We're looking for Space Stewards to help guide and support activities in specific venues around the camp. They will help curate the pre-submitted session proposals BEFORE the event, and/or assist in facilitating the space's activities DURING the event's four main sessions (Friday AM & PM, Saturday AM & PM)
A "space" is one of the SEVEN dessignated venues we have available for organized sessions.
SEE BELOW for our descriptions of the spaces and the general intention for their use.
We pooled our experience in event organisation, and explored ideas like Open Space. We decided that given the number of people Open Space / Unconference would likely feel a bit chaotic if the entire camp were organized this way. However we do welcome Stewards to employ the Open Space convening model or other models to their space if they so choose.
We also didn't want to have the organizing team be the people who do all of the decision making about what should happen where — we want to enable the attendees to help guide and shape this event. The core organizers' role will be to support the Space Stewards, and keep everything else in the camp running smoothly.
If we're successful, each space will:
- have an ongoing narrative thread that connects the activities/ discussions hosted there
- feel welcoming to people
- invite people into conversations, content, and activities
- not feel dominated by a few participants (including facilitators)
- allocate time fairly to sessions and ensure that all planned activities take place
- feel safe to all and ensure that people are free from harm
- Submission Review: review proposals before/during DWeb Camp
- ask submitters questions about the session and their goals
- Choose Activities: decide which activities will take place in the space
- choose which to accept, figure out which to merge together, etc.
- Curate Activities: decide flow of the activities in the space by allotting time to each
- Contact Session Facilitators: contact proposals submitters and let them know when/where their activity will take place and other information about the space/flow of activities
- Promote Space: Outreach to other participants to come to your space, explain the narrative thread of your space and what will take place
- Support Facilitator(s): support activity/discussion facilitators and ensure they have what they need
- assist facilitator to delegate tasks (note taking, stack taking, etc.)
- Support Participants: ensure people feel included, safe, connected, listened to, and able to share themselves
- approach those who enter the space late and fill them in on the activity/discussion
- Time Keeper: facilitate the schedule of the space to ensure sessions stay within allotted time
- Space Safety: notice when people are feeling avoidant, unsafe, insecure, etc. and ask them if they need any support or want someone to talk to
- Conversation Steward: not allow any conversation to be dominated by louder voices
- interrupt interrupters
- politely ask those who take up too much space to "pinch off" their current thread to let others participate
- if a discussion happens that is limited to exclusive content (for example, a highly technical back-and-forth that excludes non-technical participants), politely re-direct the conversation back to more inclusive topics
If you're interested in becoming a Space Steward, please let us know via [email protected].
We'll follow up with you as we go.
To support our success in holding this event together, we'll be having a pre-event organizing call and a short "Space Shepherd" session at the beginning of the event, to bring us all together on the same page.
For photos and more info see: https://dwebcamp.org/proposals-spaces/
- Lightning Salon -- Lightning Talks in room with large screen and projector
- Mesh Hall -- Large room for hacking / workshops, equipped with power outlets, ethernet drops, monitors and servers to host local mesh services. Tables for projects in a Science Fair, where you can set up and leave your display
- Hyper Lounge -- big indoor group space for conversations, demos, talks with projector and screens.
- Wayback Wheel Tent -- workshops, activations, ceremonies, conversations & performance in a huge tented area
- Dome of Decentralization -- Open Space for small group discussions; good for morning yoga, stretching, music jams
- Grow Room -- interactive art and creativity in raw 100 x 15 foot open air room
- Wellness Areas -- variety of spaces throughout the farm, including a green house, mushroom garden, renewable energy trailer and fields
This role description took heavy inspiration from MozFest's "Space Wranglers" description. We are grateful to Mozilla for letting us use and adapt it for DWeb Camp.