ChangeCamp London

ChangeCamp is an event format, an open community and a set of tools and ideas designed to give citizens and governments the ability to work collaboratively in new ways to make change and to better address real-world challenges in our communities.

The ChangeCamp community is focused on two goals:

   1. helping governments become more open, transparent, participatory, innovative, efficient and effective
   2. helping citizens become more connected to each other around their civic passions in the place they call home

ChangeCamp is a great opportunity for London to gain experience and recognition as a centre of open dialog and collaborative enterprise. Because it is participant-driven, ChangeCamp fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship and social innovation that is essential to capitalizing on new opportunities to flourish in the 21st century. It isn't just about the policies and practices we need now, it's about enabling a dynamic, creative culture to sustain itself and generate momentum for London going forward.

On June 19th London will host its first ChangeCamp event, organized around the open space format (similar to AgendaCamp that TVO hosted in January, though more focused on the theme of open democracy). Citizens propose topics they want to see discussed, and people are free to participate in the discussions that are relevant to their interests and knowledge. City staff and politicians are encouraged to participate in ChangeCamp as a "third space" for listening and engaging in open dialog. It is neither a place for campaigning nor putting anyone into a corner. Organizers will take steps to maintain an open, conversational spirit throughout.

Our intention is to come out of the event with momentum and focus on actionable projects that will generate real, practical benefits. This is an opportunity to bring together citizens who genuinely want to build a more vibrant, engaged and ultimately prosperous community.