What's happening in June
June is here, which means it's time for the 1RG community to engage in a ritual debate: does summer start on June 1st or June 20th?
What's the difference? Meteorological season are defined by the temperature and last exactly 3 months each – June 1st for summer. Astronomical seasons are determined by the position of earth in relative to the sun i.e. summer starts on the solstice which this year is on June 20th.
In short, they're both correct and really around the corner ☀️
But don't let me get distracted - here's what we have coming up in this month.
A workshop on being online
We're excited to host Dan Seljak and his Being Online workshop as part of Toronto Tech Week.
Dan is passionate about getting people excited in participating in civic life and restoring agency to citizen by delivering clear, informative, and fun messaging on how to engage communities and municipalities. This workshop is NOT a session on gaining more followers, but rather advice on how to translate one self into an online persona that feels genuine, and has real world impact.
Date: Monday, June 23rd
Time: 6-9pm
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma
1RG Incubator: demo day
Earlier this spring we launched the 1RG incubator to support projects at the intersection of community and technology, and invited 6 folks to join our first batch for 12 weeks of co-creation. Each of them had an idea for making Toronto a little better, and they're ready to share what they've been working on.
Join us for an evening of exploration centred around community. Think demo day meets science fair - each participant will have a booth where you can dive deep into their project, ask questions, and maybe even get involved. There will be delicious food, good conversations, and probably some new connections you didn't expect to make.
Date: Thursday, June 26th
Time: 6-9pm
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma
1RG Field Trip: Goat Edition
Did you know that the City of Toronto runs a "Prescribed Goat Grazing" project? A specialized "eco-herd" of goats is deployed to graze on invasive or non-compatible plants.
When we learned this we knew we had to go and see this for ourselves.
Join us at Don Valley Brickworks Park for 1RG first field trip!
Date: Tuesday, June 10th
Time: 12-5pm (exact talk tbd)
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma
1RG Classics
- 🏛️ Civic Space Sunday: A co-working session with out friends from Civic Tech TO. For folks working on projects addressing civic challenges with technology. Every second Sunday of the month, and you can read more about what's it like here.
🗓️ Sunday, June 8th at 12:00pm
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma - 💻 Side Project Social: Come work on your side projects with us!
🗓️ Thursday, June 12th, starting at 6:30pm
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma - ♟️Board games night: Bring your favourite game to share or discover what others have in their collections.
🗓️ Thursday, June 12th, starting at 6:30pm
📌 RSVP on 🔗 lu.ma - 🍽️ Community Dinner # 72: Our monthly community gathering - cooked by Max + Serena, family style.
🗓️ Thursday, June 24th, starting at 7pm
📌 RSVP open on 🔗 lu.ma
Announcing Civic Spark
We’re excited to share an upcoming event from our friends at CivicTech Toronto — and you're invited!
Civic Spark is a two-day gathering in Toronto for those working to build a more equitable public life. The event kicks off with a conference on Saturday, August 16, followed by a collaborative unconference on Sunday, August 17.
Whether you're organizing on the ground, innovating inside systems, or building community solutions, Civic Spark is a space to share what’s working, surface what isn’t, and co-create what’s next.
Learn more and get involved: civic-spark.com. Call for speaker suggestions and session proposals is now open! Submit yours by June 14.
Let’s close the gap between the challenges we face and the systems meant to solve them — together.
