Now and again we like spread the word about projects we hear about that are looking to do something different. This week, we thought we’d let you know about a Social Innovation Camp project, Jailbrake. Katee Hui explains more…
In a recent post over on Techpresident, Micah unpacked the three branches of We.Gov. The first is the idea of government 2.0, or government-as-a-platform. The second is on whether the net is better for campaigning than governing. And the third is on what happens when you open up the process with real-time transparency. While I agree strongly with Micah on all 3 points, for me what none of these quite get to is perhaps one of the most powerful uses of the web within the realm of We.Gov – the ability for people to use the Internet to come together and reimagine public value, not (just) public services per se.
As most of you will know, FutureGov are fully signed up members of the Social Innovation Camp fan club. We’ve not missed any of the four that have taken place so far, personally helping to lead on a couple of projects at the first two camps in London (Enabled by Design and Accesscity). While I was at the fourth Social Innovation Camp, Social Innovation Camp Central and Eastern Europe in Bratislava last month, the chance came up for us collaborate at this week’s New Media Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia.
As FutureGov passes its 18 month anniversary, I’ve recently been spending my quieter moments contemplating where next for FutureGov … Outwardly we talk about being focused on “Digital Democracy” and “Public service transformation”, which in both our hearts and the hearts of the wider FutureGov family means a passion for better government, rebalancing the role and power of the state to one that better empowers individuals to self-organise and work with government as just one partner in making the world better for them.
As the keen followers of this blog will know, we like to organise (and attend) the odd event or two here at FutureGov. From FutureGov Network meet ups, to Gov2Gov events, to online film premieres, to lending a hand at bigger events like Gov20 Camp, Reboot Britain and Social Innovation Camp, we love getting out and about listening, learning and sharing. At all of these events and more besides, there has been a rapid growth in real time reporting on the goings on during the sessions due in no small part to the explosive adoption of tools like Twitter.
A bit like back in March this year, it seems event time is upon again here in FutureGov Towers. So here’s just a quick post pulling it all together to let you know where you can find us in case you fancy coming along and joining in the fun yourselves.
Well that was a lot of fun! After a successful outing last time round at the first ever Social Innovation Camp, leaving with first prize with co-founder Denise Stephens for Enabled by Design, I thought why not give it another shot?
I know what you’re thinking – “he just can’t stay away can he?”. Well you’d be right! Having had such fun at the first Social Innovation Camp and since then working with pal Denise on her vision for Enabled by Design, I couldn’t resist putting in a couple of ideas in for Camp 2. So obviously I’m rather excited (if a little sheepish) to say that one of the ideas, AccessCity, has been chosen as one of the six ideas that will be worked on over the weekend of 5-7 December by myself and (hopefully!) a gang of socially minded geeky types.
Things have been a little hectic since the Social Innovation Camp, so much so I haven’t had the chance to write about the success of Enabled by Design, which actually went on to win the Camp and can now rightly call itself a “social start up”!
Since then, FutureGov has been supporting founder Denise Stephens on an amazing circuit of events, from MiniBar to the RSA’s Networks Exchange and most recently the Innovation Unit’s innovationexchange – with more to come (including the launch of the Catalyst Awards later this week)! We have been overwhelmed with the interest in the project and blown away by the generosity and support of a wide array of people and organisations willing to give up their free time and expertise to help us move things forward.