There’s been a lot going on at Sunlight this week. The announcement that we’re shuttering Sunlight Labs and considering a variety of options for Sunlight’s future has understandably led to some confusion and concern about our annual TransparencyCamp on October 14-15 in Cleveland.

Let me take a moment to clarify: TCamp is ON. It is SO ON. It is ON-NER than ON. And it’s going to be amazing. Why? Because:

1. When interesting, interested, skilled, committed thinkers with a variety of skill sets and a shared passion for open government…
2. are given a sunny, comfortable, safe space (and lots of food) for two whole days…
3. in order to come together around the problems bedeviling them, and the solutions they’re trying to create…
4. then amazing things happen.

TCamp isn’t about panels and keynote speakers. Or vendor booths and free pens. Or seeing and being seen. It’s not about title or rank. It’s about listening, and it’s about being heard. It’s about community. That’s the virtue of an unconference format – session by session and hour by hour, TCampers create the event that is most meaningful to them and to their work.

If you’re an advocate for open government and open data, you’re trying to change the world right now. It’s hard to do. We’ve benefited from a lot of love and a lot of passion this week for what Sunlight has pursued and inspired. We represent one component of a growing movement, and that movement includes all of you. We have much left to learn from each other and from the collective successes – and failures – we’re all going to experience along the way.

On Oct. 14-15, we’re headed to the Cleveland Downtown Public Library, a hub for civic life and innovation, to keep working together to figure these questions out. We’ll be focusing on local government, cities and their unique challenges, which is why we’re headed to a town bursting with hacktivists and open government advocates and champions for social change.

We’re hoping that you’re all going to join us there, because we have a lot of work to do — and we need to think about the most effective ways to do it together. Follow #TCamp16 for updates, and if you haven’t registered yet, do it today. If you’ve already registered, and haven’t yet submitted a session idea, let us know what you’re thinking.

See you in Cleveland!