By Heather Blicher, CCCOER Director, Open Education Global
In late September, I joined a small group of Open Education leaders and practitioners at the McTavish Academy of Art in Victoria, British Columbia, for a two-day gathering, Together We Can Do More: Sustaining Open and Ourselves in This Current Time.
The convening was an opportunity not only to reconnect with colleagues I’ve worked with over Zoom for years, but also to meet new practitioners and leaders in the field. Sharing space, energy, and ideas face-to-face made the discussions even more dynamic and inspiring. Conversations explored how to sustain both the work of Open and the people who carry it forward, from building collective infrastructure and aligning shared values to reflecting on Open Education’s broader role in democracy, justice, and public scholarship.
As a representative of Open Education Global and the Community College Consortium for OER, I shared a global non-profit and community college perspective in conversations around coalition-building, sustainability, and the care and recognition of Open workers – issues I feel deeply connected to.
The group left with renewed energy, shared commitments, and a plan to continue this collaboration into 2026. Thank you to BCcampus who organized the event, to the Hewlett Foundation for funding it, and to Amanda Coolidge of Coolidge Collaborative, Inc. for facilitating with both care and energy.
Together, we can indeed do more.