The Social Innovation Camp June 2009 call for ideas is now open!

Once again, we’re looking for the best ideas that, in the words of Tim O’Reilly, use the web to tackle stuff that matters.

Over one weekend from 19th-21st June 2009, we’re bringing together some of the best of the UK’s software developers and designers with those at the sharp end of social problems at the Saltire Centre, Glasgow.

Their mission will be to turn six back-of-the-envelope ideas that could change the world into social start-ups in under 48 hours - complete with working software.

You’ve got until Friday 22nd May 2009 to send us your idea that uses the web to create social change and you could be joining 100 other participants to try and make it a reality.

Find out how it works here and check out all the details of how to enter your idea here.

So what are we looking for?

Absolutely anyone can enter an idea: if you’re a hacker with an itch to scratch, we want to hear from you - but you don’t have to be technically skilled to get involved. We’re looking for software developers and designers, people with business brains and seriously creative minds, together with those of you who simply know about a problem you want to solve. And there’s no need for you to be based in Scotland - or even the UK - to enter.

We’re looking for the best ideas that use the web to change stuff that matters - be that in education, health care, the environment; it could be something on your doorstep or stuff that effects the world as a whole.

There’s only one thing that every idea must have in common: that it uses the web to help people do something for themselves.

You can read more about the Big Idea behind Social Innovation Camp over on our main site. But if you’re after some inspiration, take a look at some of our past winners from Social Innovation Camp April and December 2008. We’ve also suggested a couple of big themes you might want to think about.

We’ll be in and around Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and elsewhere in the next couple of months. If you’d like find out more, catch up with us when we’re in your area or keep in touch with what we’re up to then you can either join our mailing list, follow us on Twitter, join our Facebook group or sign up to our Meetup group.

So get thinking: you’ve only got eight weeks to send us your idea.

Welcome to our brand new Social Innovation Camp Scotland site!

This is the place to find out everything about the next Social Innovation Camp running from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st June 2009 at the Saltire Centre in Glasgow.

From a Friday evening to a Sunday afternoon, we’ll be bringing together some of the best of the UK’s software developers and designers, together with those at the sharp end of social change. They’ll have just 48 hours to build some web-based solutions to a set of social problems - from back-of-the-envelope idea to working prototype, complete with software.

But first off, we’re starting with a call for ideas: we want to find the most exciting ideas for how the web could change stuff that really matters. You can enter your idea when our call opens on the 30th March.

And you can read all about how the Social Innovation Camp works over here.

But if you can’t wait till then, you can always get in touch if you’d like to find out more. Or you can join our mailing list, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

This the third Social Innovation Camp of its kind - but it’s the first time we’re taking the idea out of London and north of the border. If you’d like to find out more about who we are and what we get up to, all the details are here.

More information about how to get involved and what our plans are for the next few months will be up on this site very soon - watch this space!

In the meantime, we’d like to thank our sponsors for making Social Innovation Camp Scotland possible: