Chisinau was the latest city to host CampCamp, the Prague Civil Society Centre’s annual barcamp on campaigning and communication for civil society. This year over 250 activists, journalists, and campaigners came to the Moldovan capital together with masters of marketing, advertising and media to explore practical ways to make the world a better place.

The theme for this year was breaking out the bubble with CampCamp focusing on the different ways civil society can spread their message beyond the usual circles and really have an impact. Topics included “How to engage supporters and create communities”, “Ways to get audience feedback”, “Running campaigns outside of major cities” and “Performance art on zero budget”, just to name a few.

The line up was an eclectic mix of creatives and problem solvers who are passionate about social change. From a shepherd who, when not attending his flock, is putting on educational and cultural events in rural Kyrgyzstan to experts on low budget marketing and artists sharing how they engage in social issues, CampCamp offered a window into the kaleidoscope of ways people are engaging audiences in non-conventional ways.

CampCamp wasn’t just for hearing about what others have done, it was packed with workshops for participants to develop skills to take home. Attendees learnt how to make their own podcasts, caption videos, memes and sharpen their negotiation skills. One of the focuses was on engaging businesses in civic initiatives with experts sharing their tips and tricks on getting businesses to support and fund social projects.

Even the best ideas don’t get far without the right packaging – as ever CampCamp was the place to be to learn how to incorporate great design into projects, get the visuals rights and use art to give campaigns a boost. Another CampCamp tradition – CommQuest – was back again this year. The game runs throughout the event, allowing participants to put the skills they are learning into practice as they work on four-day pop-up campaigns aimed at convincing other attendees to support their causes.

It was a packed four days and participants left inspired, and full of energy and new connections. We can’t wait to see how the new projects and ideas cooked up at CampCamp take shape over the coming months and years.

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