The Global GovJam is an event which will apply the concept and energy of the Global Service Jam and Global Sustainability Jam into the world of government and the public sector. Working around a common Theme, small Teams meet at multiple locations, working for 48 hours on building innovative approaches and solutions towards challenges faced by the public sector. At the end of the two days, they upload their results and publish them for the world.
The Global GovJam open to everybody who is interested in the public services, and who wants to add their own ideas and perspectives while enjoying themselves and learning more about how the world works. Both individuals and organisations can join - you do not need experience of government or the public sector. Anyone can host, and it's possible to have more than one Jam in the same town - but it's much more valuable to get them under one roof!
GovJams are especially relevant to government and public sector professionals, and will give them the opportunity to grow collaborations - exchanging techniques, insights and ideas with colleagues near and far, while working on concrete projects addressing key issues inspired by the common Theme.
The joint goals of the event are for it to be meaningful, and to be fun.
The "mother ship" of the 2012 pilot event was a two day GovJam in Canberra, Australia on the 6th and 7th of June, 2012. Local groups in other countries (France, UK, Italy, Spain and Iran) Jammed parallel to the two days, or choose optional shorter formats. All participants all over the world worked together on a common Global Theme of "Infectious Connections" which was kept secret until the start of the Jam. Jam themes are always relevant to all, and allow a wide range of interpretation at local and team levels. Each location has control over local issues such as confidentiality regulations.
Jamming offers a high-energy, massively diverse environment which focusses firmly on doing, not talking. By moving through a common innovation process, participants move away from well-trodden paths, building on each other's ideas to take practical, constructive steps towards novel solutions.
The output of the Jam is twofold:
- Concrete results might be in the form of policy documents in an actionable or decidable form; change suggestions supported by research and plans of action: service designs: initiatives or platforms; and things we have not thought of yet.
- Less tangible but equally valuable results will be in experiencing diverse ideas and new working methods, building real connections to people in the same team or on the other side of the world, and in seeing how a structured innovation process can produce robust, concrete and human-centered results even in just 48 hours. We will also have a blast.