What brought you to ChangeCamp?

Re my role, in the previous question: I'm a full time consultant working for local government to do public consultation.

I came to learn and share ideas for doing participatory democracy in Canada. Also to demonstrate Advanced Dotmocracy.

To reconnect with the community and find out about public works initiatives where I could offer assistance

Interest in technologies of social change and government transparency.

Being a designer I am interested in making change in every aspect of life and CC seemed like an opportunity to do this in the political sector

I read about ChangeCamp on the Centre for Social Innovation website and it sounded like a fantastic event.  I am currently finishing up my MA in Communication and Culture at York and Ryerson Universities and my research interests are on how NGOs can use the web strategically (i.e. for digital activism) while also addressing the politics around the Internet in their web use thereby ensuring that NGOs use the Internet in ways that are consistent with the ideologies and core values.  I am very interested in the use of social media and the Web for social change on a personal level as well.  The intersection of my research, personal interests, and the opportunity to meet like-minded people all contributed to my interest in coming to ChangeCamp.

I work in the City of Toronto's Access and Privacy Office. I and and will be working with staff from a variety of areas the City to incorporate access and privacy provisions in new social media policies and guidelines being developed. I will also be providing access and privacy advice to staff working on initiatives such as public consultation and civic engagement.

Citizen participation. Ways to engage people. Obamas and Trudeaus can inspire but we can't rely on them.

The desire to change the way we work and live with the government

Very interested in allow people to collectively decide what is most pressing and work toward resolution. Also interested in participating in my own government, but it seems unnecessarily complicated.

I want to bring more of our constituents into the political process and facilitating community development through technology.

the Unconference structure of the event was certainly an important incentive,
i believe in future events more practical minds can be also attracted to ChangeCamp if they know government representatives are there to listen and work with the public.

The current and dire need for change and innovation in our government and public structures.

Helping to bridge the communication gap between citizens and government. Plus being in a room full of really smart engaged people is amazing

The ideas presented at ChangeCamp connect to my academic research interests.

It was a terrific opportunity to discuss mechanisms available to create social change, to float ideas past like (or more like) minded individuals and to meet new folks.

obsession with how open is changing everything... ChangeCamp is another strategy at makng government more open. Also interested in how citizens are creating solutions for our problems... love that civil socieity is leading.

To learn what made the Toronto example successful, and to contribute to bringing ChangeCamp to other places.

Working on writing the curriculum for a new program for young social innovators

An interest in how technology can be adapted to solve problems for all people, not just techies.

two words: government and change

Mocked notion of twitter - now convinced and eager to spread the word to non-profits and progressive movements! Changecamp was part of learning how to do this.

Connect w/ talented passionate ppl. Hopeful event start of something great. Vote reform dude. Experience an open space event.

To find connections with other people, projects and ideas.

I don't like any of the political parties; nor am I willing to be an activist.  The Internet can empower me and others.

Having been an active part of the Twitter tech community for some time I've been witness to the power and enthusiasm of the group.  Having seeing first hand the tangible change that can be quickly mobilized, I was extremely curious to see how this could be carried over to government and what the role, I, as an individual could play.

I know @remarkk - if anything I was particularly intrigued by who else would show up and what everyone's mass/common conception of 'change' would be... (being something they could obviously have a part in affecting)

Opportunity to participate in my community's launch of movement to meaningful change, & learn from & connect with others doing the same.

My friend suggested I come. After viewing the website I felt it would be a valuable experience.

to hear ideas and see if any action would result

Two things: First, I believed in the potential of ChangeCamp and the people involved, but didn't understand exactly what the day would entail, and I wanted to see it for myself as an interested and politically engaged citizen. Second, wearing my writer/editor/media hat, I felt it was important for my magazine to be represented at the event, and to participate/document a nascent political movement; this was more for the magazine's sake, to keep it relevant and plugged into new and interesting political scenes.

I had never been to an unconference, and this one was about leadership and citizen engagement! I couldn't stay away!

trying to fight the fight for a better web & gov't from the inside =D

Opportunity to meet citizens interested in political/governmental processes outside of work/client silos

What was the best session you attended & why?

Seeing the visiblegovernment.ca projects and examples was exciting.

How fbook was effectively used as a community based lobbying tool? Good cuz we discussed how gov't can in turn start engag'g more 2 way comm

Toronto.ca/opendata, because I had the sense of citizens meeting civil servants productively.

The Changelab was the best because it started thinking about solutions and discussing the problems in this framework

I ran a session on how NGOs/ social ventures could use Web 2.0 more effectively and for me this was the best session because it was great to be able to bring together a random group of people to share and discuss different challenges, tips, strategies, and best practices on the topic.

I enjoyed the first break out session in the morning the most. I also found it interesting listening to what information participants wanted to find on the City's Web site. I found it interesting finding out about what people think about the City, their perceptions and misperceptions.

Opening session - great conversations!

changelab #Shamen, starting to do something

I worked on taking the morning exercise and breaking the problems or issues down into principles. This was my session, so I am quite bias. The ChangeLabs looked cool! Also, the one on social business seemed swell.

Open data toronto.  It was great to see so many ideas about how to make the city better

The final work session was more effective and fun, perhaps participants can next time find and sign up for groups before the event (i'm thinking wiki) and once they get together they can start working based on the common backgrounds and they can already know what technical/other specialties they need to address the issue at hand.

The change lab (#1) was the best session.. the energy and passion was amazing.  The central theme in my breakout group was bringing ChangeCamp to other places, something that could have huge impact.

I did the #shamen session, so I guess that's the best by default. It was really exciting to work with such amazing people on a great++ idea.

In some ways, I enjoyed the session with Olivia Chow.  It was a session where the discussion had the potential to be put into practice (quickly).

Unfortunately, I was only able to attend the first half, but the time I spent in my letter group, as well as meeting people at lunch was great because it introduced me to new ideas and allowed me to be part of an interesting and evolving discussion.

TVO - state of public broadcasting. It was refreshing to hear a public broadcaster solicit ideas from actual viewers.

Toronto APIs session.

Ryan Merkely's open data brainstorming session...l. because it was the most relevant and likely to move forward. Also loved the demo for fix my street and visible government....

Did not attend sessions, just Change Lab, though I enjoyed the opening exercises.

looking at improving civics education in the ontario curriculum because there were many people there who shared ideas.

Changelab1 (#shamen) It was incredible to see the accomplishments random people can make together in a very short time when they focus on a goal.

Best session was with Olivia Chow - she tok a role of a moderator, and moderated conversations work better sometimes

The session on a Moveon.org for Canada - why it couldn't work, what it could look like.

Aside from the pub session? I guess it was P1: "How do we promote & maintain a sense of personal responsibility." Why?  It started me thinking of personal responsibility in the context of collective decision making, which I've since made into the theme of a series of "stories" for Project Votorola, and the topic of a useful discussion in the Election Methods mailing list. I also met some

electoral reform: concrete planning ideas

E1, because it was about empowering those of us who feel largely disenfranchised (we were rare at ChangeCamp).

The first morning session was excellent as there was a really complete discussion about the topic of why we are here -- it's open ended enough to get an idea of what people are interested in.

The best session I attended was the ChangeLab #Shamen project.  The clarity of purpose  and the dedication to producing something tangible for the community was outstanding.  Words can barely describe the energy in the room!

Changelab - good to see people focusing on defining a task and even begin to work out a development track (for...)

The Toronto.ca brainstorming on open data  - because it was led by the actual TO.ca team members, there was passion & accountability. And my participation could have a real impact on future city services.

I liked the Budget/finance ChangeLab2. I enjoyed discussing the real budgetary needs of societies and governments  as they relate to public opinion and perceived needs

i liked the first ones, to meet people and listen to ideas. regular convos etc.

Sessions run by the city of Toronto, because they were focused on creating a tangible outcome.

"Connecting the enfranchised and disenfranchised." I felt it was important at the conference that we discuss how to reach out to non-technical, non-engaged, non-voting citizens and make sure their constituencies aren't left behind in the "age of participation."

Olivia Chow's session on engagement and a coalition. The discussion was fantastic, and I let with tons of ideas

changelab: was great to think through an idea and come up with something so different than originally envisioned

ChangeLabs was phenomenal experience to watch 'crunchy' tech aspect of building apps - mind-expanding

What was the worst session you attended & why?

What private sector best practices can we leverage for pos change? Good topic, but conversation was a non starter & monopolised by 1 person

my morning session was pretty unsparkling, felt like a bunch of random people thrown together with relatively little to say to each other.

the post letter groups in the morning where everyone just rotated around. I thought this was a little unconstructive and could have used more implicit instructions.

I attended a session on business involvement in increasing civic participation that was my least favourite of the sessions I went to.  However, this was because the session turned out to not be particularly relevant for my interests and not because the session was badly run.

Open voting as I don't think it will ever really take off. There are too many issues to identify in this space, but politicians would never agree to give up their power to the Joe and Jane citizens to vote and make decisions on public policy. Not to mention authentication of users, privacy issues, etc.

ChangeLab - excited by promise of doing, not just talking, but frustrated by ever-shifting goals and groups pulling in different directions.

First breakout session, focus on activism within my group, do not like the concept

Fair Vote.  The facilitator was frankly pretty lame

some of the morning sessions didn't make much progress, perhaps a facilitator could be assigned to teams

Our 'brainstorming' exercise in the morning seemed quite ineffectual, as people were either quiet, or focused on their own specific agendas.

After the initial meet & greet, when we mixed and mingled, I felt that it wasn't very open and I ended up returning to my own group.

the introductions were poor as it was the same ideas over again.... the floating from table to table bumblebee thing didn't really work as everyone got up and left at the same time.... there was very lilttle consistency of conversation

Building communities in suburbia because of the few people that were there

The first exercise with the letter stations. Mostly arguing, nothing constructive.

The round of sessions where we all were to talk about why we were at the ChangeCamp - I'd much rather skipped that round of sesions alltogether and gone straight to the actual meat of the day: topic-driven conversations

TVOntario session. They used it to survey viewers - that wasn't the point of the day.

My own. L2: "Open Voting: How can it connect with you?" Why? I didn't learn anything from it. Except I learned a new rule: convene no sessions, just help others with theirs.
everything worthwhile

I didn't attend any bad sessions.

Probably mine since only 2 people got there, I eventually found some common thoughts. I guess the idea is too full baked for people to come on board, but I still want to get input on it as I continue to work it out.

While I still found it very rewarding, the session on "how do we, as citizens, take social responsibility" was a disappointment.  Unfortunately the voices of those that wanted to rant about the perceived lack of involvement from government drowned out the voices of those that were there to take positive steps forward.  I don't believe it's a situation that can be controlled and in reality, the public sometimes need to rant before they can set their minds on the real task at hand - being the stewards of change.

Some of the initial sit-downs; mind you, that was after coffee in the morning - people were getting too social to focus on social change - ha.

No "worst" session, but the first breakout based on random assignment by name tag did not lead to anything substantive. We did not have a clear lead on facilitating, & some speakers dominated.

The large City of Toronto Group, only because it was large and a little unfocused.

Session on how to get youth engaged. Had little focus, no actionable items, it was a conversation I've seen too many times.

It wasn't a bad session, but I attended one talk on starting a Canadian equivalent of MoveOn.org. It was disappointing mostly because we concluded that such a thing wasn't really feasible, and it dissipated without settling on a starting point.

The one about lobbyists. The organizer had no agenda, and couldn't bring one out of the attendants.

changelab: was hard to get people to the lab given all the cool stuff on the floor.

Electoral Reform session was difficult to wrestle from individual agendas/political biases

Other comments, advice, concerns?

The digital divide of who is not online needs to be remembered and addressed.   More diverse participants (age, culture, perspective).  Provide more video projectors for demos.  Provide rating / Dotmocracy tools to recognize wisdom of the crowd.

Though there were great opportunities to mix and exchange ideas with stranger. People gravitated to cliques and hung with people that they knew.
There also feels like there is little information on what's happening with some of the change lab projects. Through twitter I have heard that there have been closed sessions. But there isn't enough info on how people outside the circle can get in contact with and start working with the lab groups.
I also have a where do we go from here feeling? What's happening? How can we turn those discussions into actions?

It'd be nice if a higher percentage of attendees had a hackable project to brainstorm oon -- so that sessions could be more problem-solving from the get-go.

I really like the idea of the "unconference".  This was my first time attending an openspace-type of conference where the participants are responsible for the content and I thought it worked well. While it may be logistically difficult to organize a two-day conference, I think it would have been nice to have an additional day of ChangeCamp to build further upon ideas that were generated at the conference as well as to deepen connections that were made.  All in all, I thought it was a great event and I hope similar events happen more frequently in Toronto.

I thought it was really good having participants write down what discussion groups they wanted to lead, however it might have worked better if the changecamp organizers asked participants for their topics with a little more detail a few days ahead of time. This way, participants could make more informed choices as to which discussion groups they wanted to sit in on.

If ChangeLab comes back, start with problems already defined (presumably on wiki).

Enjoyed the day, more changelabs

Have one everywhere.

Honestly, I thought it all worked well. I know you'd prefer to have constructive criticism, but besides the previous comment I gots nothing!

While for the most part I think the 'open' quality of ChangeCamp attracts participants, I think it could inhibit some.  Not everyone who cares about the issues which underlie ChangeCamp wants to be on the record for YouTube and similar sites.

Ideally, there would be a food provider other than Tim Horton's and less waste produced.

If there is ever an opportunity to offer childcare, that would be terrific.

I thought that it was great.... I wish that we had done all the sessions in the big room downstairs and not in the hallways... I thinjk that this dispersed the energy too  much.... I always lean towards action and wished that I had been a part of more of this... but I didn't get to the Change Lab so perhaps it isn't a fair comment.... it was a great way to start the process....

More experience and reflection from the staff at the City of Toronto could blaze a real trail for others in other cities, jurisdictions, etc. What arguments bowled them over? What resistance are they facing? What bridges are they able to cross? Is it simply political will, or something else (like numbers, cases, etc.)? Also, how relevant is ChangeCamp to the existing machinery turning on government 2.0? Would love to see analysis or commentary on this too.

there needs to be more time between afternoon sessions.
overall.. kick ass unconference. when's the next one?

Would have liked to attend a Changelab and at least a couple other discussions that took place in the afternoon. A morning session with discussion groups + Changelabs in the afternoon would have worked well. The morning as it stood didn't have any value for me.

Liked the idea of ChangeCamp - there's obviously a lot to coordinate, organize, prep, etc. Would be nice if it was shorter and more to the point., i.e. here are your four hours, go! Less noise would be good, too. Otherwise, you are on the right track.

Timing was perfect, participants were incredible, organizers are heroes. I suggest finding and pulling in more ppl from grassroots orgs that haven't yet understood the power of social media to bring real change. People still think it's about marketing or goofing off on Facebook and don't understand the true power these tools can provide. As I mentioned to a prominent NDP organizer, #unborn was trending on Twitter due to Canadian users but there was no one twittering the Ontario NDP leadership debate. Anyway many of the people at Changecamp are already talking so bringing in those that haven't yet been convinced, or don't completely understand it, would be a suggestion for the next one.

Location rocked! Liked the format overall, hadn't been to an open space event before. Easy to meet & chat w/ ppl.
Better organization for ppl live blogging, taking vids, photos. Have ppl sign up for these roles b4 event so something already in place. I tried to live blog & do some vid, but was too much.
Provide some support / structure for sessions. Without good facilitator or process to follow, sessions can be easily ruined.
Maybe fewer sessions, so more focus during and after ChangeCamp. A bit overwhelming engaging in so many topics. More time for groups to share summaries in larger setting perhaps?

go for it

Advice? I don't know enough about organizing events. Keep them at a human level (as you did here), and don't let the organization intrude too much. The organizers should take time off to attend events (like VanChangeCamp) as participants, feeling first hand what it's like. Impact? Marketing matters, I suppose... I hope it doesn't intrude too much, and become the organizing principle. It's the participants who are the change-makers, and ChangeCamp is their meeting place. Make it a good meeting place. So far, so good..

energizing, specific action plans for various community concerns

I thought it went really well, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

I guess the biggest issue is making it easier for everyone to be heard rather than the groups that have the biggest crowds. I think it would have been good for people to put down where they were going so that organizers of sessions in the Grid could have seen where the real action is. I would have been more than happy to go to Open Data since it is connected, but I stayed at my table just in case. If I knew 20 people would be there I would have hopped over there quickly.

Since the goal of the project was to get diverse people together and for those people to find others with the same civic passions or concerns, I found it was an excellent format.  It would be great if towards the middle and/or end of the day when people need a little "brain" break a movie or a lecture is screened to allow participants to recharge, regroup and be reminded of the common goal.

ChangeCamp was an extraordinary use of open space for citizen engagement. The self-organizing process worked very well for the application, and the people who turned out were spirited and connected. The lead facilitators did a good job of lightly guiding the show, while keeping people focused on the mission.
There could have been more facilitation support within the camp organization to try to draw together a big picture of the process as it was happening. The video capture was good, but it is necessarily delayed. What I would do next time is to allow up to an hour of harvesting from the breakout sessions. A few visual facilitators could work with some of the larger breakouts to capture an overall imago of the proceedings. These pictures, rather than the bullet points of the breakout facilitators, could be used in a final dialogue. People were a bit inhibited at the end, strangely, and that was not all energy. I think the expectation for one last push might have made a difference, and some people may have seen connections happening between sessions that they might not have otherwise.
And we ended on time, excellent! Great job all.

Thank you

more changecamps should be held!

I was confused by the division between the afternoon sessions and the two ChangeLabs. The changelab projects seem interesting and worthy, but it wasn't clear to me why these two activities were taking place simultaneously. It seems to me that the division wasn't helpful, and that the Changelab projects would have benefited by being informed by the discussions happening downstairs, instead of immediately splitting off and pursuing a completely different agenda for the rest of the day.
Other than that, a great day, really interesting people, good discussion. Would advise MaRS to turn up the heat next time, though, it was freezing in the atrium in January.

Unfortunately, I have very little else to say!

changelab: need to identify and allocate a pool of resources for each lab in advance. it's not a lab if no builders show up.

Ensuring all ideas are (eventutally) actionable, not stepping on toes/carefully navigating people's space while gently nudging out of comfort zone