The afternoon update - Ozsicamp

Seven hours into the Social Innovation Camp... our groups have been working solidly since this morning, reluctantly stopping to fill their stomachs and flex their legs every now and then. With 8 ground-breaking new concepts being developed, it has been fascinating to see the process that emerges when a group of virtual strangers (correction: more like virtual friends, via Twitter!) join to collaborate over a common theme or idea. Whether influenced by the actual project under development, or by the unique dynamic of the working group, each SI Camp group has charted a very different, but similarly effective, course. A number of groups have opted for a collaborative and highly democratic process, perhaps stimulated by the actual size of the working group and the need to give voice to all opinions. At the same time there emerges one or two voices who stand apart to set the pace for the team. Some groups have flourished under strong vision and leadership, with a crew of specialists each cracking away at their individual piece of the pie - but again, an important brainstorming and idea-development phase fronted this process before tasks were allocated, showing the importance of collaborating on these concepts to get the best out of them. Perhaps in a tortoise-and-hare type analogy, some of the smaller groups have moved slowly and steadily in their approach to getting the job done - demonstrating that they want to get the job done right! While others have been fuelled by energy, excitement and passion for their project, taking a macro view of the potential and spreading the belief that this idea is game-changing! No matter what the strategy, it is clear that this group is making things happen. The culmination of the camp tomorrow, less than 24 hours away (hours that are sure to be maximised by our keen-as developers, designers and campers) is sure to reveal a new wave of innovations that the Australian landscape desperately needs. They just don't know it yet.