What's it all about? According to the Sunshine Week website, this annual event was "created by the American Society of News Editors and is now coordinated in partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press -- but freedom of information isn't just a press issue. It is a cornerstone of democracy, enlightening and empowering people to play an active role in their government at all levels. It helps keep public officials honest, makes government more efficient and provides a check against abuse of power."

Here are some ideas for leveraging Sunshine Week as an open government awareness opportunity for your community:

1. Publish explainers and promote awareness. What does "open government" mean for your community? Why should citizens care? How does it apply to, say, your city or county government, or other local public institutions? The Open Government Initiative has published a Declaration of Open Government Principles. You might prepare articles or a report exploring how well your local government meets these objectives, or propose that your local government adopt this declaration -- or engage your community in a public discussion of open government

2. News coverage. Sunshine Week is an excellent time to publish local open government news, or to highlight local open government or government secrecy themes in your past coverage. Here are some examples of local open government coverage from the Sunlight Foundation.

3. Engage your local tech community and civic leaders. This could include getting involved with projects such as CodeAcross to increase and enhance local open government data; start, join or promote a local Code for America brigade; or participated in local hackathons for the National Day of Civic Hacking. These events are excellent ways to foster relationships and partnerships with tech talent, data providers, community leaders, and local government to achieve shared open government and other civic goals.

…See more ways to get involved in Sunshine Week, including their Idea Bank.

On Twitter, follow @SunshineWeek and the hashtags #SunshineWeek and #OpenGov

What are your plans to take Sunshine Week to your community? Please comment below.