After a succesful pilot project in August, Edmonton’s NextGen presents MEÆT1.0 – MICRO-FUNDING TOGETHER, November 26, 2011, 6:30 PM at Latitude 53.

A project of ENGAGE, producers of the popular DIYalouge forums,  MEÆT brings local creatives and new philanthropists together for an evening of short proposals followed by a shared meal. At the end of the meal, all diners vote on which proposal receives the pot of funds to move forward with their project: immediate funding for awesome ideas! MEÆT1.0 is hosted by Nate Box of Elm Café.  For more information onMEÆT and to register, visit www.meaet.com.

“MEÆT 1.0 brings us together for a meal and to fund home-grown projects. By getting together and pooling our wealth we can avoid bureaucracy, get right down to the meat of an idea and make it happen. We look forward to continuing the momentum from the discussions we had with participants of DIYalouge last week,” says Carol Neuman, Engage Working Group Co-Chair.

Edmonton NextGen is looking for MEÆTing participants – limited space is available:

1.       Presenters: Apply to have a project funded, present your project & come enjoy dinner;

2.       Diners: Come enjoy dinner, experience the presentations, vote for your favorite, and donate $10 to fund something awesome.

Twenty-nine (29) spots are remaining; register as a Presenter or Diner at www.meaet.com.

Read on for a reflection from Toscha Turner, NextGen Volunteer, on her
experience planning and hosting MEÆT 0.5…

(more…)

Are you looking for an opportunity to present your ideas to an audience of more than 500 engaged and creative young people? Edmonton’s NextGen is currently accepting presentation submissions for Pecha Kucha Night 12, to be held on February 2, at Metro Cinema at The Garneau (8712 – 109 Street). More than 125 presentations have been given at Edmonton Pecha Kucha Nights to date on wide-reaching topics, from professional online gaming to in vitro meat and everything in between.

Deadline for submissions is December 16, 2011

What is a Pecha Kucha Night?

Tokyo’s Klein Dytham Architecture first devised Pecha Kucha, the Japanese phrase for “the sound of chitchat” in 2003, as a night for young designers to meet, network, and discuss their projects. The catch: each designer gave a presentation containing only 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds, for a total presentation length of six minutes 40 seconds. These constraints challenged presenters to clarify their ideas and match each thought with the perfect image.

Since then, Pecha Kucha Nights are held by a global community of almost 450 cities and the presentations have become just as diverse. Pecha Kucha is a grown-up “show and tell”. Next Gen was the first to host Pecha Kucha Night in Western Canada. The event usually sells out to an audience of 500-650.

10 tips to make a great presentation

1. Choose an original and engaging topic that you are passionate about
2. Your audience will like your presentation more if it’s not self-promoting – think of giving the audience a glimpse into your topic not tugging them into it
3. You only have 20 images, so choose them wisely – we will create an introductory image that includes your name and presentation title
4. You only have 20 seconds per image, so choose your words wisely
5. Create your images to be 1024px by 768px
6. If possible, create your images to be in landscape orientation to maximize the use of the screen
7. Reference your images, if they are not yours
8. AVOID clip art, text, and combining more than two images on one slide
9. Keep it casual and conversational – there is no lectern
10. Watch Travis Sheridan’s presentation about how to give a good Pecha Kucha presentation

Keep in mind that Pecha Kucha presentations are about ideas and those ideas allow the audience to learn, expand their perspectives, and leave the night with something new on their mind.

How do I submit a presentation?

1. Let us know you are interested by emailing edmnextgen @ gmail.com with your full name, title (i.e. architect, designer, student, teacher, activist, etc.), and some background on what you want to talk about.

2. Next, read the 10 tips to make a great presentation listed above, before creating your presentation. Choose 20 images that match exactly what want to share and convert them info JPEGs (size: 1024px by 768px) using the following naming format to ensure your slides are displayed in the correct order: NG01.jpg, NG02.jpg, NG03.jpg … NG20.jpg. Please substitute “NG” with your initials. Then, put them all in a ZIP folder or other compressed file format.

3. Next, submit your presentation by email to edmnextgen @ gmail.com and include its title and a summary (<250 words).

Deadline is Friday, December 16, 2011.

What happens next?

A panel of NextGen volunteers will review all submitted presentations. Often there are more presentations submitted than we have room for in the program, so unfortunately not all can be selected.  As we wish to keep broadening the PKN presenter community, we will give first-time presenters the opportunity to experience it over those who have presented in the past.

We will let you know by Wednesday, January 11, 2012.

If your presentation is selected, we may offer suggestions to refine your presentation and images. You can then choose to make final changes and submit your updated presentation by Friday, January 20, 2012.

We will host a presenter orientation prior to PKN 12, where you will have the opportunity to ensure your images are in the right order, to learn some tips on presenting successfully, and, of course, to ask questions.

Resources:

• Frequently asked questions about Pecha Kucha Nights
• Pecha Kucha Daily Blog

We look forward to receiving your submission for PKN 12!

Ever dream about…

Creative freelancing as a career?

Launching an online life-style magazine?

Combining technology and the arts?

Taking the plunge to put an idea into action?

After a successful pilot event in June, Edmonton’s NextGen presents DIYalogue 2.0, a cultural mix-and-mingle in the style of NextGen’s popular Candi{date} series, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at Yellowhead Brewery, 10229-105 Street.

Looking for a collaborative space to share ideas and gain advice on launching them into action? DIYalogue connects Edmonton’s established cultural entrepreneurs with emerging young creatives in 20 minute one-on-one mentorship mini-dates. DIYalogue explores the potential for individual success in the creative industries through unique partnerships and community support.

Confirmed speed mentors include:

•        The Royal Bison - http://www.royalbison.ca/
•        City and Dale - http://cityanddale.com/
•        YEG Live - http://yeglive.ca/
•        Fish Griwkowsky - http://twitter.com/#!/fisheyefoto
•        Unknown Studio - http://theunknownstudio.ca/
•        Operation Fruit Rescue - http://operationfruitrescue.org/
•        Brian Webb Dance Company - http://www.bwdc.ca/
•        Edmonton Folk Music Festival - http://www.edmontonfolkfest.org/

Participants of DIYalogue 2.0 are encouraged to use the event as an opportunity to percolate ideas to present at the upcoming MEAET 1.0, November 26, 2011. MEAET 1.0 is an opportunity for young creatives to apply for micro-funding for new ideas in a relaxed community dinner setting.

For more information and to register for DIYalogue, visit http://diyalogue2-efbevent.eventbrite.com .

Common water cooler discussion during an election is around how to get young people more involved and engaged in the democratic process. Even in a non-election year, Edmonton’s NextGen continued its efforts on this front through Up{Date} 2011 held October 5th at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Now, be honest. When you think government, speed dating generally isn’t the next thing to pop in your mind. NextGen though is aiming to change that as it uses a speed dating format as the basis for these discussions. At Up{Date} Councillors Krushell, Iveson, Sohi, Batty andHendersonalong with Mayor Stephen Mandel and Fire Chief Ken Block were each stationed at their own table with attendees coming to them. Every 20 minutes, attendees rotated to a different table to hear new views, answers and insight. This small group, interactive format is designed to allow for increased discussion and direct connection to each civic leader.

Up{Date} follows on the footsteps of Candi{Date} which were two similar events held during the 2010 civic election campaign. Those too mimicked the speed dating format but had numerous candidates out seeking to connect with voters. Feedback on those from both candidates and participants indicated the format was unique and allowed for better discussion. This inspired NextGen to run Up{Date} and continue the conversations even in non-election years.

There was a good turnout of ‘daters’ at Up{Date} and the hope is that more Edmontonians will take advantage of future opportunities to connect so closely with the representatives that shape their city. That way their views can be heard and they too can have a more prominent role in making this a better Edmonton.

Doug McLean

Edmonton’s NextGen Volunteer