BlogSchmog | We live as if the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.

A second local unconference will be held on January 6, 2007 from 1p-4p at the Monroe County Public Library (Room 1B). This unconference session is an outcome of the first RootsCamp held mid-November to discuss the recent elections. This follow-up event will focus on “The Ideal Bloomington Portal” an include participants from the City government, universities and local interest groups.

The Politic Exchange – “The Ideal Bloomington Portal”
Saturday, January 6, 2006
1p-4p (with time before and after the event)
Monroe County Public Library, Room 1B

The format for this unconference will be the same as before, albeit much shorter in duration. The room is actually reserved from noon to 5p, to give participants a chance to mingle before and after. A brief welcome introducing the topic of the day will begin at 1p, with participants invited to write topics on the Big Board (they will be encouraged to do so before 1p as well). Everyone then breaks up into the discussion group of their own choosing and has a conversation for the next 45 minutes. We reconvene to share summaries of our discussions. Then, we do it all over again for a second 45-minute discussion.

The RootsCamp name is being set aside for the time being (that mission is more specific and constrained than what I’m hoping to do here) in favor of a project I’ve been thinking about for a decade: The Politic Exchange. The core idea behind Politic Exchange is diverse discussions for the sake of understanding, not persuasion. At some point, there will be a web site with bridging and bonding conversations that go well beyond the local, but a big part of this is the offline conversation facilitated by the open unconference format. Every two months, I’d like to have a local unconference session here in Bloomington on a different topic, preferably one that comes from previous conversations.

There is a short turnaround time on recruiting for this next unconference, made somewhat more difficult by the holidays. I’m going to need help in getting the word out, so I’ll be making use of a Yahoo! group as a base for communicating with other members and coordinating the event.