The always-on meeting place for this circle. Drop in anytime.

Buy tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/transparencycamp-online-2016-tickets-21367419527

Purpose:
1. Spread the word about your opengov or civic tech project.
2. Network with other innovators.
3. Bring the toughest questions and challenges you're facing and gain insights from other participants.

TransparencyCamp Online is an “unconference” for opengov. Each year, journalists, developers, technologists, policy-makers, government officials, students, academics, wonks and everyone in between gather together to share knowledge about how to use new technologies and policies to make our government really work for the people—and to help our people work smarter with our government.

Buy tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-opengov-civictech-online-unconference-tickets-20428926469

Purpose:
1. Spread the word about your civic tech project.
2. Network with other innovators.
3. Bring the toughest questions and challenges you're facing and gain insights from other participants.

Dr. Brad Gutierrez, newly assigned independent researcher for the Independent Reporting Mechanism of the Open Government Partnership invites you to join him for an introductory conversation about the state of the U.S. Government's Third National Action Plan and its constituent 45 commitments. Dr. Gutierrez' mandate is to research and report on the status of the commitments, the level of engagement between government and civil society, and to make recommendations for future actions.

The Action Plan is divided into thematic areas of focus for the commitments. These include:
- Open Government to Improve Public Services (Commitments 1-12)
- Access to Information (13-23)
- Public Participation (24-27)
- Government Integrity (28-31)
- Fiscal Transparency (32-34)
- Justice and Law Enforcement (35-36)
- Support Open Government at the Sub-National Level (37-40)
- Open Government to Support Global Sustainable Development (41-45)

To guide this conversation, Dr. Gutierrez would like every one to review the Action Plan and the U.S. Government's Self-Assessment and consider responses to two basic questions. First, do the commitments contained in the Action Plan matter, are they addressing issues of importance to the broad American citizenry and its relationship with its government? Second, what role did you play or were you offered to play in consulting on the development of these commitments? For those who are interested in this conversation, but are unable to attend this event, please feel free to email Dr. Gutierrez to offer your thoughts or to schedule a one-on-one conversation. He can be reached at gutierrezbrad@gmail.com. Links to the two documents are here:

Action Plan: http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/final_us_open_government_national_action_plan_3_0_0.pdf

Self Assessment: http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/USA_NAP3_self-assessment-report_20160916.pdf

Thank you for interest in this important initiative.

Depending on how you look at things, the fields of OpenGov and Civic Tech are either in full retreat or preparing for the next major push forward.

The purpose of this 3-hour online unconference is to catch our breath as a community. 40+ people have already signed up on the Eventbrite page. You can RSVP here or there.

Please skim these two articles before the event begins:
Civic Tech's Act III Is Beginning by Joshua Tauberer
An Education in Community Technology by Daniel X. O’Neil

The provocative quote from Dan's article: "Yes, the civic tech movement should be shelved. It has run its course. The models of hack nights and civic apps and techno-determinist solutions have proven ineffective."