Web of Change Update

So my blog guilt has gotten unmanageable... and so I write. In my defense, I don't think I'm the only one who has fallen rather more silent on the blog front... and Tom has a theory about why. Blame Facebook.

This summer, I spent 3.5 weeks back out west ("home", as I still seem to call it, despite the fact that I don't live there and didn't even grow up there – but 8 years on the coast and my family there now are enough for me). It was a wonderful opportunity to integrate my new life, somehow. Reflection.

I am actually headed back a week tomorrow, for Web of Change. I think it's going to be epic! I haven't done a great job this year, communicating about Web of Change and all that it is, which is a shame, because this year is certainly going to be our biggest and best yet. We have about 90 people coming, and from all over Canada, the US, and the world. My dear friend and colleague Jodie (with the help of course of my also dear friends Jason and Phillip) has worked incredibly hard to bring together a group of amazing and diverse people working for social change. To serve them, she's fashioned an agenda full of juicy conversations about how we truly create change in the world, how we use technology as a means that end, and how we learn to work together better along the way.

The last few weeks have been a little OTT insane for me, consequently. This conference has grown every year for the 4 years I've been involved, and while my skills have certainly grown too, I'm just going to own up and say that at this point the task of managing this beast has officially grown too much for me! There are people who handle huge volumes of detail easily, naturally and gracefully – and then there are people like me, who pull it off, but really aren't born for it!

I have signed up for this job again and again because I LOVE this conference. I LOVE Jodie, Jason, Philip, and everyone else I've worked with (Mark Surman, Madeline Stanionis, and many others). I love Hollyhock – it's an incredible place, unspeakably beautiful, and magical things happen there. I love the community that has grown up around Web of Change, and many of my favorite people in the *whole world* are people I met through it. I love being at the centre of the action for 5 days, and I love helping people have the best experience possible, I love looking around during our final night party and knowing that I played a role in making this magic happen.

But it's time for me to move on from this role, and let someone else take on the task of logistics management! I hope that I can find a way to stay involved, but I'm ready to pull my hands out of the dirt, so to speak.

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Anyhow! I thought I was writing an overall update blog post. I guess the rest of the updates will have to happen later...