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Improving Safety in Trinidad and Tobago Through Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab

Zindzi Thompson
MA 2018
Conflict Management

Prior to attending Johns Hopkins SAIS, Zindzi was a management consultant at Ernst & Young where she worked on strategy, operations, and business development within the financial services industry. She worked with a wide range of global banking and insurance clients on projects covering the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia to help improve their business and operational performance.

Zindzi enrolled at the school to pursue her interest in private sector development and the geopolitics of small states, and also to proffer sustainable solutions that can improve her country. Since crime was one of the key areas of concern in her country (Trinidad & Tobago) at the moment, she decided to work on this aspect. Her time at the school has been worthwhile, equipped with the conflict management knowledge she has gained so far, she came up with an idea that she is working to put into reality. She started a venture called ‘Neighbour Neighbour’ which is a platform that aims to improve the personal safety of people living in Trinidad & Tobago by broadcasting alerts of nearby violent incidents.

Zindzi was selected to be part of the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab Cohort for 2017-2018 which has been helpful in advancing the venture, in addition the valuable advice and insights she receives from faculty members. Her conflict management coursework is helping shape how she structures the end-to-end process of the platform so that it can be safe and transparent for users. Similarly, she expects to make use of some of the skills courses she has taken such as data visualization. Over the next years, Zindzi hopes to design and develop a prototype of the platform; and also refine and validate it with key potential partners and stakeholders.