A good problem to have and feedback from South Region brigades on possible regional event

Organizer Skillsharing Event Planning
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Idea: South Region Event?

Please note this is merely an idea I’m throwing out for response; it’s not in any way a formal proposal or promise for an event, nor does it represent any official Network or NAC discussed or approved plans.

<< UPDATE: Take this quick survey to demonsrate your interest! >>

BACKGROUND

So, OpenSavannah has been allotted a sizeable sum of money from the regional economic development authority earmarked for the explicit purpose of holding a ‘hackathon’ before the end of 2019 (note: hackathon is the term they used; we’re thinking something more inclusive or with multiple modes of paticipation would be best, but still satisfying a civic hacking component). They’ve set aside $10,000,and are providing in-kind use of venue, A/V, publicity, etc. So, aside from the cost of food (which we should be able to get mostly donated) and stickers, we’re looking at a lean budget right now and a good bit of cash on the table that will otherwise go back into their general budget and not toward civic tech…

Possible Solutions:

A. We could give out sizeable cash prizes to participants as a way to incentivize participation. But is that really the motivation for the type of participants we’re looking for? We did this before and had great turnout, but little retention.

B. We’d also floated the possibility of holding a regional ‘day of action’ or ‘day of service’ or whatever we choose to call it on an issue that affects the Southeastern Region, and inviting the other Southeast Brigades to join, as well as possibly other cities without Brigades that have civic-minded problem-solvers who may be interested (groups that may even then start a Brigade in their own cities –– I’m looking at you, Jacksonville and Charleston!).

Question time:

If we did this on a Saturday in Savannah starting at 1 p.m. through to Sunday afternoon ending at 5 p.m. and we could cover the cost of one night of lodging, all meals, and all transportation costs for any Brigade in the South Region to bring teams of no more than four (4) each, what level of interest might there be among those in the network in the South Region?

There are no wrong answers. Feelings won’t be hurt, and no tears will be shed if there’s not a lot of interest.

Potential focus areas

  • While we don’t want to be prescriptive and projects/ideas should focus on your own city, not Savannah, one obvious issue of shared concern for most of us is the climate crisis (note: I personallly refrain from calling it climate change because that downplays the dire nature of the situation and leaves it open to obfuscation; instead, I say climate crisis or climate emergency). It’s also a fairly easy one to rally sponsors around here.

  • That said, partnering with the local library system for a ‘Hack the Stacks’ event could be cool… but would it be replicable/of relevance?

  • Affordable housing is also a major issue.

CALL TO ACTION:

If you represent a Southern Region brigade, could you provide in this thread either a

  • :grinning: for Yes, definitely would be interested!,
  • :neutral_face: for Possibly, even very likely, but not ready to commit, or:
  • :confused: for Don't really think that will work for us this fall as we've got too much on our plates already.

This is an informal straw poll and, again, not an actual proposal, at least yet.