I’m trying not to mention my attempt to rally support around a first Toronto Skepticamp in 2010 in everything I write or post online today. At least part of me wants to remain calm; part of me wants to drag people to the cause now now now! I’m trying to remain calm, as I’m not the only one that will be involved in this, and there’s plenty to be done, and a fair amount of time to accomplish it all. Maybe part of this desire to do everything is part of justifying me not doing a presentation? That said, I might even tip toe into the shallows of presenting, as I have a couple ideas that might develop further; if not for TOskepticamp 2010, maybe the one in 2011…

I happened to meet Reed Esau during a break between sessions at Atlanta’s Dragon*Con 2008(?). He referred to a work-in-progress paper that he had written called “Raising Our Game” (PDF), and gave me an early copy to read. That’s when the light went on in my head; this was something that I could DO, rather than blog into the darkness or sit here as a relatively passive observer once a year while other people did things. Reed presented the Game Raising Skepticamp paper as a response to Daniel Loxton’s own paper proposing the question “Where do we go from here?” (PDF). Reed’s paper offered a tangible solution for real, grassroots skeptical action.

Personal commitments didn’t facilitate my doing anything about this at the time, other than promote the idea to others. Jump ahead to July 2010, and it’s the day before things kicked off at TAM8 in Las Vegas. I was standing in the lobby of the hotel (I was waiting to meet up with a new acquaintance that was going to visit Lee’s Discount Liquor – how could you NOT go visit a place with a name like that?) and someone walked up and greeted me by name – I turn around, and there’s Reed Esau again. We talked a bit and headed on our separate touristy missions. I didn’t have much opportunity to talk with him after that – I’m not sure if we saw each other at all after that coincidental run-in, honestly.

Reed’s appearance was enough to remind me of Skepticamp again. That’s the moment, waiting on a ride to a discount liquor store, that I decided that Toronto needed to have this event happen, and if it had to be, I’d make it happen. I’m relatively new to Toronto, so there’s going to have to be a lot of collaboration with this, but it’s going to happen.

I’ve been telling people upset at the costs involved in attending TAM events in Las Vegas, the UK, Australia; telling them to suck it up and organize their own damned event for free, and let everyone attend if they think it’s so easy. They argue that the information needs to be free, and that the conferences should be open to everyone – well, they can be if you care enough. I’m taking my own advice with this; there is value-add for the TAM events is the big name speakers, and I’ll continue to attend, but this is something different – this is more outreach and activism than the big conferences can be; both have a place.

This, in the year where I finally have the freedom to not only attend The Amazing Meeting, but also Dragon*Con (after a year’s absence) AND London for their second TAM; THIS is the year I need to make Skepticamp Toronto happen? Yeah, I’ll need help with this (Organizing a Skepticamp Event)

Interested in helping? Check the papers above, or the links below, or just sign up now and list your (optional) presentation topic. If you’re stuck for a topic, take a look at Skepticamp session ideas, or take a read through the compiled WHAT DO I DO NEXT? edited by Daniel Loxton. Or recruit someone else that you know has something to offer, and have them sign up for an amazing session.

Also check out a shorter piece on the history of Skepticamps are I Am A Grassroots Skeptic: Reed Esau.

Sign up, bring a friend, give a talk.