What we're about
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
We believe that citizens should consider government to be "us", not "them." This meetup is for citizens who are interested in seeing their federal, state, and local government function more efficiently and responsively. We are inspired by people who are actively building tools and experimenting with solutions along these lines, like Sunlight Foundation (http://sunlightlabs.com/), GovTrack (http://GovTrack.us) and Egora, "The Worldwide Stock-Market of Ideas" of the International Logic Party (https://Egora-ILP.org).
We believe that open source software practices and internet culture provide good examples of how people can work cooperatively on complex problems to produce meaningful results, but you don't have to be a techie to be part of this meetup. Whether you are an activist or a government employee, or just a hacker looking for interesting projects, come to the Open Government Chicago group to meet other interested people and get involved in making things happen.
We use Meetup.com's group communication tools among other methods to stay connected. But there is nothing better than sincere face-to-face communication, so we encourage you to schedule your own "Citizen Office Hours" to make yourself available to your fellow citizens to discuss ideas, issues, and organizing matters. Please visit the group organizer, Cezary Jurewicz, at his office hours for the ability to schedule your own office hours.
Upcoming events (4+)
Note: We are going to do this weekly while the season lasts, but occasionally events may be cancelled due to the weather. Also, the specific location will change based on availability, but we will typically stay in Schiller Woods. Check the event comments and/or chat for updates.
Schedule (Central Time):
2pm-2:15pm – arrival and setup
2:15pm-3pm – lunch and chatter
3pm-4pm – "A Walk and a Talk" (for deep discussion, see below)
4pm-? – discussion, chatter, games, sports, etc.
Food & drink:
Mainly, just bring something for yourself. But if you are feeling generous, you are welcome to bring something to share (we may turn this into a potluck in the future). The event hosts will always have some light refreshments.
"A Walk & A Talk" Rules
(for a productive and rewarding time)
- Before we begin, each a participant will find a partner. If you don't have a partner, you can join a pair as a listener.
- Each pair will decide who will play the role of the "teacher" and who will play the role of the "student" first. These roles will be reversed later.
- All pairs and their audience will depart on a walk to the turnaround point (we will decide where on each day). During this time the "teacher" will attempt to persuade their "student" of an idea or inform them about something. The student will be able to respond, but every one of their statements must end with a question for the teacher.
- On the walk back from the turn around point, the roles of the "teacher" and "student" will be reversed.
- If the pair is unable to continue their conversation, they will be able to join any other pair as listeners.
- Upon return to the starting point, we will all sit together and discuss our experiences.
- Cezary J.
- joe s.
- 2 attendees
Note: We are going to do this weekly while the season lasts, but occasionally events may be cancelled due to the weather. Also, the specific location will change based on availability, but we will typically stay in Schiller Woods. Check the event comments and/or chat for updates.
Schedule (Central Time):
2pm-2:15pm – arrival and setup
2:15pm-3pm – lunch and chatter
3pm-4pm – "A Walk and a Talk" (for deep discussion, see below)
4pm-? – discussion, chatter, games, sports, etc.
Food & drink:
Mainly, just bring something for yourself. But if you are feeling generous, you are welcome to bring something to share (we may turn this into a potluck in the future). The event hosts will always have some light refreshments.
"A Walk & A Talk" Rules
(for a productive and rewarding time)
- Before we begin, each a participant will find a partner. If you don't have a partner, you can join a pair as a listener.
- Each pair will decide who will play the role of the "teacher" and who will play the role of the "student" first. These roles will be reversed later.
- All pairs and their audience will depart on a walk to the turnaround point (we will decide where on each day). During this time the "teacher" will attempt to persuade their "student" of an idea or inform them about something. The student will be able to respond, but every one of their statements must end with a question for the teacher.
- On the walk back from the turn around point, the roles of the "teacher" and "student" will be reversed.
- If the pair is unable to continue their conversation, they will be able to join any other pair as listeners.
- Upon return to the starting point, we will all sit together and discuss our experiences.
- Cezary J.
- 1 attendee
Note: We are going to do this weekly while the season lasts, but occasionally events may be cancelled due to the weather. Also, the specific location will change based on availability, but we will typically stay in Schiller Woods. Check the event comments and/or chat for updates.
Schedule (Central Time):
2pm-2:15pm – arrival and setup
2:15pm-3pm – lunch and chatter
3pm-4pm – "A Walk and a Talk" (for deep discussion, see below)
4pm-? – discussion, chatter, games, sports, etc.
Food & drink:
Mainly, just bring something for yourself. But if you are feeling generous, you are welcome to bring something to share (we may turn this into a potluck in the future). The event hosts will always have some light refreshments.
"A Walk & A Talk" Rules
(for a productive and rewarding time)
- Before we begin, each a participant will find a partner. If you don't have a partner, you can join a pair as a listener.
- Each pair will decide who will play the role of the "teacher" and who will play the role of the "student" first. These roles will be reversed later.
- All pairs and their audience will depart on a walk to the turnaround point (we will decide where on each day). During this time the "teacher" will attempt to persuade their "student" of an idea or inform them about something. The student will be able to respond, but every one of their statements must end with a question for the teacher.
- On the walk back from the turn around point, the roles of the "teacher" and "student" will be reversed.
- If the pair is unable to continue their conversation, they will be able to join any other pair as listeners.
- Upon return to the starting point, we will all sit together and discuss our experiences.
- Cezary J.
- 1 attendee
Past events (82)
- Cezary J.
- 1 attendee
