We know that there are many people in each city who have difficulties dealing with government: inter-agency issues, not knowing where to start, not knowing what information they need when. We also know that there are many people in each city who have lived through these problems. GovSherpa seeks to match frustrated, confused, and "lost" citizens with "guides" who can make the experience of dealing with city agencies and services more empathetic and efficient. Here's the script for the slides (imagine a voiceover telling the story of the figurines). "Many interactions with government agencies are typical problems with common answers. Things like replacing a driver’s license, or filling out a marriage certificate. When your problem is a special case, however, you can find yourself lost in uncharted territory without a guide. Meet Alex, the founder of a taxi app service. They’ve been running for a while and were just told they needed permits they had no idea even existed. So they call their local GovSherpa, who empathizes with their situation and can help guide them through the wilds of government. “GovSherpa, here. Please describe your situation for me.” “Thanks for sharing.”  “You’ll probably need to go to the taxi and limousine office, it’s located in the Rockefeller building and ask for Chris.  Alex, go ahead and use my name.  I’d go into the office with these documents just in case and come armed with the following questions.” If the problem is particularly thorny, GovSherpas have access to a network of volunteer experts like Pria, a public finance consultant with decades of experience working with the public servants Alex needs access to. Their Sherpa volunteer, having been through something similar before, and having interacted with staff at the local office, will be able to provide a roadmap and suggestions for finding the right person with the power and ability to help Alex solve this problem. The benefits that GovSherpa can provide are personalized attention, portal/knowledge base, a roadmap of the system, and connecting them to the right people in the system. The end goal is to help them get to their destination faster, with less frustration along the way, for both the government and for Alex."

1. #sfpdj13
#GGovJam
Finding Guides for the Civic Wilderness
Patrick Atwater
Cris Cristina
Zoe Madden-Wood
Dan Turner
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2. "what we do"
GovSherpa matches citizens experiencing
complex problems with "guides" who have
previously navigated through the Terra
incgonita of city, state, or local governments.
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13. values for all
• Reduces friction in government agency
interactions, providing a better experience
for citizens and government workers
• Increases efficiency: provides users with
guides through complex systems
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14. sustainable
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