OxfordJam

OxfordJam is a human scale response to the opportunities for learning and development presented by the Skoll World Forum held at Oxford University. Time and time again attendees report that some of most valuable discussions of the SWF happen in the halls and the bars around the event. OxfordJam allows participants to shape and maximise the benefits of these discussions, and furthermore invites all those social entrepreneurs that are unable to attend Skoll. OxfordJam will work around Skoll ’down-time’ and indeed throughout the day to offer a wide variety of hugely beneficial, informative and occasionally hilarious events. Sessions will include 1-to-1’s, small groups, endless food and drink, TED-style talks, skill swaps, stand-up and musical entertainment, fireside chats, presentations, etc etc… Each day is themed and broken down into a daily menu of timed sessions – dictated to by our bellies of course :-)
OxfordJam is intended to be a co-created event. Attendance is free and anyone can come – but we are asking people to book into sessions through this website so we can manage attendance! It is being shaped and built by the people coming forward with the conviction and energy to create something fantastic and of real value to participants. If you want it to be something for you then come and get involved! Maybe give a presentation or workshop, some free consultancy, or something for the conference goodie bag? And don’t hesitate to get in touch with any ideas you have (even if you don’t curate them yourself) – perhaps a burning theme you want to bring to the party, or a meeting that’s just calling out to be held… Let us know!

The venue is the Oxford Jam Factory and it has a 350 person capacity across five spaces and is one minute from the main Skoll venue.

Who? Well this is your event, so the real “who” is actually you…. But those assembling this extravaganza are as follows:

Alise Kirtley is new to social enterprise and social innovation but an old hand at production management, having established a panoply of arts and culture events during a seven year stint in the USA. She has degrees in Astro-Physics and Classical Composition so we can be sure the entertainment at OxfordJam will be out of this world!
Amanda Jones of Red Button Design is letting her inner girlgeek shine through, moonlighting (often literally) as our resident web-angel and social media enthusiast.
Ben Metz instigated OxfordJam after attending every year of the Skoll World Forum and convening a series of fringe dinners over the last few years. Ben is convinced that it’s the edges around conferences that count and that’s why he jumped in and kick-started OxfordJam as a crowd sourced and crowd funded event. You can find out more about Ben on his website.
Cliff Prior, CEO of UnLtd, and Clare Branningan for diving in and the support sector skills swap theme of OxfordJam, which will see support organisations from around the world getting together to exchange best practice.
Hwa Young Jung, for posting her excellent drawings open source for us to use…
Jess Tyrrell, founder and CEO of Germination. Jess is an old hand at events management and produces Shine, the unconference for social entrepreneurs amongst others and is keeping a weather eye on the OxfordJam team…
Jessica Brown from the Tellus Mater Foundation. Tellus Mater supports leaders to put in place solutions for a low carbon future and sees the second day of OxfordJam as doing exactly this.
The UnLtd Level one scheme for awarding a grant to OxfordJam.
And you for making the event what it’s going to be…!