OneTeamGov Canada: Ottawa Unconference Volunteer Guide
J'aimerais lire ce guide en français
Take me to the Breakout session guide
OneTeamGov Canada: Ottawa Unconference Volunteer Guide
We’re excited to welcome you to the 2019 OneTeamGov Ottawa Unconference team! Thank you for sharing your precious time to help us make this event a reality- we quite literally cannot do it without you! We know that our awesome volunteers make the day, so THANK YOU for putting your hand up!! Your energy, enthusiasm, and effort helps to deliver a smooth experience and ensures everyone has a great and memorable day. Above all, we also hope that your volunteer experience is fun and rewarding.
In this Wiki you will find much of the information you will want to know before you arrive.
OneTeamGov one-day unconference is taking place on December 17, 2019, at the John G. Diefenbaker Building, 111 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa, Ontario. We are expecting hundreds of people from across Canada and maybe even beyond and are looking forward to a fantastic day! (Not sure what to expect? Check out this short video and OneTeamGov.ca to find out more!)
Tell Me More About OneTeamGov
OneTeamGov is a community of people who are passionate about building better public services to improve people’s lives.
The community’s aim is to improve public service and ways of working in the public sector by breaking boundaries between people. It is open to anyone regardless of position or sector, who wants to improve public services or public sector ways of working through practical action.
Sharing and learning with others is a moral imperative, because everyone deserves to have effective and accessible public services. That’s why OneTeamGov Canada, the Canadian chapter of the movement, is holding an unconference in Ottawa. It is an opportunity to foster and facilitate learning and sharing across jurisdictions.
Like our other events, the OneTeamGov Ottawa unconference will be outcome-focused. We want people to take away practical ideas to improve public services in their area of work. Rather than a programme of meetings or lectures, the event will be an unconference – a series of sessions defined by participants on the day. The aim will be sharing experiences, your practice, inspiration, understanding, learning from others and building your own call to action.
See below for everything you will need to know!
If you read nothing else, read this!
1 - Unconference preparation and set-up is taking place on December 16, from 1pm to 4pm at the unconference location (111 Sussex Drive). Some of you signed up to help prep - thank you!!
2 - When you arrive at the Unconference on the morning of December 17, head to the volunteer room (Green Room in Victoria Hall) to get your briefing, t-shirt, and confirm the volunteer schedule! Please arrive well in advance of your shift.
3 - Unconference registration will start at 8:00 am outside of Victoria Hall.
4 - There will be coffee and snacks in the volunteer room in the morning, and light snacks will be available all day in the volunteer room (Green Room in Victoria Hall).
5 - Bring a device so you can stay connected (Wi-Fi: Network: Conference Center / Password: victoria2019). Unconference organizers will also have walkie-talkies and be roaming around the venue.
6 - Volunteer role descriptions and the master schedule are below - check them out before you start! If you are facilitating and taking notes, please take a look at the Breakout Session Guide.
7 - At the end of the day, as participants exit the venue, we want to make a ‘corridor of volunteers and high-fives’ to thank everyone as they leave. We will line up at 4:45pm outside outside of Victoria Hall!
8 - Do not hesitate to contact volunteer coordinators Colleen Tiernan (819-360-0852) or Kayleigh Chaston-Vickers (506-654-3907) with ANY questions, issues, or concerns! We are here to help you!
Unconference Ottawa 2019 - Volunteer Details
Volunteer Briefings
BEFORE the Unconference:
- Pre-briefings for volunteers will be taking place virtually via WebEx during the week of December 9-13. These are your opportunity to get all the details, learn what is expected of you, and to ask us any questions before the event!
- You only need to attend one of the pre-briefings below. Please feel free to choose the session that works best for you.
| Pre-Briefing Date | Language | Join by video | Join by phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 9
12:00pm ET |
English | Click here to join the meeting
Meeting #: 558 387 665 Meeting password: Unconference2019 |
Dial 1-877-413-4781 or 1-613-960-7510; Code: 509 4346 |
| December 10
12:00pm ET |
French | Click here to join the meeting
Meeting #: 556 379 343 Meeting password: Unconference2019 |
Dial 1-877-413-4781 or 1-613-960-7510; Code: 509 4346 |
| December 11
12:00pm ET |
English | Click here to join the meeting
Meeting #: 559 289 031 Meeting password: Unconference2019 |
Dial 1-877-413-4781 or 1-613-960-7510; Code: 509 4346 |
DAY OF the Unconference:
- When you arrive on the day of the unconference head to the volunteer room (Green Room - Victoria Hall)) to get your briefing, t-shirt and confirm the volunteer schedule.
- You will be given a white t-shirt with the OneTeamGov logo. Top tip: comfy clothes, dress code is informal, comfy shoes, and note that the t-shirts are unisex style.
- The full volunteer schedule will be posted, please let Colleen and Kayleigh know if you hit any snags, or have any questions, issues, or concerns! You can text us on the day of!
Brief Schedule of the Day
- 7:00 Volunteer Room is ready to welcome you and you can pick up your t-shirt! Please be early for your shift!
- 8:00 Doors open and registration starts
- 9:00-9:40 Welcome Ceremony
- 9:40-10:10 Pitch Activity
- 20 min gap, Agenda Setting
- 10:30-16:30 Multiple Rooms, Breakout Sessions
- 16:30-17:00 Closing Remarks & Send Off
- 16:45 *** Volunteers line up at 4:45 for high five line as participants exit
- 17:00 CLEAN UP! If you can stay a bit longer and help us that would be amazing! Thank you!
Self-Care
It will be a big and busy day, so remember take care of yourself and your own well-being. It is okay to take a pause for a while!
There will be a volunteer room (Green Room - Victoria Hall) available to you as well as a quiet space. When participants are in sessions, expect the main areas to be a bit more on the quiet side as well.
If you are in need of support at any time, or need to switch roles, feel free to drop a message or call Colleen (819-360-0852) or Kayleigh (506-654-3907). We are here to look after you, too!
Code of Conduct
The OneTeamGov Global Unconference Team is committed to maintaining a safe, harassment-free space for all of our participants. This includes maintaining a positive and inclusive space where everyone is welcome and human rights are respected, regardless of who they are. This means respect for all aspects of people including age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion/no religion, national origin, language, education, body size, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and creativity, physical and mental ability, and socio-economic status.
We will not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form.
Please refer to the official OneTeamGov Code of Conduct.
Volunteer Roles - What is Expected Of Me?
| Role | Helpful Notes | Timing and who has been assigned |
| Set-up, the day before | - Set-up the day before the unconference on December 16, at 111 Sussex
- Various tasks as needed |
Timing: 1pm to 4pm on December 16 at 111 Sussex
Eric Shoesmith, Abe Greenspoon, Glenn Waters, Ali Feroz, Tracey Peever, Dana Clarke, Caroline Leroux, Maddy Ewins, Tara Shapransky, Melissa Valencia, Chris Morrissy, Hamid Mohmand, Corrina Gavan, Ihsen Keffala, Andrea Hill |
| Registration | - Greet and register participants when they arrive
- Provide participants a lanyard/name tag, encourage them to write their name/info etc. - Let participants know where the washrooms are and answer any questions they might have - When registration is complete, you will change to a different role as supporting the pitch activity - When the pitch activity starts you will walk around the room and hand out bags of sharpies and index cards to participants Team Leader: Ashley Evans | Call/text: 204-228-7373 | Walkie-talkie |
Timing: 7:30am to 9:00am Registration and 9:00am to 10:10am helping with pitch activity
Zoe Langevin, Ali Feroz, Glenn Waters, Christina Prozes, Musharraf Sodiqova, Anu Shukla-jones, Glennys Egan, Holly Grenier, Christopher Morrissy, Audrey Tong, Andrea Hill |
| Greeters, Breakout Room Set-up | - Interact with participants and help to answer any questions they may have about the event/venue, handing out grab bags
- Direct participants to rooms, washrooms (familiarize yourself with the floor plans) - Helping with questions that might come up, running and fetching things as required - *IMPORTANT* Ensure that each room has a facilitator and note-taker at the start of each breakout session - *IMPORTANT* Put the name of the session on the door AND ensure that the note-taker is set up with the right document AND collect the flip chart paper from the last session and ensure it is labelled and bring it back to the volunteer room Team Leader: Colleen Tiernan | Call/text: 819 360 0852 | Walkie-talkie |
Morning Greeter Shift Timing: 8:00am to 12:30pm
Nadia Karmali, Glenn Waters, Christine Baillargeon, Brian Kowaluk, Sarah Chan, Michel Asboth, Audrey Tong, Victoria Patacairk, Nicola Cameron, Diana Rocabaltzis, Barbara Omolewa Afternoon Greeter Shift Timing: 12:30pm to 4:30pm Maddy Ewins, Tera Winter, Romie Gracia, Lawence Humber, Kivi Shapiro, Carol Gadboury, Sasha Hanson Pastran, Tate Chow |
| Breakout Teams
- Facilitator - Note-taker |
- This role includes working as a team to convene, facilitate, and record the discussions of the breakout sessions (one team per room)
- The Facilitator will guide the 55-minute discussion, enabling participants to discuss and generate (1) a shared understanding of the topic, (2) opportunities and challenges related to it, and (3) practical actions to address them. - The Note-taker will capture the points of the discussion, including the room’s understanding(s) of the topic, opportunities and challenges, and practical actions. A laptop/tablet will be provided in each room. A Google doc and folder will be set up for you to record the discussion. Please ensure the notes are saved in the appropriate Google docs folder - The Note-taker will also keep time and take a picture of the group participating in the session, please send to OneTeamGovCanada@pm.me - The rooms will have 40 chairs in a circle and a table with a laptop for the note-taker - Refer to the Breakout Session Guide Team Leader: Joël Bourgeoys | Call/text: 613-415-8036 | Walkie-talkie |
CLICK here for Facilitator and Notetaker GRID |
| Special Assignments | - Various specialized roles during the day
- Agenda Setting assistants will be briefed on their specific roles in advance - Todd Concierge volunteers will assist escorting podcast guests to the podcast location - Graphic Facilitator |
Todd Concierge timing:
10:15am to 12:30pm shift, Darlene Mulcahey 12:30pm to 16:30pm shift, Nadia Ackah Agenda Setting Assistant timing: Ready at 10am Laura Colella John Kenney Graphic Recorder Various locations all day, Jordana Globerman |
| Tidying Up
(Calling anyone available!) |
- We appreciate your time, and understand if you cannot stay, but we hope to have as many volunteers as possible stick around after the event to help us leave the venue in a good state!
Team Leader: Colleen Tiernan | Call/text: 819 360 0852 | Walkie-talkie |
Tear Down - 5pm until finished!
Eric Shoesmith, Valerie Gaudreault, Abe Greenspoon, Amy Hu, Glenn Waters, Ali Feroz, Tracey Peever, Victoria Simba, Dana Clarke, Caroline Leroux, Maddy Ewins, Tara Shapransky, Melissa Valencia, Chris Morrissy, Romie Gracia, Sarah Crowe, Jennifer Harju, Hamid Mohmand, Lawrence Humber Anyone else available that can stick around is welcome! Thank you! |
Floor Plan of Building
Social Media
Please use these event hashtags when spotlighting the event on social media: #OttawaUnconference #OneTeamGov
Twitter: @OneTeamGovCan, @GouvEnsembleCan
Wi-Fi: Network: Conference Center / Password: victoria2019
Questions & Answers
- Are note takers responsible to type of the flip charts, what is expected of us in this role?
- The idea is to capture collective insights from the breakout conversation, we are not expecting note takers to take on the reporting of the posted material/flip charts, etc. (that will be done later, you don’t have any homework)
- There will be laptops provided in the session rooms, a template started to assist you, the notes will be saved in a google docs folder
- *** IMPORTANT *** IF you use a flip chart, please record your session topic and room number for record keeping
- What are you expecting in terms of facilitation?
- There is no ‘one way’ to facilitate the session, you don’t need to be an expert facilitator
- There will be flipcharts and sticky notes in the room if you want to use these, BTW please/please use flipchart markers not sharpies (sharpies write on walls through flip chart paper!! EEEK!)
- You can use a wide range of different techniques, from an organic conversation with no structure, all the way to an experienced facilitator using the 1-2-4-All approach (see Breakout Session Guide)
- In a nutshell our aim is to facilitate a shared understanding, exploration of opportunities, and to id practical actions (check out the break session guide for more details)
- How is the room set-up, is there a cap on numbers?:
- The rooms are different sizes, there may be up to 40 chairs set-up in a circle in the room
- When the chairs are full, the room is full and participants are invited to attend another session
- What materials are available to facilitate?
- There will be flip charts, post-it notes, markers, tape in the room – please feel free to use these supplies
- What if I only speak English and am facilitating, are participants able to speak their official language of their choice?
- There is a full stream of French breakout sessions organized for the day, with facilitators and note-takers that speak and understand French
- Participants are free to speak in the official language of their choice – the good news is that Ottawa is very bilingual – you can be sure that someone in your room understands and speaks both languages and will be able to pitch in and help you out if something comes up!
- What parking is available?
- Paid parking ($12) is available but very limited with no in-and-out privileges
- We strongly encourage you to use public transportation when possible
- For those using the parking garage, please use the “D” doors identified as the “D – Bytown Pavilion”, the elevators at that entrance will take you right up to the Victoria Hall on the first level
- Parking should be paid inside the building using cash or credit card
- What will the end of the day be like? Will there be a rollup?
- There is a closing ceremony
- The roll-up of the sessions notes will be done later, so this is why we have note-takers organized for each session. Also, please save and bring back to the volunteer room all of your valuable flip charts!
- What about lunch?
- Lunch will not be provided, but there is a cafeteria on site as well as microwave
- There will be light snacks available in the volunteer room to keep you going!
