CASE STUDY

Akoben LLC

Project: Village of Champions Platform Development & Community Building

About Akoben LLC

Akoben's mission is to lead in the struggle to positively transform how organizations serve young people through connection and challenge. Founded by Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad, Akoben specializes in relational practices—restorative, trauma-informed, and equity-centered—woven together into a coherent, outcome-based process. The company trains, coaches, and consults organizations committed to cultivating belonging and increasing accountability for youth who are often marginalized and struggling in school and community settings.

Why Akoben partnered with Consult with Malene

Born from a deep understanding of the power of village communities, Akoben's CEO envisioned creating an online hub and community for Champions to deepen their capacity and practice while supporting them in supporting others. The concept was rooted in the transformative power of the village—Akoben wanted to create an online space that embodied the values, feeling, and interconnectedness of a true village community for their trained practitioners in restorative and relational practices.

This vision represented more than just a resource repository; it was about fostering the kind of meaningful relationships and ongoing support that Champions needed to sustain and grow their restorative and relational practices work. As the brainchild of Akoben's CEO, the Village of Champions required a thought partnership to evolve both the design, content, and function—taking this powerful concept from vision to reality. Akoben needed a collaborator who could help make this transformative community come to life in the digital space.

The process

Working collaboratively with Akoben's leadership team, we embarked on an extensive co-creation process that spanned multiple phases and domains. Understanding that the Village of Champions needed to reflect Akoben's deep commitment to doing things "with" rather than "to" their community, we began with comprehensive discovery sessions to understand the unique needs of Champions at different stages of their restorative practices journey.

Our systematic approach included:

Phase 1: Foundation and Architecture

Phase 2: Video Content Curation and Production

Phase 3: Comprehensive Survey Development

Phase 4: Collateral Design and Development

Phase 5: Content Development and Platform Optimization

We drafted comprehensive platform architecture including content organization and navigation structure, created the initial web design framework with responsive elements, and established user experience pathways for different Champion engagement levels.

From extensive existing materials, we created 31+ video segments including Champion Shares (curated from 15-40 original videos), 20+ DRA training modules restructured for optimal learning, and 6+ specialized ACE's survey integration videos with professional interviews and sensitive content handling.

We developed 11 complete assessment tools from scratch, including the Compass of Shame surveys, Conflict Styles Survey, Emotional Intelligence Survey, ACE's Survey, and others, each with sophisticated response automation and tiered feedback systems requiring 33+ automated email templates.

We created 37+ supporting materials including "What is Your Sentence" materials for both Personal and Champion pathways, comprehensive meeting facilitation packages for seven different topics, and complete book study integration materials.

We developed complete written content and verbiage for 11 platform pages, conducted secondary design improvements, and implemented accessibility features and mobile optimization.

The results

The Village of Champions platform represents a comprehensive digital infrastructure investment that positions Akoben for scalable growth while supporting their strategic pivot toward relationship-first engagement. The platform consolidates over 130 discrete deliverables including 31+ video segments, 11 assessment tools, 37+ supporting materials, sophisticated automation systems, and complete content development across 11 platform pages.

This extensive development has created a professional, resource-rich environment that demonstrates organizational expertise while providing genuine ongoing value to the Champion community. The platform enables Akoben to:

Reduce Administrative Burden: Automated systems and streamlined resource access eliminate repetitive manual processes
Scale Training Delivery: Video content and self-guided pathways reduce dependency on instructor time while maintaining quality
Build Sustainable Community: Centralized hub fosters ongoing Champion connections and peer learning
Support Data-Driven Development: Integrated survey tools provide insights for organizational and individual growth
Enhance Program Value: Comprehensive resource library significantly increases the perceived and actual value of Akoben's training programs

The platform provides the foundation for sustainable community engagement that supports both immediate relationship-building goals and long-term market expansion objectives, positioning Akoben as a leader in comprehensive, technology-enabled professional development within the restorative practices field. Check out villageofchampions.com.

What Akoben says:

“Malene’s thoughtful and comprehensive delivery—both in her written contributions and as a thought partner—has been an exceptional value to our team. Over time, our collaboration has grown into such strong alignment that we now communicate in shorthand. Thanks to her engagement and creative brilliance, we have a much stronger set of external-facing documents and online platforms, including the Village of Champions.”

Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad

Founder & CEO, Akoben LLC