Communicopia

Last week we convened Canada's first ever intensive web training event for the social change sector. Called the Social Tech Training, the event was a collaboration between Web of Change, a series of events owned by the community but managed by Communicopia, and the social innovation group at MaRS, a new player in the Canadian social entrepreneurship scene.

The event was fantastic - a sold out crowd of 65 participants from across North America learned from nearly 30 of the best trainers, facilitators, and strategists in the growing "web 2 for social change" field. We had 3 days of presentations, sharing, leadership development, and fun in hot sunny Toronto.

The New York Times ran a story on Sunday about our Nothing But Nets campaign, saying that the $10 mosquito net to save a child in Africa message has created a "movement like a modern version of the March of Dimes" that is reaching and engaging young people in new ways rarely seen before. The populist campaign created by the United Nations Foundation - that we won a Webby Award for last year - still resonates with thousands of people across the US and worldwide who continue to raise money and awareness for the campaign through spontaneous fundraising events across the country.

We're excited to let you know about the Open Everything Retreat, coming this fall to Hollyhock. Former Web of Change co-convener Mark Surman is at the helm, supported by Jason Mogus, David Eaves, and Mike Lewkowitz, to explore how the meme of "open" is changing everything:

Open Everything is a global conversation about the art, science and spirit of 'open'. It gathers people using openness to create and improve software, education, media, philanthropy, architecture, neighbourhoods, workplaces and the society we live in: everything. It's about thinking, doing and being open.