There's a revolution going on right now in the way we think of foreign policy – it's no longer solely about what the government does, but rather what we all do to shape our role in the world. Whether they call it foreign policy or not, groups that operate outside the purview of government – from businesses to not-for-profits to artists to technologists – are creating Canada's role in the world, acting as diplomats and cultural translators, and doing things we would traditionally think of as the responsibility and privilege of government. There's an urgent need for these new actors to collaborate with government, and in turn for civil servants and political advisors to get the help they need to make the policy-making process more open and responsive to citizens.

As this change has been taking place in the foreign policy realm, the camp movement has been breaking down the traditional hierarchies of the conference, reminding us of the potential of self-organizing and spontaneity. Camps and unconferences have been bringing people together in a way that prioritizes democracy, innovation, collaboration, and individual empowerment, using technology to realize these ideals. From the original BarCamp through to AgendaCamp, ChangeCamp, and Gov 2.0 Camp, this movement is teaching people how to create large participatory forums for the generation of new ideas and relationships, not conduits for one-way knowledge transfer. Camps integrate new technologies and online collaboration tools into the traditional conference model, heightening its participatory nature.