This story is live coverage on the November 9 CityCamp MN 2013 unconference. Check back in throughout the day for updates, down below.
If you type “unconference” into a text message or into your Facebook status, chances are your autocorrect will suggest you change it. That’s because unconference is still a relatively new idea—one that emphasizes informal exchanges, unhindered ideas, and a breakdown in hierarchy and convention.
This year, the Twin Cities Daily Planet attended CityCamp Minnesota‘s second unconference at the University of St. Thomas Minneapolis on November 9 to discuss a menagerie of topics ranging anywhere from data transparency, to city engagement, to open source technology. The theme? Engaging Community Innovation.
The idea is to connect citizens, community leaders, technologists, and government officials for a day of learning, discussing, and imagining how to use technology to strengthen communities and create more open government.
“This [year’s] larger,” said Steven Clift, Executive Director with E-Democracy and one of the main organizers of the unconference. “Now we’re in a phase where much more people are engaged. Much more city involvement, much more media involvement… moving from a ‘What is it?’ to ‘Let’s do something about it’ phase.”
Participants in the event contributed their own ideas, where similar ideas were combined into “sessions,” 24 in all.
“This is the heart of the unconference. It’s a dialogue based model,” said Clift, who said the majority of the unconference is just that—connecting people from all different sectors in Minnesota to try and hash out solutions to better our communities.
Join us at the unconference as we live blog the event as it progresses. See how the discussion evolves and witness the ideas that emerge because of it. You can join the conversation, too. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
[If you don’t see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.]
Comment