A great day for Future Democracy. A sad reflection on the current one.
Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 11:03PM 
You will probably read many great posts and comments on the 1st ever ChangeCamp Edmonton. I feel tremendously proud of both the volunteers and participants, and I am hesitant to say anything bad about such a great day.
BUT, you don’t pay me for flowery gratitude. I know, you don’t pay me, but let’s assume for a second that you did. If you did I would have to say something about the elephant that was/wasn’t in the room. Our politicians. The people we pay to listen to us were largely absent. Save for two MLA’s (Liberal Laurie Blakeman & PC Doug Elniski) and two City Councilors (Don Iveson and Ben Henderson), the rest of them stayed away. Also conspicuous in their absence were any provincial staffers, who, rumour has it, were told to stay away. (Kudos to City IT and other staffers who were there, fully engaged in the conversation)
I could speculate a number of reasons why we didn’t see more politicians, but I am not sure that would help. I am certain that they would all offer up excuses of busy schedules, family commitments, or pleading simple ignorance. However when you have over 150 citizens go out of their way, for a full Saturday, to talk about improving citizen and government interaction, any apology would seem insincere. Any politician worth their salt would have jumped into such an opportunity to engage with those who pay them to listen.
So, let me share with you my hopes and wishes. I hope that our future politicians were in the room, and I wish those who are just treading water, spending our money, will make room for those who care to listen.
I heard speculation that some politico’s feared ChangeCamp for its elements of the unscripted or unknown. It was both of those things, and yet the regular passionate citizens proved that it could be a constructive, respectful and inspiring day. Nearly 30 topics were discussed, and everybody involved were focused 100% on positive change, ignoring partisan opinions, or attacking the current state.
So, in closing, it was a GREAT day for future democracy, but a sad reflection on our current one.
See some great photos of the event here, the grid of topics that were discussed, and the Twitter #yegchange discussion here.
#yegchange, changecamp, democracy, edmonton in Alberta, Edmonton 
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Reader Comments (13)
Sad but true Chris. One of the responsibilities that I was assigned on the promo team was inviting the politicians, so I sent a note to each of the provincial caucuses inviting them to send MLAs and political staff to the event. Also to each of the parties. The Wild Rose party replied that they couldn't make it on account of their convention (understandable) but I didn't even get a response from the others.
I suppose that for whatever reason, our elected officials (besides the few exceptions that you mention) didn't see the event as a worthwhile investment of their time. If that isn't, than what is?
Chris, this is a good post and the rumour doesn't surprise me should it be true. ChangeCamp is a concept that scares a lot of people who still believe they can control things, it shouldn't but it does.
To add to the list of politicians who "get it:" Sue Huff, public school board trustee for Ward C, also attended Change Camp.
Chris:
Yes indeed. Sue was there and a great participant. I don't knwo much about the School Trustee role, but indeed that was my oversight.
Cheers!
Although I agree with some of your comments Chris, I cannot agree with "Nearly 30 topics were discussed, and everybody involved were focused 100% on positive change, ignoring partisan opinions, or attacking the current state." I understand this is the design and intention of #yegchange, yet I heard a number of attacks. Perhaps that is inevitable, but it certainly has an effect on who attends. I do think #yegchange has value - both to citizens and politicians - and that we can continue the dialogue with both groups, as long as we focus on future positive change, and do it with respect.
Yes, I was there and found it completely engaging. I would say that the politicians who did not attend missed an incredible opportunity to learn, share and listen. The conversations were respectful, intelligent and thought-provoking. Regarding the role of the trustee- you aren't alone in not knowing much about it!!
Please allow me: Trustees are elected representatives (politicians), who go to the polls once every 3 years (same cycle and ballot as city councillors). At EPSB, 9 trustees oversee a $780 million budget, 80,000 students and around 7000 staff. We are charged with providing the vision and direction of the District, advocating for public education, making decisions based on community input and ultimately, improving the outcomes for all our students. We have one employee: the Superintendent of Schools. School boards pre-date any other form of government in Alberta (in Edmonton, the first board was formed in 1881). We are to be held to the same level of accountability as any other form of government.
The Inspiring Education Forum (starting today) will include presentations on changes to governance. We may see some of these changes reflected in the revisions to the School Act. It is my hope that school boards will always provide a clear and vital link between the "public" and "public education."
Alexis:
Of course I wasn't in each session to see the personal interactions, so I am not surprised to hear that there was some finger-pointing or politicking, but overall from my view as the facilitator, there seemed to be a broad acceptance of the "Rules of Engagement". (I even got a kick out of Hippy Dude. To be fair to him he wasn't there in the morning to hear the rules read out).
All in all, I see the positive of 150 citizens getting together to talk about Change, I also saw a willingness to listen respectfully to all sides. It wasn't of course about parties, or even politics, but about re-imagining government in an era of technological advancements.
All of these thoughts are important however as we decide together how we keep the discussion going. Thanks again for coming.
Sue:
Thank you for your clarification and positive comments. Sounds like you're role as a Trustee is a valuable one indeed. The Inspiring Education Forum sounds like a great event, and hopefully it is a success for all levels of the Education system and it's governors.
Thanks Chris to you and all the #YEGChangeCamp organizers for this very interesting and exciting day. It gave a lot to think about and it did change my opinion about Twitter - I use to think the only people that were on Twitter were people that were in desparate need of attention (I don't care what you are shopping for), but now I have a healthy respect for the power that this has. I have really enjoyed following the #YEGChange Tweets and like getting different perspectives from intelligent, thoughtful people. There is a whole new world out there I wasn't aware of. So I have to get my butt in gear and learn all this stuff.
It is too bad, but not unexpected, that the politicians were not there. Kudos to Doug Elniski, Laurie Blakeman, Don Iveson, and Sue Huff for coming, their participation as citizens definitely added value to the discussions. As to the politicking, given that pretty well all the people attending are politically active, I thought that the politics was pretty well kept to a minimum with the focus on finding solutions rather than on political ideology. People weren't there because everything is going well with the current state of governing at any level of government.
Finally, listening to the young people involved and the level of their thinking and insight, I have a lot of confidence in the future. The next generation of leaders is going to blow everyone out of the water. I look forward to the followup and actions that can be developed from the discussions.
Good afternoon Chris,
Congratulations to all who attended. I'm one of those who wasn't able to make the Change camp due to business commitments. However, it was in the back of my mind a lot on Saturday as I wondered how the events were proceeding.
I'm so pleased that it went well and hope that I may be able to join future Change Camps.
Cheers!
There was one other politician there, a gentlemen by the name of Ken who had been active in his town's politics for 20 years. I believe he is currently a mayor. Unfortunately I can't remember what town and he didn't have a last name on his tag. I did find his perspective valuable in the sessions I was in with him.
I look forward to the day when social media will play an important role in the outcome of elections - it will mean real transparency, and an opportunity for real accountability. This terrifies the pants of the establishment because it will also undermine the mechanics where people get elected and then get comfortable, retiring into jobs with the people they "helped" while ignoring the electorate.
That day is a long way away though. At least 40 years.
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