Open Government. Open Data. Open Communication. It all leads to an Open Community of the willing who are informed, engaged and collaboratively making a difference.
That's what it's all about. That's what we're gunning for next Tuesday, July 29th starting at 7pm at 67 Yonge Street, 16th Floor.
In collaboration with the brand-new ThinkData Works, Wakata Inc (that's me and the amazing Jen Li) is hosting the second Where Worlds Collide, this time with a twist.
The first outing was to see who would come out and what they were interested in. It was an amazing turnout of public servants, community catalysts, private sector players and a whole lot of big ideas. My favourite two were Jabullah Murray's Basketball/Leadership program, PUSH Elite and the My SoJo platform.
Where Worlds Collide even attracted a couple of Mayor candidates in David Soknacki and Morgan Baskin.
The conversations were amazing - new connections were formed, new ideas raised; the energy was palpable.
And now we're upping the game.
As Open Government continues to build like the falling of small stones that start an avalanche, initiatives like #OGAP2 and #OGT14 are changing the way we engage and, hopefully, the way we do both government and civil society. We want to build on and add to that.
Where Worlds Collide is just that - a collision of events, of styles, of people. It's going to be part concert, part consulting session, part networking, part reality show (with Richard Pietro updating us on his OpenGov on the Open Road adventures.
Here's what's in the works:
First - what says open more than a rooftop patio? Thanks to Bryan Smith and the ThinkData Works team, that's where we're going to be. Space is limited, so if you wanna come - sign up now, here.
Keith McDonald will bring the music, his own compositions about Open Gov and Open Data. Picture a perfect fusion of data geekness and head-bopping tunes and you get the idea.
We'll also have some chart paper scattered about the place that'll look like a prettier version of this:
The point is to encourage people from different sectors to comment on what they think the pros and cons are for peers from other fields. What does, say, the Private Sector have to offer Open Government? What will they get out of it?
As I've learned from the Design Thinkers at Exhibit Change, the perspectives we hold about ourselves and each other are hardly universal. Exploring these points of view is key to determining where both our communication challenges lie and where open ground can be found.
Of course, there'll be networking - a chance to pitch your idea, suss out new talent, find the partner you've been looking for but unable to find anywhere else. Courtesy of ThinkData Works, there'll be some snacks and beverages, too.
We'll get a LIVE FROM SOMEWHERE IN CANADA update from Richard on his discovery of Canada and chats about Open Gov. You can get a bit of a teaser here.
Lastly, we'll have a panel discussion about what Open Government is and what it means for Canada. Who'll be on the panel is a bit of a surprise, as will be the direction of the conversation. The goal is to start somewhere and see where we go from there.
It's gonna be different, it's going to be helpful and I have no doubt it'll be fun.
Hope to see you there.
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