OPEN 2020 – Reinvented: Networked commons initiatives

OPEN 2020 is a collaborative online event for anyone that is interested in creating a world which places people and planet before profit.

Recognising that there are hundreds of thousands of groups and communities working on this general objective… but a lack of inter-connection and collaboration, OPEN 2020 aims to bring together as many people as possible from different communities and commons building projects, to collectively figure out:

How to enable small groups to form, exchange ideas, define shared purposes, to collaborate effectively, and trade – within a global network of like minded commons building initiatives.

We could be so much more effective if we gathered around a single platform or shared information via a single protocol in order to benefit from ‘the network effect’ of a united ‘cooperative advantage’. This is our chance to co-create the future we want, together!

See the full list of events on the OPEN calendar and book your ticket now!

At previous Open co-op conferences we’ve promoted platform co-ops, which provide a blueprint for co-owned and collectively governed organisations. This year, we’ve been running a series of webinars to highlight some of the existing networks, projects and protocols that contain elements of the answer we are searching for, and there is a huge amount of additional background about this work on our blog.

We invite you to join us on 11th and 12th of June 2020.

In a series of carefully curated online presentations, discussions, breakout rooms and working sessions we will explore how to organise ourselves in order to collaborate more effectively as part of a larger whole.

There will be multiple sessions for beginners, as well as more advanced sessions, to explore topics including:

• Murmurations – an open protocol to enable better sharing between like-minded projects and initiatives via maps, directories and aggregators – to reveal the synergies and overlaps within our movements and to help people find like-minded others.
• The Open Credit Network – an open source model to enable groups to set up local mutual credit networks and trade without the need for conventional money.
• The Co-op Cloud – a cooperatively owned suite of open source tools to empower groups – and enable collaboration at scale.
• The changing narrative and a tentative ‘ontology’ – a co-created set of assumptions, principles and definitions to underpin our new world view – and support the development of a world which puts people and planet before profit.

Plus:

• Co-working sessions – to explain and on-board collaborators to specific projects
• Online networking – to meet like-minded people that are working on related projects
• An OPEN Fringe – where anyone can propose and run a session

What will you get out of it?

OPEN 2020 will:

• Introduce attendees to the various topics and terminology of the evolving, collaborative economy.
  For example, what is ‘the commons’ and what are ‘platform co-ops’?
  And what do we mean by ‘networked commons initiatives’!?
  Holding meaningful conversations relies on a common language where the people engaging understand what each other mean, and conversational practices enable them to hear each other and move towards co-creation. ‘The changing narrative’ sessions will introduce the terminology, the language and the conversational practice to enable everyone to get the most out of the event  – and future collaborations!
• Inform attendees about the differences between platforms, APIs and open protocols.
  It is becoming clear that we will never all agree on which platform is best, and why should we if we can devise ways to create ‘interoperability’ between different platforms, which facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas? This is where protocols come in to play.
• Explore the basic nature of money and the transformative potential of mutual credit.
  The current economy, in which banks create money as interest bearing debt, is the root cause of our systemic problems. But we don’t have to use the banks’ money. We can collaborate to create a new economy by making and trading via new agreements. Find out how your business can trade outside the existing economy, via mutual credit, right now.
• Present the latest open source tools for collaboration.
  OPEN 2020 will be hosted by a newly formed platform co-op on an open source platform. Meet the people that are working to connect groups and individuals with the tools and technologies they need to co-create and collaborate, using co-owned and collectively governed open source tools.
• Develop relationships based on trust.
  OPEN 2020 will focus on developing new connections and building trusted relationships to encourage ongoing working groups and trading relationships which support the development of the new economy.
• Explain how to boost your project or organisations profile.
  Centralised maps and directories which go out of date when an organisation moves are no longer fit for purpose. Join us to find out how to boost the profile of your organisation or project and gain more readers without having to leave your own website and post on a myriad of different platforms! Add your site to the index of commons building initiatives.
• Provide introductions to on-going collaborative working groups.
  The collaboration will not stop when at the end of OPEN 2020. This is just one stepping stone on the journey to a just and fair society which places people and planet before profit! Find out how you can get involved with some of the most exciting collaborative projects, earn reputation, tokens and contribute to the projects which are changing our world.

All proceeds will be invested in supporting the event and furthering the work of The Open Co-op’s key projects.

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Key Supporters:

Nathan Brown Co-op Culture
Laura James
Diana Finch, Bristol Pound

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We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces online.