Hi!

After last month’s launch-fest, March has been a thoughtful month, with reflective and planning pieces taking centre-stage on our blog. Of course OKFestival has been ramping up since its launch, giving more detail on topics and running sessions to help with submitting proposals; however we’ve also had more from the Community Survey results, as well as guest posts dealing with ‘open washing’ and exploring what open data means to different people.

Keep checking in on the Community Stories Tumblr for the latest news on what people are doing around the world to push the agenda for Open Knowledge. This month’s updates come from India, Tanzania, Greece, Malta, Russia and Germany, and from OpenMENA (Middle East and North Africa) – the new group focusing on Open Knowledge in the Arab world.

Also, congratulations to our very own Rufus Pollock, named a Tech Hero for Good by NESTA :-)

OKFestival 2014

Plans have been moving at pace over the last month.

So many proposals came in, and so many people wanted more time to submit, we extended the deadline for proposals to March 30th. We’ll have to wait until May to learn if our proposals have been accepted, and later in May for the programme announcement, but many thanks to all who have proposed sessions – and good luck to you!

It’s not long to go now, so don’t forget to buy your ticket

If you need distraction from the wait, check out this flash-back to last year: the 2013 Open Reader, a collection of stories and articles inspired by Open Knowledge Conference 2013.

Stop Secret Contracts

Last month we launched our campaign for a stop to secret contracts, asking various organisations to partner with us and asking you who care about openness to sign up to show your support.

Spread the word to your colleagues, friends and family to show that we will not stand for corruption, fraud, unaccountability or backdoor deals.

Signatures not enough? To get more involved please contact us and help us stop secret contracts.

#SecretContracts

Coming Up

Easter Eggs 1

The School of Data heads to Perugia! Europe’s Biggest Data Journalism Event, from The European Journalism Centre, Open Knowledge and the International Journalism Festival, the School of Data Journalism takes place 30th April to 4th May. This event has an impressive programme with free entry to panel and workshops so check it out and register to save your place.

OGP grows to 62 countries. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) will welcome 8 new countries during April: ‘Cohort 4’ consists of Australia, Ireland, Malawi, Mongolia, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Serbia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

And… Time-zone changes! It messes with schedules and deadlines, but adds to the fun of this time of year.

All the best from Open Knowledge!

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Theodora is press officer at the Open Knowledge Foundation, based in London. Get in touch via press@okfn.org