The Ticketing of OneTeamGov Global 2019
Last year, when Ioana Finichiu and Jeff Outram made an open call on GCconnex for the first OTG breakfast, Ashley Evans was there. Convinced of the vision by Jeff’s enthusiasm for the idea, she attended, and was hooked. “There were so many people who were connecting with the concept, that I knew we were on to something with OneTeamGov Canada.” That connection has carried on as OneTeamGov Canada approaches its one year anniversary this April, with the network of people getting involved growing constantly.
Like many of our volunteers, her experiences at the OneTeamGov breakfasts inspired her to become more involved. “I feel so supported in this community. I’ve never been part of something like this before, where the mission is so much bigger than ourselves. I am naturally introverted and it has brought me out of my shell by facilitating and learning from people like Jeff, Ioana, Joël and John and people I’ve met across Canada.” Ashley even hosted the first Winnipeg breakfast in August 2018 alongside Jessica Drukal with an amazing turnout of 20 people.
Now, she is managing the ticketing process for the upcoming Global event which includes the use of open source software. “The forms are heavily inspired by the ones used last year” Ashley explains of the application that hopeful future participants fill out before being accepted to attend the event. The forms are created and hosted on Framaforms, a product of the larger Framasoft group of free, open source services. Even the planning tools such as a kanban board to organize volunteer tasks and contributions is on a Framaboard. “We have been taking this event as a chance to learn something about different tools, instead of sticking with what we know. It is also important for us to use tools that ensure participant information is safe and secure. Although some open source tools require a learning curve, the effort is worth it.”
If you haven’t filled out the application yet, it includes fun questions such as “how would you describe your role?”. Not only does this make the applications more interesting, but Ashley tells me that these questions allow the team to keep diversity and inclusion top of mind. “We want to hear from everyone who cares about the public service. We want everyone to be on level fields.” This will help ensure that on the day of the event, there is a mix of perspectives. “I’m looking forward to meetiTng people from across the globe who are passionate about the movement. Where else can you get a group this diverse to speak freely?”
When asked what she hopes people take away from the event, she had this to say:
“I hope people take away that they are not alone. When you come to OneTeamGov, you give a shit. These people are willing to do things. It is easy to get caught up in the stereotypes of government work, and as a new public servant, you think that is what the government is. OneTeamGov shows that its not. These people care about improving things and if we can support each other in our projects, then we really have something here.
May 21st 2019 is coming up fast! If you haven't applied for your ticket you can do so on our open source form. You can also find pre-written business cases to help gain support from your organization for you to attend. You can find blogs and other information about the unconference on our OneTeamGov Global Unconference website.
