Omakase Group helping with AgendaCamp

I’m proud to say that I’ll be helping out with a really cool initiative that TVOntario is doing as part of their Agenda with Steve Paikin (AwSP) program. The show is going on the road, literally.

AwSP will be broadcasting live from a few cities across Ontario and the topic will be about the future of Ontario’s economy with a focus on the dominant industries in each particular town. However the day before each broadcast we’ll be hosting AgendaCamp, an unconference on the same topic as the show. Modeled after Open Space Technology, AgendaCamp is a participant driven methodology that allows the conference topics to emerge organically and for the day’s conversations to emerge in the same way.

I’ll be helping to design the program for all five events over the next six months and facilitating the day’s proceedings with the help of Mark Kuznicki. It’s a great way to engage the public in the conversations that matter because everyone from mayors, industry leaders and the average citizen has an equal platform on which to discuss issues and propose solutions.

Further, with the help of Sean Howard we’ll be extending the philosophy into the online realm. All of the documentation, in the form of the written word, photographs and video will be incorporated into a digital platform that will allow participation from outside the unconference as well as in the time between events. It really is a new way of creating conversations amongst people who may be separated by time and space.

The schedule for the Agenda on the Road and AgendaCamp events is as follows:

Windsor: October 19/2
Sault Ste. Marie: November 16/17
Eastern Ontario: January 18/19 (city TBD)
Thunder Bay: February 8/9
Waterloo: March 29/30

This particular conversation is incredibly important if Ontarians are going to evolve to changing needs and emerging global trends, otherwise we’ll be left behind. Politicians need to hear this conversation and need to hear from you so even if you can’t make it to an event or attend the broadcast of the show, please engage in the online conversation. Make your voice heard. In case you haven’t heard, major disruptions are occurring right now and with disruption comes fear but also great opportunity.