Faso, and the UK.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/3_GR4YwjBFA/00-00-57.jpg)