Come to RootsCamp!

Have you ever been to RootsCamp? I’ve been to all three of them, and I highly recommend it. The 4th annual event takes place this Saturday, March 6, at the Employees Civil Service Association in Westerville, outside Columbus. It’s open to anyone of a progressive mindset who wants to engage with other progressives from around the state, and it’s free.

RootsCamp is an informal, all-day conference featuring discussions, panels and presentations on a variety of topics. Some are pre-planned and structured; some are seat-of-the-pants — but all proposed and led by attendees. Anyone can arrive early and claim a room and a time slot for their topic on ”the wall” — the schedule consulted by people to decide what interests them.

The best part of the event is getting to meet people from other parts of the state and learn what things look like from there. It’s a good way of avoiding the “what I can see outside my window” mindset that afflicts us all from time to time, where we believe that “everyone” thinks a certain way because the people we talk to do.

Sign-in starts at 8:30; the first session — introductions and opening speech — is at 9:30. This year’s keynote speakers are Gov. Ted Strickland and Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, the Democratic candidate for state auditor. The rest is up to the attendees.

For more information, go to http://ohiorootscamp.pbworks.com/