Discussion groups at GAC

[Kimba]

Will there be room in the GAC program for group discussions about atheism-related topics? I have in mind a number of small, loosely-moderated sessions devoted to different topics where the GAC participants can share ideas, talk about problems and discuss ways to make the world better. At the last convention, most people just listened to a whole lot of talks then filed out in silence at the end. This struck me as a lost opportunity, given how many motivated atheists were there. So at the 2012 GAC, I think it would be good to have some lively and irreverant discussion on the lingering power of the churches, whether it's fair to view religious people as inferior, Islam and the erosion of free speech in the West, the tax-free status of religions (including Scientology), Australian politics and current affairs, etc. Does anyone else agree?

[AFA Admin]

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[Kimba]

Thanks, Mr B, though I posted here deliberately... there's no point organising discussion groups at GAC if no-one plans to turn up. I have the impression that most atheists love a good argument so discussion groups could be very lively and fun, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Kimba]

There's no reason why you can't have both... pub discussions are good in their own way but I'm wondering if there's interest in more official (and therefore more accessible) discussion groups, with each devoted to a different topic.

[Kimba]

Thanks for the suggestion, Mr B, I'll do that. You seem unenthusiastic about such discussion groups (which is fair enough, of course) but I'm still interested in what the other GAC participants think. Personally, I like the idea of a more interactive convention but perhaps I'm in the minority, there.

[davo]

Hiya Kimba, Dave from the committee here.

Discussion groups are a great idea! In fact we have a whole Fringe that is aimed around promoting people starting up such groups. There is already people chatting within the AFA in regard setting up sessions, and you are free to talk with us and we are also very open to advertising said events via our facebook pages and website.

Unfortunately the actual committee is flat out organising the main event, but you are quite free to create discussion groups and do the organising, and chat with us about promotion. If posting here to try and hook up with others of similar thought I think that's great!

You can check out current Fringe events here : http://atheistconvention.org.au/fringe

[Kimba]

Thanks for the info, Dave, I didn't know about the Fringe events so I'll check them out.

I was thinking of discussion groups which were an official part of the convention, e.g. with a number of groups devoted to different topics run in parallel in small rooms each lunchtime, and possibly moderated by some of the conference speakers. But from your and Mr B's responses, it might be too late for anything official like that. Still, there might be a way to make it fly (in some form) if there is enough interest shown on this list...

[Kimba]

Hi Mr B -- I wasn't conjecturing, I was describing how you seem, not how you are. Incidentally, your last post fits with my impression extremely well! All that aside, thanks for the explanation in your last post. I knew I was lacking some crucial information to work out if the discussion groups could work, so I was just raising the idea, not pushing too hard. However, as I said to Dave, if there is enough interest then there still might be some way to get this idea off the ground.

[Kimba]

Mr B, I wasn't talking about your character at any stage. I just meant that you seem unenthusiastic about the idea of dicussion groups, not that you are necessarily unenthusiatic about them (there's a slim chance that you are very enthusiastic, despite all evidence to the contrary!). I'm surprised my meaning wasn't clear to you from the context.

I've rethought my statement about not conjecturing... it's true that if I'm just describing how someone seems, then I'm not necessarily conjecturing about how they are (e.g. I could say, as a simple statement of fact, that someone has a greenish complexion without wondering if that person is sick). But if I think about it, in this case I actually was conjecturing rather than just describing, and I said "seem" rather than "are" to acknowledge this fact. And there's nothing wrong with conjecturing if you're open about it.

[Podblack]

Kimba - you might like to start looking for a venue, much like the SkeptiCamp Melbourne did when they were first planning their event?

SkeptiCamps are informal, community-organized conferences borne from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. Everyone from casual skeptics to the experienced participate, give talks and get to know each other.

Diverging from the traditional lecture events which have dominated skepticism for decades, these ‘open events’ tear down the barriers to organizing substantive (and fun) events by building on the wildly-successful Barcamp conference model from the tech community.

In essence, Skepticamps are conferences for participants, by participants. Attendees are the speakers and the speakers are attendees. Anyone can be a speaker, just reserve yourself a slot and talk!

http://www.skepticampmelbourne.com

The Wiki for SkeptiCamp Australia is here; as someone who is sourcing a venue for the Perth SkeptiCamp, I'm concerned with finding a place that will suit talks/discussions, allow for space and audience and hopefully be of minimal cost or be sponsored in time to be held.

There's lots of advice on this site and food for thought.

http://skepticampaustralia.org/

[Kimba]

Thanks, Podblack. I was thinking about discussion groups being an official part of the GAC program, in which case they would ideally be held at Melb Convention Centre (there are a whole lot of small rooms upstairs from the main lecture theatres which would be perfect). But I'll check out Skeptic Camp, it sounds good, thanks.

[Podblack]

Thanks, Podblack. I was thinking about discussion groups being an official part of the GAC program, in which case they would ideally be held at Melb Convention Centre (there are a whole lot of small rooms upstairs from the main lecture theatres which would be perfect). But I'll check out Skeptic Camp, it sounds good, thanks.

How much do those lecture theatres cost?

[Kimba]

How much do those lecture theatres cost?
Maybe a fair bit, I'm not sure... the idea only occurred to me today so all I've done so far is post here and write to the GAC organisers. This whole idea won't go ahead in any form if no-one is interested in these discussion groups, so at this stage I'm trying to gauge levels of support. It's early days yet, but so far Dave is the only one to say he's keen. Would you be interested in attending an interactive discussion with 20-30 people on an issue like the tex-exemption for churches, maybe moderated by one of the GAC speakers?

[Kimba]

Maybe a fair bit, I'm not sure... the idea only occurred to me today so all I've done so far is post here and write to the GAC organisers. This whole idea won't go ahead in any form if no-one is interested in these discussion groups, so at this stage I'm trying to gauge levels of support. It's early days yet, but so far Dave is the only one to say he's keen. Would you be interested in attending an interactive discussion with 20-30 people on an issue like the tex-exemption for churches, maybe moderated by one of the GAC speakers?
tax-exemption, not tex

[Podblack]

Maybe a fair bit, I'm not sure... the idea only occurred to me today so all I've done so far is post here and write to the GAC organisers. This whole idea won't go ahead in any form if no-one is interested in these discussion groups, so at this stage I'm trying to gauge levels of support. It's early days yet, but so far Dave is the only one to say he's keen. Would you be interested in attending an interactive discussion with 20-30 people on an issue like the tex-exemption for churches, maybe moderated by one of the GAC speakers?

Not really - I'll be busy!! But if there's something that is like a SkeptiCamp, where the participants are the general public and they're bringing in topics to the table, that would be cool. Info on what that involves is in the links I provided.

I think the GAC speakers will be busy as it is (they have an entire conference to focus upon as it is!) and 20-30 people (I don't know if you've ever tried moderating THAT many people, but it is not easy - and I've helped run Philosophy Cafes!) seems difficult to wrangle.

[Kimba]

Not really - I'll be busy!! But if there's something that is like a SkeptiCamp, where the participants are the general public and they're bringing in topics to the table, that would be cool. Info on what that involves is in the links I provided.

I think the GAC speakers will be busy as it is (they have an entire conference to focus upon as it is!) and 20-30 people (I don't know if you've ever tried moderating THAT many people, but it is not easy - and I've helped run Philosophy Cafes!) seems difficult to wrangle.
I've been to a conference where we had a group discussion involving 200 people, and that worked well, so I don't think the groups are infeasible for that reason. And the GAC speakers will only be busy while giving their talks or listening to those of the other speakers, so if the discussion groups are run at lunchtime then they won't be busy, will they? My guess is that it's all do-able, in some form, if there is enough support for the idea. But that's the main question: is anyone keen?

[davo]

We are running the convention on a break even basis, costs for rooms are prohibitive ATM and we are doing our best. By all means organise something and contact us, personally myself dealing with the fringe I can help somewhat with ideas for venues, I know of a few places.

Really we are focussing on a central event ourselves and really would love people to step up and organise fringe events, and will be as supportive as we can in regard them. Feel free to contact me on fringe@atheistfoundation.org.au and I will help as much as possible, in conjunction with the committee! :)

[davo]

I've been to a conference where we had a group discussion involving 200 people, and that worked well, so I don't think the groups are infeasible for that reason. And the GAC speakers will only be busy while giving their talks or listening to those of the other speakers, so if the discussion groups are run at lunchtime then they won't be busy, will they? My guess is that it's all do-able, in some form, if there is enough support for the idea. But that's the main question: is anyone keen?

Don't forget we also have book signings at fully catered lunches, as well as a dedicated media room as we have media attending from around the globe.

[Kimba]

Thanks for all the info, Dave. I knew there was a lot I didn't know and you've filled in some of the blanks for me. Thanks also for the offer to point me in the right direction as far as organising a fringe event is concerned. But before doing something like that, I want to know if anyone is likely to turn up to these discussion groups. So far the idea seems to have no support from my fellow punters, though I'll give it a few weeks before I draw any firm conclusions about that.

[davo]

Thanks for all the info, Dave. I knew there was a lot I didn't know and you've filled in some of the blanks for me. Thanks also for the offer to point me in the right direction as far as organising a fringe event is concerned. But before doing something like that, I want to know if anyone is likely to turn up to these discussion groups. So far the idea seems to have no support from my fellow punters, though I'll give it a few weeks before I draw any firm conclusions about that.

Well .. *rolls up sleeves*

HOW TO HERD CATS - An initial primer.

Firstly, it takes actually getting something off the ground as calling for expressions of interest can get replies but no action, everyone is just at the same spot they were at when the conversation started ... cats are very good at discussing stuff, and not getting around to doing stuff. It's a general problem not just limited to cats, that's why! There are notable exceptions, but it's not something to rely on. So generally if one cat get's something going and off the ground, other cats get interested. You can usually tell if an idea is not getting steam and don't be afraid to say 'well it's not working, I'll look at other options'

Generally getting stuff off the ground can be done by doing things like scoping out venues, scoping out possible speakers for example (and there are plenty of Aussies for example bloggers or youtubers outside of possibly a scientist or such) or asking around if any other cats might know of people interested or approachable. This way others jump onto something that has started, not just talking about starting stuff! :) therein is the trick. Be aware it means actual work.

A great way to start is if you know someone going to Uni or the like is to get them to see what the university can offer in the way of support. This can be both a venue AND speakers! :) There is also nothing wrong with restaurants, pubs or the like as speaking venues either.

Just some ideas, in the end, herding cats is a lot more difficult than it sounds.

[Podblack]

Davo and Mr B. (Irreverent) have said everything I would have said.

[Apart from "during lunch breaks, I like to have lunch, personally..."]

[davo]

Hmmm catering! Mmmmmmmmmm :)

No need to run off looking for food and drink, being able to hang out and chat straight up. Major benefits, and mmmmmmmm good food :)

Now I'm hungry

[Podblack]

Hmmm catering! Mmmmmmmmmm :)

No need to run off looking for food and drink, being able to hang out and chat straight up. Major benefits, and mmmmmmmm good food :)

Now I'm hungry

I just finished the last teabag in the house. :/ And it's stupid-o'clock on a Sunday morning. I'm off to watch tv and fall asleep on the couch.

But yes, we need the breaks, IMHO, because otherwise it's non-stop talking. Or listening, in the main.

Something scheduled before or after would be good - like the Eugenie Scott talk or the Atheists in the Pub (http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/fringe/)? Perhaps contacting the Atheists in the Pub and asking about their venue would be useful, and they could help formalise something.

[Podblack]

Hmmm catering! Mmmmmmmmmm :)

No need to run off looking for food and drink, being able to hang out and chat straight up. Major benefits, and mmmmmmmm good food :)

Now I'm hungry

Oh my not-god, do you remember the BISCUITS last year? Oh man, I put two in my pocket for afters and had them in the hotel room, they were so seriously wonderful and decadent. Damnit, why do I not have biscuits and tea? :mad:

[davo]

Oh my not-god, do you remember the BISCUITS last year? Oh man, I put two in my pocket for afters and had them in the hotel room, they were so seriously wonderful and decadent. Damnit, why do I not have biscuits and tea? :mad:

I remember it ALL. I was like, "I have to moderate myself" but after standing back having my fill seeing more and more so diverse vego stuff brought out (I didn't pay much attention to the mountains of meat stuff) I was in salivary heaven.

It was top notch food and I ate till I was full and more. Just one helping from a shop would have cost 7 bucks or thereabouts (for example for a wrap) and I reckon I had 5 plus those biscuits

... ok I am a pig, but IT WAS ALL THERE! lol

I'm not just saying that as an organiser either, the reason we have gone a second time for full catering is that it is just unbelievable. It is full on, saves you heaps of money with being able to eat all you want, drinks etc and not have to leave the foyer, where everyone is hanging out.

[Podblack]

I remember it ALL. I was like, "I have to moderate myself" but after standing back having my fill seeing more and more so diverse vego stuff brought out (I didn't pay much attention to the mountains of meat stuff) I was in salivary heaven.

It was top notch food and I ate till I was full and more. Just one helping from a shop would have cost 7 bucks or thereabouts (for example for a wrap) and I reckon I had 5 plus those biscuits

... ok I am a pig, but IT WAS ALL THERE! lol

I'm not just saying that as an organiser either, the reason we have gone a second time for full catering is that it is just unbelievable. It is full on, saves you heaps of money with being able to eat all you want, drinks etc and not have to leave the foyer, where everyone is hanging out.

It was wonderful, really was. And lots of room in the foyer and places to hang out. There was a section on the right-hand side (the side furthest from the hotel) where Twitter-commentators had organised to meet up and that was the coolest. Putting faces to names who had been live-tweeting all the sessions and being able to tell them how much you enjoyed the running commentary!

Actually, doing more Twitter-impromptu meetups would be good. Some of the speakers are active on Twitter (PZ Myers, AC Grayling is - I think? - and Jason Ball and Catherine Deveny and ABSOLUTELY Leslie Cannold - she loves Twitter! - and the two co-hosts) or could be encouraged to be and just hopping together for a 'hello!' during the tea break could be fun. Not to interrupt scheduled things, but a Twitter-flitter during morning coffee break. :)

[davo]

Don't think anything like that would interrupt anything. :) I personally reckon it is great ..

and did I mention there is internet access at the MCEC for all attendees this convention? ;)

My previous comments have been in regard speakers dealing with their own lunch (as you mentioned) but also book signings, as well as there being a media room which will have global media interviewing speakers, so might be a touch difficult to snag one for much else. Of course people are totally free to contact the speakers and organise something, it's just a heads up that there is a lot going on around the place people may not be fully aware of! :)

[Podblack]

Don't think anything like that would interrupt anything. :) I personally reckon it is great ..

and did I mention there is internet access at the MCEC for all attendees this convention? ;)

My previous comments have been in regard speakers dealing with their own lunch (as you mentioned) but also book signings, as well as there being a media room which will have global media interviewing speakers, so might be a touch difficult to snag one for much else. Of course people are totally free to contact the speakers and organise something, it's just a heads up that there is a lot going on around the place people may not be fully aware of! :)

Absolutely. Probably a Twitter alert that 'any speakers who are free, come catch up with fellow Twitter-ers!' might be good to Tweet now and then?

[davo]

Kimba, the Melb Uni Secular Society hosts discussions, usually with a guest speaker ie Lyn Allison, Lawrence Krauss, etc

You might want to hook up with them? From what I hear asking around for you they could do with the help as many are flat out with other projects atm.

[Kimba]

Hi everyone, especially Dave. Thanks for you comments and suggestions, I'll think about them all over the Christmas break. As someone once said to me, Merry Christmyth to you all! ;-)