No traditional rows of chairs, no long speeches, but plenty of lively discussion and exchange in open-format sessions: on 1 June, more than 100 interested ‘public administration modernisers’ gathered at the Microsoft Atrium in Berlin. Despite early-summer temperatures of 30 degrees, it was a ‘cool’ event – and not just thanks to the air conditioning. It was the relaxed approach and, above all, the enthusiasm of the young and largely open-minded representatives of Generations ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ that gave the event its playful dynamism. The participants designed their own agenda, suggested topics for discussion and organised themselves into small and larger working groups. There was also plenty of time for discussion and networking. “That was something different!”, was the prevailing impression among both the participants and long-standing advocates of German administrative modernisation.
The results of the Barcamp will be collated over the next two weeks in time for the “6th Future Congress on the State & Administration”, and will be incorporated into a catalogue of tasks. On 18 June, the first day of the event, participants will have the opportunity to present the results of the Barcamp to decision-makers from politics and the civil service and to discuss them with them.