Podcasts about civic tech

John Maytham speaks to Nick Mills, Co-Founder of Community Wolf, about how the South African tech platform is using AI and WhatsApp to transform the way private security SMEs operate. Follow us on:CapeTalk on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CapeTalkCapeTalk on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@capetalkCapeTalk on Instagram: www.instagram.com/capetalkzaCapeTalk on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567CapeTalk on X: www.x.com/CapeTalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wir reden mit den Leiterinnen des Prototype Funds über ihre Arbeit und die förderwürdigkeit von Software.

Guest Giulio Carvalho Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, host Richard Littauer talks with Giulio Carvalho, a civic tech practitioner and program manager at Open Knowledge Brasil, about the importance of open data and civic engagement in Brazil. They discuss the role of civic tech projects in promoting transparency, such as Querido Diário (Dear Diary), an open-source project aimed at centralizing municipal data for better access by citizens, journalists, and activists. Giulio shares insights on the challenges and successes of maintaining open-source projects within a developing country, particularly in the face of competition from large tech corporations. Press download now to hear more! [00:01:36] Giulio explains the Civic Innovation Ambassador Network, and the network's impact on political transparency pledges made by politicians for open data and transparency is highlighted. [00:04:16] There's a discussion about how the pledge focuses on open data and government transparency, relating it to broader movements of open knowledge, and Giulio mentions the Law of Information Access established in Brazil, emphasizing the legal obligations for government transparency. [00:06:49] Richard compares the efforts to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), prompting a discussion on open data and transparency initiatives in Brazil. Giulio discusses specific projects in Brazil that allow citizens to request information anonymously. [00:10:10] Giulio introduces the Querido Diário project, designed to make official acts published in municipal gazettes accessible to the public. [00:15:22] The funding, development, and challenges of sustaining the Querido Diário projects are discussed, noting the support from various grants and partnerships. [00:21:17] The conversation shifts to the broader impact and goals of Open Knowledge Brazil in promoting open data and supporting civic tech initiatives. [00:23:34] Challenges in building a sustainable project with widespread municipal interest are discussed, along with strategies for managing community contributions and maintaining active development. [00:30:01] Richard and Giulio reflect on building grassroots tech movements in the global south and the challenges posed by proprietary technologies from more developed regions. [00:35:12] Find out where you can find Giulio's work and where you can get involved with Open Knowledge Brasil. Quotes [00:30:46] “If we build something by us for us, we can actually build great stuff.” Spotlight [00:38:10] Richard's spotlight is Alexander von Humboldt. [00:38:58] Giulio's spotlight is pretalx. Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/) podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org) richard@sustainoss.org (mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon (https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute) (https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials (https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Giulio Carvalho LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ogecece/) Querido Diário (https://queridodiario.ok.org.br/en-US/sobre) Open Knowledge Brasil (https://ok.org.br/) Open Knowledge Brasil-GitHub (https://github.com/okfn-brasil) Civic Innovation Ambassadors (https://embaixadoras.ok.org.br/) Paper Past Magazines and Journals (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/) Alexander von Humboldt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldt) pretalx (https://pretalx.com/p/about/) Credits Produced by Richard Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Special Guest: Giulio Carvalho.

What is PeaceTech? How can we use AI, virtual reality, open data, and other digital technologies in peacebuilding and mediation work? What can PeaceTech learn from CivicTech? Where is the EU's place in the geopolitical competition in technological innovation and how can it capitalize on its strengths? We discuss these and other questions with Bernardo Venturi and Nathan Coyle. This episode is produced in partnership with the Agency for Peacebuilding (Bologna) and the Austrian Center for Peace with the kind support of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. Guests: Nathan Coyle is the Senior Project Manager for PeaceTech at the Austrian Center for Peace. He is responsible for all our Peace Tech related activities and digital development. Nathan has partnered with governments across the globe to enhance their digital outreach efforts. He is a Fellow at The Royal Society of Arts in his native Britain and a writer, contributing to publications such as The Guardian. On his publication 'Open Data for Everybody: Using Open Data for Social Good' Nathan did a TEDx talk. Bernardo Venturi a co-founder and Head of Research and Policy at the Agency for Peacebuilding in Bologna, Italy. He has 20 years of experience in research, training, policy work and programme management mainly on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, EU external relations, good governance and international cooperation. Bernardo is also Adjunct Professor at the University of Bologna, an Associate Researcher for the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and lectures in several MA courses and training programmes in different countries. Bernardo obtained his PhD in 2009 from the University of Bologna, where he also held a post-doctoral research fellowship. Bernardo consulted for several regional and international organizations including the European Commission, EEAS, European Parliament, IGAD, OSCE, the Italian MFA and several international NGOs and platforms. Bernardo is a frequent media commentator for different Italian media (e.g., Radio Tre, Il Sole 24 Ore, Repubblica, Avvenire, Quotidiano Nazionale, etc.) and international ones (e.g., BBC Radio, Le Soleil, El Confidencial, etc.). Moderation Marylia Hushcha, Researcher and Project Manager at the IIP The episode was recorded on 12 June 2024.

In this episode of Debugged, host Medha Gupta interviews Cori Zarek, Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Digital Service. Zarek shares her transition from a lawyer specializing in first amendment and freedom of information issues to becoming a leader in civic technology. She discusses her impactful work at the National Archives and her role in shaping government policies on open data and information access. Highlighting the importance of technological innovation and collaboration, Zarek reflects on her time at the White House and the founding of the U.S. Digital Service. She also talks about co-founding the nonprofit U.S. Digital Response and Technologists for the Public Good. Tune in for insights into the evolving field of civic tech and advice for young professionals looking to make a difference.

Victoria Guido hosts Robbie Holmes, the founder and CEO of Holmes Consulting Group. The conversation kicks off with Robbie recounting his initial foray into the tech world at a small web hosting company named A1 Terabit.net, chosen for its alphabetical advantage in the white pages. This job was a stepping stone to a more significant role at Unisys, working for the state of New York's Department of Social Services, where Robbie inadvertently ventured into civic tech and public interest technology. Robbie shares his career progression from supporting welfare systems in New York to becoming a technological liaison between the city and state, leading to a deeper involvement in open-source solutions. His journey through tech spaces includes developing websites, diving into the Drupal community, and eventually establishing his consulting business. Robbie emphasizes the serendipitous nature of his career path, influenced significantly by community involvement and networking rather than a planned trajectory. Additionally, Robbie gives insights on the impact of technology in public services and his stint with the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), where he contributed to significant projects like vets.gov. Robbie promotes the value of community engagement in shaping one's career, stressing how connections and being in the right place at the right time can lead to unexpected opportunities and career pivots. Follow Robbie Holmes on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbiethegeek/), X (https://twitter.com/RobbieTheGeek), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/robbiethegeek), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/robbiethegeek), or GitHub (https://github.com/robbiethegeek). Check out his website at robbiethegeek (https://about.me/robbiethegeek). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript: VICTORIA: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Victoria Guido. And with me today is Robbie Holmes, Founder and CEO of Holmes Consulting Group. Robbie, thank you for joining me. ROBBIE: I'm so happy to be here. It's great to talk to you, Victoria. VICTORIA: Yes. I have known you for a long time now, but I don't know everything about you. So, I thought I would start with the question: What was your first job that you ever had? ROBBIE: My first technical job, I ended up working for an internet web hosting company called A1 Terabit.net. And note the A1 because it came first in the white pages. It was a really small web hosting company run by a man named [SP] Maxim Avrutsky. I worked there for about six months before I submitted my resume to an online job forum. That's how old I am. And it ended up in the hands of Unisys, where I eventually worked for the state of New York. VICTORIA: Wow [laughs]. So, what a journey that you've been on to get from starting there, and what a marketing ploy back in the day with the white pages. So, tell me a little bit more about how you went from that first job to where you are today with having your own business in consulting. ROBBIE: Yeah, I wasn't even aware that I was jumping into the sort of civic tech space and public interest technology because the job I ended up with was working for New York State in the Department of Social Services. And welfare is federally funded and distributed to states and then states to localities. And New York City and New York State have a weird parasymbiotic relationship because over 50% of the welfare in New York State goes to the five boroughs in New York City. So, so much of my job was supporting the welfare system within the city, which was run by the human resources administration. So, that just led to this cascade of me, like, getting invested in supporting that, and then eventually jumping over to the other side where I worked for the City of New York. And at that point, I ended up becoming sort of a technology project manager and almost a tech liaison between the city and state. And I was out in the welfare centers, helping get the job centers up to a new application called the Paperless Office System, which was a client-server app that was a wrapper around welfare. All of that ended up leading to me finally making it to the network operation center for the City of New York, where I started replacing expensive solutions like HP OpenView with open-source solutions like Nagios and another open-source solution that provided an interface. And it really opened my eyes to the idea of open source. And I had really paid attention to a lot of open-source operating systems. So, I was kind of just a general tech nerd. And eventually, I started building websites, and that led me to the Drupal community in New York City, which was sort of this cascade that led me to communities. And I think that's sort of a through line for my entire career is I don't really think I ever had a plan. I think my entire career has been this sort of a lucky happenstance of being prepared when an opportunity arose and sometimes being in the right place because of my connections and community. VICTORIA: That's interesting about being involved with the people around you and seeing what problems are out there to solve and letting that lead you to where your interests lie. And then, following that, naturally led you to, like, this really long career and these really interesting, big projects and problems that you get to solve. ROBBIE: Yeah. And I think one interesting aspect is like, I feel I spent a lot of time worried about what I was going to do and where I was going to do it. I don't have a bachelor's degree. I don't have an advanced degree. I have a high school diploma and a couple of years in college. Well, 137 credits, not the right 125 or 124 to have a bachelor's degree. I have enough credits for a couple of minors though, definitely Greek art history, I think mathematics, maybe one more. I just never got it together and actually got my degree. But that was so interesting because it was limiting to what jobs I could find. So, I was in the tech space as an IT person and specifically doing networking. So, I was running the network operation center. I helped, like, create a whole process for how we track tickets, and how we created tickets, and how things were moved along. And, in the process, I started building websites for family and friends. And I built a website for our network operation center, so that way we could have photos to go with our diagrams of the network. So that way, when we were troubleshooting remotely, we could actually pull up images and say, "The cable that's in port six goes off to the router. I think that port is dead. Can we move it to the port two to its right, and I'll activate it?" And that made a really interesting solution for something we weren't even aware we had, which was lack of visibility. So many of the people in the fields were newer or were trying to figure it out. And some of us had really deep knowledge of what was going on in those network rooms and hubs. It led me to this solution of like, well, why don't we just start documenting it and making it easier for us to help when they're in the field? That led me to, like, the Drupal community because I started building sites in the Drupal CMS. And I went to, like, my first Drupal meetup in 2007, and there was, like, five of us around the table. That led to eventually me working for Sony Music and all these other things. But the year before I found my way to the Drupal community, I probably sent out, like, 400 resumes for jobs in the tech space, didn't really get any callbacks. And then, I met the community, and I started attending events, and then eventually, I started organizing events. And then, Sony I interviewed and talked to them a couple of times. And then, a friend of mine became the boss. And she contacted me and was like, "Hey, are you in the market?" And I was like, "I don't know. Why? What's up?" And she's like, "I became Doug." And I was like, "What?" And she was like, "I'm now replacing Doug at Sony. I'm running the team." And I was like, "Yeah, I'm happy to talk." And that was the big transition in my career from IT to sort of development and to delivery, right? Like, when it comes right down to it, is I became the manager of interactive media at Sony Music, which was really a job I landed because I was connected to the community, and running events, and getting to know everyone. VICTORIA: Yeah. And I think it's really cool that you had this exposure early on to what you called civic tech, which we'll get into a little bit, and then you went from the community into a commercial technology space and really getting into engineering with Drupal. ROBBIE: Yeah, it was an interesting transition because what they needed at Sony was sort of somebody who could ride the line between systems engineer, database administrator, and Drupal engineer, and also probably pre-DevOps DevOps person. So, I was responsible for all deployments and all tickets that came in. I was sort of both the technical arm of the help desk. When I joined, there was 24 websites on the Drupal platform, and when I left, there was over 200. And we upgraded it from Drupal 5 to Drupal 6 to Drupal 7 while I was there. So, I was heavily involved in all of those updates, and all those upgrades, and all of the deployments of all the new themes, and all the changes to all these sites. So, what was great was they, I believe, if I understand it correctly, they actually created a role for me out of, like, two or three jobs because they needed a me, and they didn't have a role that existed. So, all of a sudden, they made a manager of interactive media role. And I was able to work there for two years, sort of being what I jokingly say, like, a digital janitor. I used to say that I had, like, an eight-bit key ring in a push broom. And I was always mad at your kids for trying to break my stuff. VICTORIA: [laughs] That's so good. A digital service janitor [laughs]? The connection for me between that and where I met you in the U.S. digital service space [laughs] I feel like there's a lot of parallels between that and where your career evolved later on in life. ROBBIE: Yeah. What's amazing is I did all this early work in my career in civic tech and didn't realize it was civic tech at the time. I just realized what I was doing was providing this huge impact and was value. You know, I spent a couple of years in the welfare centers, and I used to say all the time that the two hardest jobs in the welfare center are the person applying for welfare and the person deciding whether or not that person gets welfare. So, being a technologist and trying to help make that as simple as possible or easier and smooth the edges off of that process was really important. And it really taught me how important technology is to delivering service. And I really never thought about it before. And then, when I was working for Phase2 technologies, I was a director of Digital Services. And I read in a blog post, I believe that was written by Mikey Dickerson, who was the original administrator for USDS, and he talked about HealthCare.gov. And he walked in the door, and he said, "How do you know HealthCare.gov is down?" And I think there was some allusion to the fact that we were like, we turn on the television and if they're yelling at us, we know it's down. And Mikey was like, "We know how to monitor things." So, like, if you don't know Mikey Dickerson, he's the person who sort of created the web application hierarchy of needs in Google. He was an SRE. And his pyramid, like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, was all over Google when I was there. I was so impressed with the idea that, like, we aren't talking about how do we solve this problem? We're talking about knowing when there's a problem. And then, if we know there's a problem, we can put some messaging around that. We can say, like, "We're aware," right? Like if the president calls the secretary, the secretary can say, "We know it's down. We're working on it," which is building up political capital. It's a really amazing process that I kept reading this blog post, and I was like, God, that's how I would approach it. And then, I was like, wow, I wonder if I could use my skills to help America, and very shortly submitted an application and was like, well, we'll see what happens. And about six months later, I walked in the door at the VA and was the eighth employee of the Digital Service team at the VA. That was a franchise team of the USDS model. VICTORIA: And can you say a little bit more about what is the U.S. Digital Service and expand upon your early experience there? ROBBIE: Yeah. So, the United States Digital Service was created after HealthCare.gov had its issues. Todd Park had convinced President Obama to reach out to get support from the private industry. And the few of the people who were there, Todd convinced to stick around and start creating a team that could support if there was this kind of issue in the future. I believe the team that was there on the ground was Mikey Dickerson, Erie Meyer, Haley Van Dyck, and Todd. And there was a few other people who came back or were very close at the beginning, including the current administrator of USDS. She has been around a long time and really helped with HealthCare.gov. It's amazing that Mina is back in government. We're very lucky to have her. But what came out of that was what if we were able to stand up a team that was here in case agencies needed support or could vet solutions before these types of problems could exist? So, USDS was what they called the startup inside the White House that was created during the 2014 administration of President Obama. The team started that year, and I joined in May of 2016. So, I would be, like, sort of the beginning of the second team of the VA U.S. Digital Service team. So, USDS supported this idea of tours of duty, where you're a schedule A employee, which meant you were a full-time government employee, but you were term-limited. You could do up to two years of duty and work, and then you could theoretically stick around and do two more years. That was how these roles were envisioned. I think there's lots of reasons why that was the case. But what's nice is it meant that you would come in with fresh eyes and would never become part of the entrenched IT ecosystem. There are people that transition from USDS into government, and I think that's a huge value prop nowadays. It's something that I don't know they were thinking about when the original United States Digital Service was stood up, but it was hugely impactful. Like, I was part of the team at the VA that helped digitize the first form on vets.gov and all the work that was done. When the VA team started, there was a team that was helping with veteran benefits, and they worked on the appeals process for veteran benefits. And I joined. And there was a team that was...eventually, it became dubbed the veteran-facing tools team. And we worked on vets.gov, which was a new front door to expose and let veterans interact with the VA digitally. And over time, all the work that went into the tools and the solutions that were built there, everything was user-researched. And all of that work eventually got brought into VA.gov in what they called a brand merger. So, we took, like, the sixth most trafficked front door of the VA and took all the modern solutioning that that was and brought it into VA.gov, the main front door. So, all of a sudden, there was an identity, a login provided on VA.gov for the first time. So big, impactful work that many people were a part of and is still ongoing today. Surprisingly, so much of this work has now fallen under OCTO, which is the Office of the CTO in the VA. And the CTO is Charles Worthington, who was a USDSer who's the epitome of a person who goes where the work is. Charles was a Presidential Innovation Fellow who helped out in the times of HealthCare.gov and, joined USDS and did anything and everything that was necessary. He interviewed engineers. He was a product person. Charles is one of the most unique technologists and civic tech people I've ever met in my life. But Charles, at the end of the Obama administration and in this transition, realized that the VA was in need of someone to fill the CTO role. So, he came over to become the interim CTO because one of the values of USDS is to go where the work is. And he realized, with the transition, that Marina Nitze, who was the CTO who was transitioning out, there was going to be a need for continuity. So, he came in to provide that continuity and eventually became the full-time CTO and has been there ever since. So, he has helped shape the vision of what the VA is working towards digitally and is now...he was just named the Chief AI Officer for the agency. Charles is a great person. He has successfully, you know, shepherded the work that was being done early by some of us into what is now becoming a sort of enterprise-wide solution, and it's really impressive. VICTORIA: I appreciate you sharing that. And, you know, I think there's a perception about working for public service or for government, state or federal agencies, that they are bureaucratic, difficult to work with, very slow. And I think that the USDS was a great example of trying to really create a massive change. And there's been this ripple effect of how the government acquires products and services to support public needs, right? ROBBIE: Yeah, I would say there's a couple of arms of the government that were sort of modernization approaches, so you have the Presidential Innovation Fellows, which are the equivalent of, like, entrepreneurs and residents in government. And they run out of...I think they're out of the TTS, the Technology Transformation Service over at GSA, which is the General Services Administration. But the PIFs are this really interesting group of people that get a chance to go in and try to dig in and use their entrepreneurial mindset and approach to try to solve problems in government. And a lot of PIFS work in offices. Like, Charles' early team when he first became the CTO included a lot of Presidential Innovation Fellows. It was basically like, "Hey, the VA could use some support," and these people were available and were able to be convinced to come and do this work. And then, you have the Presidential Management Fellows, which I think is a little bit more on the administration side. And then, we have 18F and USDS. The United States Digital Service is a funded agency with an OMB. And we were created as a way to provide the government with support either by detailing people over or dropping in when there was a problem. And then, 18F is an organization that is named because the offices of GSA and TTS (Technology Transformation Service), where it's housed, are on the corner of 18th Street and F in DC. And 18F is sort of like having a technology or a digital agency for hire within the government. So, they are full-time employees of the government, sort of like USDS, except government agencies can procure the support of that 18F team, just like they would procure the support of your company. And it was a really interesting play. They are fully cost-recoupable subcomponent of TTS, which means they have to basically make back all the money that they spend, whereas USDS is different. It's congressionally funded for what it does. But they're all similar sibling organizations that are all trying to change how government works or to bring a more modern idea or parlance into the government. I used to say to people all the time that at USDS, you know, we would set a broken bone say, and then we would come back around and say, like, "Hey, does your arm hurt anymore?" The idea being like, no. Be like, "Cool, cool. Maybe you should go to the gym, and you should eat better." And that would be, like, procurement change. That would be, like, changing for the long term. So, all the work I was doing was building political capital so we could do better work in changing how procurement was done and then changing how the government delivered these things. So, what was awesome was, like, we used to have these fights at USDS about whether or not we were a culture change or we were firefighters. And I think the reality is once we're involved, culture changes happen. The bigger question is, are we going to be there for the long haul, or are we only there for a shorter period of time? And I think there are reasons why USDS teams had both plays. And I think it really is just two different plays for the same outcome. VICTORIA: Yeah, that makes sense. And to pivot a little bit, I think, you know, our audience, we have clients and listeners who are founders of products that are aimed at making these, like, public service needs, or to give some examples, like, maybe they're trying to track Congressional voting patterns or contact information for different state representatives, and they're trying to navigate this space [laughs]. So, maybe you can give some advice for founders interested in selling their products to government agencies. What can they do to make it more appealing and less painful for themselves? ROBBIE: I wouldn't consider myself a procurement expert, but at USDS, the procurement team called themselves the [SP] procurementati. And I was a secret member of the procurementati. I often was the engineer they would call to evaluate statements of work or sometimes be on technology evaluation panels. And it was fun to be a part of that. Things that most companies don't realize is government agencies will put out things like request for information or sources sought in the government space. And this is a way for industry to influence how government tries to solve problems. If you are trying to go after government work and you're only responding to an RFP, you're probably behind in your influence that you could have on the type of work. So, you'll see if a procurement seems to be, like, specifically focused on an approach, or a technology, or a framework, it's probably because some companies have come through and said, "I think this would probably solve your problem," and they gave examples. So, that's one way to be more connected to what's going on is to follow those types of requests. Another is to follow the money. My wife is this amazing woman who helped write The Data Act and get it passed through government. And The Data Act is the Data and Transparency Act. And that led to her heading over to treasury and leading up a team that built USAspending.gov. So, there is a website that tracks every dollar, with some exceptions, of the funding that comes out of Congress every year. And what's great is you can track it down to where it's spent, and how it's spent, and things like that. For education purposes, I think that is a really good thing that business and growth people can focus on is try to see and target where competitors or where solutions that you've looked at have gone in the past. It's just a good set of data for you to take a look at. The other piece is if you're creating a solution that is a delivery or a deliverable, like a SaaS solution, in order for something to be utilized in the government, it probably needs to be FedRAMP-approved, which is a process by which security approvals have been given so that government agencies have the green light to utilize your solution. So, there's tons of documentation out there about FedRAMP and the FedRAMP approval process. But that is one of those things that becomes a very big stopping point for product companies that are trying to work in the government. The easiest way to work your way through that is to read up on it a bunch, but also find an agency that was probably willing to sponsor you getting FedRAMP approval. Most companies start working with a government agency, get an exemption for them to utilize your product, and then you get to shape what that FedRAMP process looks like. You start applying for it, and then you have to have some sort of person who's helping shepherd it for you internally in the government and accepting any issues that come along in the process. So, I guess FedRAMP approval is one that's a little complicated but would be worth looking into if you were planning on delivering a product in government. VICTORIA: Right. And does that apply to state governments as well? ROBBIE: So, lots of state-related and city and locality-related governments will actually adopt federal solutions or federal paradigms. So, I think in the state of California, I think FedRAMP as one of the guiding principles for accepting work into the state of California, so it's not consistent. There's not a one-to-one that every state, or every city, or every locality will pull this in. But if you are already approved to be a federal contractor, or a federal business, or a federal product, it's probably going to be easier to make your way into the local spaces also. VICTORIA: Right. And as you said, there's plenty of resources, and tools, and everything to help you go along that journey if that's the group you're going for [laughs]. Mid-Roll Ad: When starting a new project, we understand that you want to make the right choices in technology, features, and investment but that you don't have all year to do extended research. In just a few weeks, thoughtbot's Discovery Sprints deliver a user-centered product journey, a clickable prototype or Proof of Concept, and key market insights from focused user research. We'll help you to identify the primary user flow, decide which framework should be used to bring it to life, and set a firm estimate on future development efforts. Maximize impact and minimize risk with a validated roadmap for your new product. Get started at: tbot.io/sprint. VICTORIA: So, kind of bringing it back to you, like, you're saying you want those partnerships within the government. You want someone advocating for you or for your product or your service. Drawing that back to what you said earlier about community, like, how do you form a community with this group of people who are in the state, or federal government, or civic tech spaces? ROBBIE: Yeah, I think it's an interesting problem because so much of it feels impenetrable from the outside. Most people don't even know where to start. There are organizations out there that are pretty good community connections, an example I would give is ACT-IAC. It is a public-private partnership where people from within the government, experts in their fields, and people in the private industry who are experts in their fields will be together on community boards and engaging in panels. And so, it's a really nice way to start connecting those dots. I have no direct affiliation with ACT-IAC. But if they'd like to give me my own account, that would be great. But it is one of those organizations I've seen be successful for people trying to find their way into a community that is a little harder to find. I think, also, so much of the community engagement happens at conferences and around...so, like, if you're in the healthcare space, this last month, you've had multiple conferences that I think were really great for people to get to know one another, you know, an example is ViVE. It just happened out in LA, which is a little more on the private sector health space, but still, government agencies were there. I know that the Department of Veterans Affairs had people there and were on panels. And then, HIMSS is another conference that takes place, and that just took place down in Miami. And in Miami, HIMSS happened and a whole bunch of other social community events took place. So, I'm close with a thing called the Digital Services Coalition, which is 47 companies that all try to deliver good government based on the Digital Services Playbook that was created by USDS that lives at playbook.cio.gov and the way that they try to accomplish this work. And that organization, while they were in Miami, hosted a happy hour. So, there's a lot of connections that can be made once you start seeing the players and getting to know who's around. So, it's a little bit about trying to find your way to that first event, and I think that will really open up everything for you. Within a week or two, I was at an International Women's Day event at MetroStar, which is a really great company that I've gotten a chance to spend some time with. And then, I was at an event for the Digital Services Coalition talking about open source in government. So, there's a lot of stuff out there for you to be a part of that isn't super cost-prohibitive and also doesn't take a lot once you start to open the door. You know, once you peek around that corner and you find some people, there's a lot more to be done. VICTORIA: Yeah. And you touched on something at the end there that wants me to bring up some of the advantages you can have being a small business, a minority-owned business, or woman-owned business, or veteran-owned business, so thinking about how you can form those connections, especially if you have one of those socio and economic set-asides that you might want to consider if they're looking to work with the government as well. ROBBIE: Yeah. Those socioeconomic set-asides include small businesses, woman-owned small business. I think it's Native and Alaskan 8(a), which is historically underrepresented and service-disabled veteran-owned. So, there are also sub-communities of associations, like there's the Digital WOSB, the digital Women-Owned Small Business alliance that was founded by Jess Morris from Pluribus Digital, and a bunch of other companies in the Digital Services Coalition. I believe she's the president of the Digital WOSB right now. That is a sub-community of women-owned small businesses that are trying to connect and create a community that they can support one another. And that's just one example of the type of connection you can make through those types of socioeconomic set-asides. But once you have those official socioeconomic set-asides, it will allow you to get specific contracts engagements in the government that are not allowed or available for others. So, the government procurement process will have some amount of these specific socioeconomic set-asides that need to be hit. Like, 8% of all procurements need to go to this and 10% of all procurements need to go to this. So, I think the VA is probably one of the most effective at hitting any of the socioeconomic set-asides, specifically related to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. So, if you happen to be a person of color and you found a business and you are female presenting, right? You may have 8(a) woman-owned small business. If you also happen to be a veteran and you're service-disabled, all of those things stack. You don't just get to have one of them. And they can be really effective in helping a business get a leg up and starting out and trying to help even the playing field for those communities. VICTORIA: Yeah. What I really appreciated about my experience working with Pluribus Digital, and you, and people who had had that experience in the U.S. Digital Services, that there is this community and desire to help each other out and that you can have access to people who know how to move your product forward, get you the connections that you need to be competitive, and to go after the work. So, I love encouraging people to consider civic tech options. And maybe even say more about just how impactful some of it can be. And what kind of missions are you solving in these spaces? ROBBIE: Yeah, I often try to remind people, especially those who are heading towards or considering civic tech, there are very few places in this world that you can work on something that can impact millions of people. Sure, I was lucky enough. I have tons of privilege. I worked at a lot of wacky places that have given me the access to do the type of work that I think is impactful, but very little has the kind of impact. Like, when I was interviewed by Marina Nitze as, my last interview when I joined USDS, she sent me an email at the end of it and said like, "Everything was great. I look forward to working with you. And remember, every time you commit code into our GitHub, you'll be helping 8 million veterans." And then, she cc'd Todd Park. And Todd was the CTO of the U.S., and he responded back within a minute. Todd is one of the most busy people. It was amazing to me how fast he responded. But he was like, "Lemme tell you, as somebody who can talk on behalf of our president, our country needs you." And those kinds of things they're hard to comprehend. And then, I joined the Digital Service team at the VA. And one of the first things that I got to support was the 10-10EZ. It's the healthcare application for veterans. And before I got there, it was a hosted PDF that we were trying to replace. And the team had been working for months to try to build a new, modern solution. What it was is it was, like, less than six submissions were happening a day because it only worked in Adobe Acrobat, I think it was 6.5 and below, and Internet Explorer 8.5 and below. And if you think about the people that could submit utilizing that limited set of technologies, it was slowly becoming homeless veterans who were using library computers that had not been upgraded. So, there was a diminishing amount of value that it was providing. And then, on top of it, it was sort of lying to veterans. If the version of the Adobe Acrobat was out of date, or wrong, or too new, it would tell them to upgrade their browser. So, like, it was effectively not providing any value over time. We were able to create a new version of that and that was already well on its way when I joined, but we were able to get it out the door. And it was a React frontend using a Node backend to talk to that SOAP API endpoint. Within the first week, we went from 6 submissions a day to 60 submissions a day. It's a joke, right? We were all 10x developers. We were like, "Look at us. We're killing it." But about three years later, Matt Cutts came to a staff meeting of USDS, and he was the second administrator of the USDS. And he brought the cake that had the actual 10-10EZ form on it, and it said, "500,000." And he had checked with the analytics team, and there were over 500,000 submissions of that form, which means there are 500,000 possible veterans that now may or may not have access to healthcare benefits. Those are big problems. All of that was done by changing out one form. It opened up the world. It opened up to a group of veterans that no one else was able to do. They would have had to go into a veteran's office, and they would have had to fill it out in paper. And some veterans just don't have the ability to do that, or don't have an address, or don't have a...so, there are so many reasons why having a digital form that worked for veterans was so important. But this one form that we digitized and we helped make modern has been submitted so many times and has helped so many veterans and their families. And that's just one example. That's just one form that we helped digitize. But now the team, I mean, I'm back in the VA ecosystem. There's, like, 2,500 people in the general channel in the office of the CTO Slack organization. That's amazing. There's people there that are working all day, every day, trying to solve the same problems that I was trying to solve when I got here. And there's so much work being done to help veterans. But that's just one example, right? Like, at USDS, I know that the digital filing for the free version of your tax form, the IRS e-file Direct, just went live. That was something that USDS had been working on for a very long time behind the scenes. And that's going to impact everybody who submits their taxes. These are the kind of problems that you get to work on or the scope of some of the problems if you work in these types of organizations, and that's really powerful. It's the thing that keeps drawing me back. I'm back supporting the VA again through some contracts in my business. But it's funny, like, I was working for another agency. I was over working at DHS on an asylum project. And a friend of mine kept telling people to tell me, "Man, veterans need you. If only there was another one of you to help us over here, that would be great." And eventually, it led to me being like, well, veterans need me. I'm going to go back to the VA. And that was my second tour at USDS at the Department of Veteran Affairs. And now I'm back there again. So, it's a very impactful place to work. There's tons of value you can provide to veterans. And, to me, it's the kind of work that keeps bringing me back. I didn't realize just how much I was a, like, impact junkie until I joined USDS, and then it really came to a head. I cannot believe how much work I've gotten to be a part of that has affected and supported those who get benefits and services from the federal government. VICTORIA: [inaudible 33:47] impact junkie. That's funny. But yeah, no, thank you for sharing that. That's really interesting. Let me see if you could go back in time to when you first started in this journey; if you could give yourself any advice, what would you say? ROBBIE: Yeah, I think I spent so much time being nervous about not having my degree that I was worried it was going to hinder me forever. And it's pretty amazing the career I've been able to thread together, right? Like, you know, I've hit on a few of them already. But, like, I started with a small web hosting company, and then New York State in the Department of Social Services, then New York City in the Human Resources Administration, Sony Music, Zagat Survey, Google, Johnson & Johnson, IDT telecommunications, Phase2 technologies, where I got to work on an awful lot of problems in lots of awesome places like NBA.com, and Major League Soccer, and Bassmaster. And then, the United States Digital Service where I got to work on things supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security over at ADA.gov in DOJ. I helped them out. And I worked over at USDA helping get Farmers.gov off the ground. So, everything on my left leg, tattoo-wise, is something that changed my life from my perspective. And I have a Drupal tattoo on the back of my leg. I have a DrupalCon. So, anytime somebody said "Drupal" anywhere near a USDS person, I would magically appear because they would just be like, "Oh, Robbie has that Drupal tattoo." So, I got to work on a lot of dot govs that eventually landed or were being built in Drupal. So, I got to support a lot of work. And it meant that I got to, like, float around in government and do a lot of things that others didn't get to do. When CISA stood up, which is the office of security inside of DHS, it's one of the newest sub-communities or subcomponents, they built DHS SchoolSafety.gov, which is a cross-MOU'd site. And I got to sit in and help at the beginning of that because of my Drupal background. But it was really fun to be the person who helped them work with the vendors and make sure that they understood what they were trying to accomplish and be a sort of voice of reason in the room. So, I did all of that work, and then after that, I went and worked at Pluribus Digital, where I got a chance to work side by side with you. And then, that led to other things, like, I was able to apply and become the director of Digital Services and software engineering for my local county. So, I worked for Prince William County, where I bought a house during the pandemic. And then, after that contract ended, I had already started my own business. So, that's led to me having multiple individual contracts with companies and so many people. I've gotten to work on so many different things. And I feel very lucky. If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it's just, take a breath. Everything's going to be okay. And focus on the things that matter. Focus on the things that are going to help you. Focus on community. Focus on delivering value. Everything else will work itself out. You know, I joke all the time that I'm really good at providing impact. If you can measure my life in impact and value, I would be a very rich man. If you can measure it in money, I'm doing all right, but I'm never going to be yacht Robbie, you know, but I'm going to do okay. VICTORIA: Oh my god, yacht Robbie. That's great. So, just to recap, everything's going to be okay. You never know where it's going to take you. And don't be limited by the things that you think, you know, make you not enough. Like, there's a lot of things that you can do out there. I really like that advice. ROBBIE: And I think one last piece is, like, community matters, if you are a part of communities and you do it genuinely, how much that will impact your career. I gave a talk from Drupal NYC to the White House and beyond. And I talked through my entire resume and how everything changed when I started doing community engagement. When I went to the Drupal community in New York City and how that led to Sony, and that led to Zagat, which led to me getting acquired by Google, like, these things all cascaded. And then, when I moved to the DMV, I was able to join here and continue supporting communities, which allowed me to bring people into the local civic tech community from the local DC tech community. So, so many of the best USDS engineers, and designers, and product people I was able to help influence to come to government were people I met in the community or the communities I helped support. You know, I was an early revivalist of Alexandria Code and Coffee. It was a community that was started and then wavered. And then, Sean McBeth reached out to the community and said, "Do we want to help and support getting it off the ground again?" And I immediately said, "Yes." And then, that led to my friends at BLACK CODE COLLECTIVE wanting to create a community where they could feel safe and connected and create a community of their own. And then DC Code & Coffee started. And from there, Baltimore Code & Coffee kicked off. And it's just really nice that, like, it doesn't matter where I've been. All these things keep coming back to be a part of community and help support others. And you will be surprised at how much you get back in return. I wouldn't be the person I am today in my community. I wouldn't have my career if it wasn't for the people who started and helped shepherd me when I was starting out. And I feel like I've been trying to do the same for people for a really long time. VICTORIA: I love that. That's what I say, too, when people ask me for advice on careers and how to grow. And my biggest piece is always to go out and meet people. And go to your community, like, look and see what's happening. Like, find people you like hanging out with and learning from. And just that should be the majority of your time probably if you're trying to figure out where to go with your career or even just, like, expand as a person sometimes [laughs]. Robbie, I was going to ask; you mentioned that you had bought a house in Virginia. One of my other warmup questions was going to be, what's your favorite thing to put on the grill? ROBBIE: My house in Virginia definitely gets a lot of use, especially in the spring and the fall. I'm a big fan of team no extreme when it comes to temperature. But during those time periods, my grill is often fired up. My favorite is probably to make skirt steak on the grill. I'm a huge fan of tacos, especially made out of skirt steak. I'm in all day. That's one of my favorites. I also love to smoke. I have a smoker because I'm a caricature-esque suburban dude. I'm going to live into all of the possible things I could have. But I've had a smoker for a long time, and I love making sort of poor man's burnt ends. It's one of my favorite things to make. But you got to have some time. That's the kind of thing that takes, you know, 14 hours or 16 hours, but it's really fun to take advantage of it. A quick thing I love to make is actually smoked salmon. It takes longer to brine it than it usually does to smoke it. But it is one of the nicest things I've made on my smoker, you know, fresh pesto on a piece of salmon is pretty awesome, or everything bagel. Everything with the bagel seasoning is a pretty fun way to smoke some salmon. VICTORIA: Wow, that sounds so good. I'm going to have to stop in next time I'm in Virginia and get some [laughs] and hang out. Do you have any questions for me? ROBBIE: I'm excited to see where you've gone and how you've gotten here. I think this is such a cool job for you. Knowing who you are as a person and seeing you land in a company like this is really exciting. And I think you getting to be a part of this podcast, which we were joking about earlier, is I've been listening to probably since it started. I've been a big fan for a long time. So, it's cool to be here on this podcast. But it's also cool that my friend is a part of this and gets to be a part of this legacy. I'm really excited to see where you go over time. I know my career has been changing, right? I worked in government. Before that, I did all kinds of other stuff. Nowadays I have my own business where I often joke I have sort of, like, three things I offer, which is, like, consigliere services. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Robbie on your executive team without having to pay them an executive salary? You know, another one is like, you know, strategy and mentoring, but these are all things I know you do also, which I think is cool. But I've been working on contracts where I support companies trying to figure out how they modernize, or how their CTO can be more hands-off keyboard, or how their new director of business development can be more of a technical leader and taking on their first direct reports. So, I just enjoy all those aspects, and I just think it's something that I've watched you do in the company where we worked together. And it's always fun to see what you're working on and getting a chance to catch up with you. I feel like you're one of those people that does a really great job of staying connected. Every once in a while, I'll get a random text message like, "Hey, how you doing?" It always makes me smile. I'm like, Victoria is a really good connector, and I feel like I am, but you're even better at it on the being proactive side. That's how this all came about, right? We caught up, and you were like, "Why don't you come on the podcast?" So, that's really exciting. VICTORIA: Well, thank you, Robbie. Yeah, I think that's one of the great things about community is you meet people. You're like, "Oh, you're really cool. And you're doing cool stuff all the time. Like, how can I support you in your journey [laughs]? Like, what's up?" Yeah, for me, it was hard to actually leave DC. I didn't, you know, really think about the impact of leaving behind my tech community, like, that network of people. It was pretty emotional for me, actually, especially when we finally, like, stopped doing the digital version [laughs]. And I, like, kind of gave up managing it from California, which was kind of funny anyways [laughs]. Yeah, so no, I'm grateful that we stayed in touch and that you made time to be here with us today. Is there anything else that you would like to promote? ROBBIE: You know, just to remind you, you've done a great job of transitioning into where you are today, but anybody can do that, right? Like, before I moved to the DC area, I was in New York, and I was helping to organize JavaScript events. And I started looking at the DC area before I moved down here. And I found the DC Tech Community. And I found the Node School DC GitHub organization and reached out to the person who had ownership of it and said I wanted to help and support. I looked at this the other day. I think I moved on May 8th, and then, like, May 11th, when I walked in the door, somebody was like, "Are you new?" And I was like, "Yeah, I just moved here." And they were like, "Oh, from where?" And I was like, "New York." And they were like, "Are you that guy who's been bugging Josh about running Node school events?" I was like, "Yeah." And like, they were planning an unconference at the end of the month. And they were like, "Would you like to run a Node school at that unconference?" Like, 27 days later. So, it was amazing that, like, I immediately, like, fell from the New York Community where I was super connected, but I went out of my way to try to, like, see what the community looked like before I got there. And I was lucky enough to find the right people, and immediately I joked...I think I wrote a blog post that said like, "I found my new friends. By, like, going from one community to another, gave a person who was in his 40s a chance to meet new people very quickly." And it was pretty amazing, and I felt very lucky. But I did spend a little bit of energy and capital to try to figure it out because I knew it was going to be important to me. So, I think you've done a really good job. You've helped launch and relaunch things that were going on in San Diego and becoming a part of this connection to more people. I think you and I have a very similar spirit, which is like, let's find a way to connect with humans, and we do it pretty effectively. VICTORIA: Well, thank you. That really boosts my confidence, Robbie [laughs]. Sometimes, you show up to an event you've never been to before by yourself, and it's like a deer in headlights kind of moment. Like, oh God, what have I done [laughs]? ROBBIE: Oh, and the last thing I need to mention is I also have a podcast. I have my podcast about film. It's called Geek on Film. I used to record it with my friend, Jon. He's a little busy right now. But I used to pitch it as a conversation show about the current films that were going on. Now, it's one lone geek's ramblings about what he just saw. It's a great podcast for me because it gives me an opportunity to think a little more critically about film, which is one of the things that I probably have almost enough credits to get a minor in. But I absolutely love cinema and film in general. And it's given me an opportunity to connect with a lot more people about this subject and also to scratch the itch of me being able to create something around a community and around a thing I really love. VICTORIA: That's super cool. Yeah. You're top of mind because I also like films. I'm like, what's Robbie up to? Like, what's the recommendations, you know [laughs]? Do you have a top film recommendation from the Oscars? Is that too big of a question? ROBBIE: So, the one I will say that didn't get enough spotlight shined on it was Nimona. So, I'm a huge fan of the Spider-Man movies. I think Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse are both masterpieces. But Nimona is an animated film that was picked up by Netflix, and it is amazing. I don't know that I laughed or cried or was more moved by a film last year. And I don't know that it gets enough credit for what it was. But it did get nominated for best-animated film, but I don't know that enough people paid attention to it. Like it may have gotten lost in the algorithm. So, if you get a chance, check out Nimona. It's one of those beautiful, little gems that, if you travel down its story, there's all these twists and turns. It was based on a webcomic that became a graphic novel. One of the production companies picked it up, and it wasn't going to see the light of day. And then, Netflix bought its distribution rights. There's going to be a great documentary someday about, like, Inside Nimona. But I think the movie itself is really charming and moving, and I was really impressed with it. So, that was the one that got me, like, just before the Oscars this year, where I was like, this is the little animated movie that could, in my opinion. It's so charming. VICTORIA: I will definitely have to check that out. Thank you for giving us that recommendation. ROBBIE: Totally. VICTORIA: Final question. I just wanted to see if you had anything to share about being an advisory board member for Gray and for Hutch Studio. Could you tell us a little bit more about that? ROBBIE: Yeah. So, Gray Digital was founded by a friend of mine. We met through United States Digital Service. And his organization...I had been supporting him for a while and just being behind the scenes, talking to him and talking through business-related issues. And it was really nice. He offered to make me an official advisory board member. It was a great acknowledgment, and I really felt moved. There's some great people that are supporting him and have supported him. They've done really great work. Gray is out there delivering digital services in this space. And I think I was really lucky to be a part of it and to support my friend, Randall. Hutch is different. Hutch is an organization that's kind of like if you think about it, it almost is a way to support entrepreneurs of color who are trying to make their way into the digital service delivery space. Being an advisory board member there has been really interesting because it's shaping how Hutch provides services and what their approach is to how to support these companies. But over the last year, I've convinced the person who's running it, Stephanie, with a couple of other people, to open the door up or crack the door so we could talk directly and support the individual companies. So, it's been really great to be a Hutch advisory member to help shape how Hutch is approaching things. But I've also been a part of, like, many interview processes. I've reviewed a lot of, like, [inaudible 48:01] who want to join the organization. And I've also created personal relationships with many of the people who are part of Hutch. And, you know, like, you know me personally, so you know I run a Day of the Dead party. We'll just party at my house every year. I have a huge amount of affection for Mexican culture and, in general, the approach of how to remember people who are a part of your life. So, this is, like, the perfect way for me to bring people together at my house is to say, like, "Hey, my dad was awesome. What about your family? Who are your people?" What's really nice is that has given me an opportunity to host people at my house. And I've had Hutch company owners at my house the last couple of years and the person who runs Hutch. So, it's a really great community that I look at that is trying to shape the next emergent companies that are helping deliver digital services across the government. And it's really fun to be early on in their career and help them grow. Again, it seems silly, but it's the thing I care a lot about. How do I connect with people and provide the most value that I can? And this is a way I can provide that value to companies that may also go off and provide that value. It's a little bit of an amplifier. So, I'm a huge fan of what we've been able to accomplish and being a part of it in any way, shape, or form. VICTORIA: Well, I think that's a really beautiful way to wrap it up. ROBBIE: Really glad to catch up with you and be a part of this amazing podcast. VICTORIA: Yeah, so much fun. Thank you again so much. It was great to be here with you today. You can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. You can find me on thoughtbotsocial@vguido. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening. See you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

This episode of our podcast offers insights into how digital innovation can drive positive societal change. In this informative conversation, we explore the intersection of technology, governance, and citizen engagement. We discuss the comprehensive 2024 report on the Civic Tech Landscape in Nigeria by Civic Hive, which outlines how civic tech can bridge the gap […]

About a year ago, we were joined on the show by Gabriel Zucker of Code for America to talk taxes. Specifically, a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act that directed the IRS to develop their own proprietary, free tax prep software for the first time in history. Since then, the IRS has been hard at work. 2024 tax season marks the launch of the IRS Direct File pilot, a simplified tax prep tool available to residents of twelve states. It's free, easy, fast, and represents a huge win for civic tech.So we invited Code for America back on to celebrate this win and discuss the implications and future of this momentous project. This week The Buzz is joined by Courtney O' Reilly, Senior Program Manager for Tax Benefits at CforA. Resources:Code for America's FileYourStateTaxesIRS Direct File Report to CongressSubscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.Learn more about membership at https://www.actiac.org/join.Donate to ACT-IAC at https://actiac.org/donate.Intro/Outro Music: Focal Point/Young CommunityCourtesy of Epidemic Sound

A significant percentage of India's population relies on government schemes for their livelihoods, including access to welfare programs, and gig economy jobs facilitated by smartphones. Tune in to know how organisations like Ank Aha and Aapti Institute are addressing gaps for vulnerable communities, and working towards equity, access, and justice for India's Next Half Billion as they pursue their dreams. This podcast is also available in Tamil and Hindi. A special thanks to Omidyar Network India for making this season possible. To know how ONI is partnering bold and purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are working to improve the lives of India's Next Half Billion, visit omidyarnetwork.in You can listen and subscribe to Smartphone Nation on the IVM Podcasts App and on all major audio platforms. Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media. We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.  Do share the word with your folks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can government do the things that it says it is going to do? One of the hardest things that public servants have to do is implement and it gets to the heart of a state's capacity to deliver. In the digital era, that means being able to deliver digitally. And when we think about state capacity in this context, it often seems that we find our institutions coming up short.State capacity is something that this week's guest has thought a lot about. Jennifer Pahlka is a leading figure in the digital government movement in the United States, and recently authored a new book, "Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better." (See below on how to enter a draw for a free copy!)Jennifer served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the US Government under President Obama's Administration where she helped to create the United States Digital Service. She is also the founder and former executive director of Code for America which she led for 10 years. More recently she co-founded and is Chair of the Board of Directors for the United States Digital Response, which was a new organization that was set up to help governments respond to the COVID-19 crisis through mobilizing volunteer tech talent. She spoke to Ryan at the FWD50 Conference in November about why governments seem to find themselves in a crisis of implementation and delivery regardless of partisan stripe. They also talk about ways to get unstuck, and stay motivated, including a really heartwarming end to the interview where Jennifer talks about what to do when we are feeling demoralized and that change is never going to come. Enter a draw to win a free copy of Recoding America!If you'd like to get a copy of Recoding America, sign up to the Think Digital newsletter by December 22, 2023 at 11:59pm ET and you'll be entered into a draw to receive a free copy! Anyone who is signed up to the newsletter by the deadline is eligible. Go to letsthinkdigital.ca to sign up!Watch the Episode on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuTzJ7LtiiYChapters00:04 Introduction and Welcome03:15 Interview with Jennifer Pahlka05:20 The Importance of State Capacity in Government06:24 Policy vs. Implementation09:38 Key Takeaways from Recoding America15:36 The Role of Political Leadership24:20 Are Our Systems of Democratic Governance Still Fit for Purpose?28:23 Commonalities Across Jurisdictions32:19 The Role of Civic Tech in Government37:41 Don't Give Up38:55 Closing Remarks and Book Giveaway Announcement

Artificial intelligence is transforming how governments operate, but adopting new tech can be a challenge. In this week's episode, we chat with Micah Guadet, a trailblazer in using AI ethically and responsibly in the public sector.Micah developed the first course on adopting AI in government, sharing how to navigate policy, fear, and change management. He's an evangelist for the potential of AI to improve public safety and operations, while also maintaining public trust. We discuss Micah's journey to becoming an AI guru, his innovative ideas, and the projects he's working on to usher governments into the AI age smoothly and beneficially. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the public sector's AI revolutionCheck out Micah's new AI course for public sector personnel: https://www.civicinnovation.ai/courses/chatgptSupport our podcast!Everything EM Weekly: www.thereadinesslab.com/em-weekly-linksEM Weekly shirts and merch: https://www.thereadinesslab.com/shopThe Readiness Lab: https://www.thereadinesslab.com/Doberman Emergency Management: www.dobermanemg.com Connect with me! https://www.linkedin.com/in/zborst/Major Endorsements:L3Harris Technologies' BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.comDoberman Emergency Management Group provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.com#AI #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #government #publicsector #publicsafety #ethics #responsibleAI #change management #innovation #futureofwork #emergingtech #civictech #govtech #chatGPT

A behind-the-scenes conversation with the host of Public Square: Conversations in Democracy, Wietse Van Ransbeeck, to introduce the podcast and its place in the Civic Tech, GovTech, and participatory democracy sphere.

In this episode of Data Driven, Frank and Andy Leonard are joined by guest speaker Lauren Maffeo to discuss data governance from the ground up. The conversation revolves around the importance of data governance in relation to generative AI, copyright infringement, and protecting consumer rights.They explore topics such as the need for proactive cybersecurity measures, the challenges faced by startups in implementing data governance, and the cultural transformation required for successful implementation.Overall, it is a thought-provoking discussion that provides insights into the complexities and potential solutions related to data governance in today's data-driven world.Moments00:05:49 Civic Tech serves the public through technology.00:07:50 Data governance: a holistic, cultural business strategy.00:12:25 Data as tangible asset, managing as product.00:14:38 Implementing data governance: start small, connect to business.00:20:34 Data growth, lack of management, legislative progress. Clear framework for data quality needed.00:25:14 Startups prioritize innovation for survival. Large industries restrict innovation due to regulation. Motivations and context are key in governance.00:28:54 Data governance and copyright infringement in generative AI. The future of consumer rights and cybersecurity.00:33:44 Encourage caution with sharing proprietary information00:36:36 Bias in AI and data governance intertwined. Risk reduction, troubleshooting. Not all intent is negative. Challenges in data work solvable. Nonprofits and cybersecurity models for governance.00:40:38 Encouraging shift in conversation about data governance.00:44:34 Data found me, sparked interest in AI.00:49:20 Technology saves time, allowing for more productivity.00:54:03 Adopting foster pets: fun without long-term responsibility.00:55:57 Connect on LinkedIn, visit Pragprov.com, feedback welcome.

Financing and funding civic technology activities take up a significant portion of most organisations' worry hours. Often, when there are shortages of funds, this is viewed as an organisational failure. But instead of looking at funding and financing as a reflection of innate value, it should rather be viewed as one of the tools that allow us to reach our social impact. It is a strategic tool that should be considered alongside all of an organisation's other strategies as well. In this episode we spoke to Razzano and Amy Mutua about some of the best ways civic tech organisations can go about financing their initiatives. Gabriella is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of OpenUp, a civic tech lab based in Cape Town. She is also a board member of the Civic Tech Innovation Network. Senior Atlantic Fellow in Social and Income Equality; and an Expert on AI and Democracy for the African AI Observatory. Amy Mutua is the Research Assistant for the Tayarisha Centre for Digital Governance. This project is the culmination of ongoing dialogues and research conducted by the Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN) which have aimed at exploring financing issues, strategies and models appropriate and applicable for the African civic tech innovation ecosystem. African civic tech plays a significant role on the continent, but many innovators in the space still struggle with their funding and financing options. In some ways this mirrors challenges in other non-profit and social innovation work, but we think that there are also new, unique challenges. They created this project to provide a platform for civic tech innovators and organisations across Africa with access to resources, information, and the co-learning networks they may need to help grow and sustain their practice and impact. This site is intended as an interactive, ever-growing space and we encourage you to own, engage and interact with its resources and tools. And of course (as co-owners!), also let us know how we can improve it so that it is as useful as possible to you and your civic tech peers. This work contributes to CTIN's core mission by connecting people and organisations with diverse knowledge, skills, experience and expertise and providing relevant information and insights on civic tech from the African continent and elsewhere. In this way, the innovation network aims to contribute to growing the civic tech community, improving practices and outcomes. This project was initially funded by CIVICUS – supported by the CHARM project. The microsite is developed by OpenUp. OpenUp partners with government, organisations, industry leaders and civil society to identify, gather and make accessible information that supports open communities and an empowered citizenry. Tayarisha is the Initiative on Digital Governance, established (2021) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. It is a hub for teaching, research, policy dialogue, and outreach on the challenges and opportunities presented by digitisation in the public sector, society, and industry in Africa. The Centre for Digital Governance (CDG) straddles the nexus of government, business, and society, and is concerned with issues of regulation, public policy and ethics. The CDG contributes to the creation of public good by conducting academically rigorous, cutting-edge action research; providing world-class education; and contributing to public debate on the challenges and opportunities presented by digitisation.

In the 1960s, Public Interest Law emerged as a way for the legal profession to deploy its expertise in service of the public.  Our guest Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, says that it's time for the same ethic and commitment to emerge from the field of technology. In this episode we discuss how to make that happen and what it will look like practice when we create the structures for technologists to work in the public interest. This episode first aired on July 14, 2022, as part of Microsoft's Public Sector Future podcast Ford Foundation | Site | Twitter Darren Walker | Twitter Jeremy Goldberg | LinkedIn | Twitter Microsoft Public Sector Center of Expertise Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at aka.ms/microsoft/podcasts

The Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN), in partnership with the South Africa Centre for Evidence (SACE) invites you to join us as we launch the Civic Tech in Africa Evidence Map, where we will present key findings of the Evidence Map. Yasmin Shapurjee joins host, Nathi Mcetywa for this episode. The aim of the Evidence Mapping project is to create a common, up-to-date evidence/ knowledge base about civic tech in the African context, to improve support, decision-making and advocacy in relation to civic tech (including more broadly civil society innovation, tech for good and digital governance). At CTIN, we define civic tech as the “appropriate and effective use of digital innovation in connecting government and citizens, in public participation, in transparency and accountability and in delivering public services”. The launch event will present an opportunity for participants to engage with the map, ask questions and to provide feedback. Event Details: Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023 Time: 10.00 AM -12:00 PM Venue: Tshimologong Precinct and Online To RSVP to attend the in-person launch email Yasmin Shapurjee at yasmin@civictech.africa To join online: https://wits-za.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkdu6prDIoHtHpofEZ4BZWflxvORtyDlhV Join Launch Event Online

Join host Jeremy Goldberg, Microsoft's Worldwide Director of Critical Infrastructure, as he explores the humanity behind today's most important infrastructure projects with in-depth interviews focused on the dynamic public sector leaders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, artists and city planners who are getting them done. Jeremy Goldberg | LinkedIn | Twitter Microsoft Public Sector Center of Expertise

Bye Bye Potholes! Today I have the pleasure to talk to Sourabh Kumar, co-founder of PotHoleRaja, a social venture that 's on a mission to make India & the world pothole-free.  He got the idea After reading a tragic story about a woman who lost her life due to a pothole. He gave up his highly paid corporate job to fill in potholes around the streets of Bangalore at 5AM!  He didn't tell his parents but he started getting goosebumps when random strangers started to praise his work and efforts. Without any background in civil engineering he started doing crazy google searches and ended up creating a number of cool products including Gridmats. a revolutionary patented product that's eco-friendly, durable and crafted entirely from 100% recycled plastic waste to construct pavements/roads. He talks about a life changing moment meeting his co-founder. Talks about key learnings in the early days. Thoughts on social entrepreneurship in India some do's and don'ts  (You can make money!) Why waste is the new gold. Talks about why you must be a risk taker and good at sales. Talks about the uncomfortable question he asks people when hiring.  Talks about keeping the faith and business models including franchise models. He talks about growing rapidly (100% growth) He reflects on this past year (2022). Thoughts on building a culture of being open.  And finally he talks about the biggest pothole he has ever seen and explains how filling a pothole is as easy as making 3 min Maggi noodles and much more.In  this conversation we talk about:Why potholesGoing to Singapore and reflecting on it's infrastructure. The promise he made to himself when quittingBecoming a problem solverThoughts on why the government are not doing this despite everyone paying taxes.15000 km road trip checking out the potholes.Expanding into different countries.Civic tech  helping the governmentWhat does leadership mean to SourabhDealing with and the war with waste.Just him and his co-founder for the first two yearsAnd much more Linkshttps://www.potholeraja.com/Check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities. Join for free for 1 month and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=onmusic by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

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Sha Hwang discusses how Nava PBC designs and implements projects in the civic tech space at the federal, state, and local levels of government

We are back with part 2 of our chat with Trish!

On today's podcast, we talk about the importance of civic tech with Trish Clay.

Pour L'atelier des médias, Raphaëlle Constant a tendu son micro à deux acteurs œuvrant dans le domaine des civic tech au Mali : Fatouma Harber et Tidiani Togola. Le premier forum civic tech en Afrique francophone s'est tenu à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, les 28 au 29 juin 2022. L'événement était organisé par CFI dans le cadre du projet Connexions citoyennes 2, un dispositif d'accompagnement, de développement et d'incubation de projets numériques d'action citoyenne. Ces deux jours de rencontres, préparés par Samsa Africa, ont réuni plus de 120 journalistes, activistes, experts et personnalités de la civic tech africaine.  Raphaëlle Constant y était pour L'atelier des médias de RFI. Elle s'est entretenue sur place avec de nombreux acteurs des civic tech d'Afrique francophone. [Écoutez notre précédent podcast : Civic tech en Afrique : quand des connexions citoyennes œuvrent pour la démocratie] Dans cette émission, gros plan sur deux Maliens,  Fatouma Harber, est enseignante, blogueuse et militante pour les droits de l'homme à Tombouctou, dans le nord du Mali. Elle raconte son parcours dans le domaine des civic tech qui a débuté en 2012 lorsqu'elle a rejoint Mondoblog alors que le Mali était en pleine insurrection. Elle a créé Sankoré Labs, un tiers lieu créé pour réduire la fracture numérique devenu point de ralliement de la jeunesse de Tombouctou. Malgré les menaces, elle réussit à faire bouger les lignes pour un avenir meilleur dans sa ville et son pays. Membre du collectif Africtivistes, elle a reçu en 2021 le prix de l'engagement citoyen.   Tidiani Togola, physicien et informaticien, est créateur de la fondation Tuwindi, basée à Bamako, explique pourquoi les civic tech et les médias doivent se développer ensemble, et en quoi le contexte malien comporte des défis spécifiques. Mondoblog audio est incarné par le blogueur malien Ousmane Makaveli.

In the 1960s, Public Interest Law emerged as a way for the legal profession to deploy its expertise in service of the public. Today, our guest Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation says that it's time for the same ethic and commitment to emerge from the field of technology. In this episode we discuss how to make that happen and what it will look like practice when we create the structures for technologists to work in the public interest. Ford Foundation | Site | Twitter Darren Walker | Twitter Jeremy Goldberg | LinkedIn | Twitter Public Sector Center of Expertise

This year marks 15 years since the adoption of the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (ACDEG). The ACDEG is a framework whose main objective was for African States to adopt good democratic and governance principles. In this episode, we talk about an initiative aimed at boosting civic participation in issues of democratic governance on the African continent. Justin Arenstein spoke to us about the recently launched Charter Project Africa initiative. We talk about how the Civic Tech landscape in Africa and some initiatives doing great work on the continent. Jason Bygate joins us as co-host for this episode. Jason is the Head of Innovation, Tech, and Data for Development at Capacitate Social Solutions, and he's recently launched the YoMobi platform in partnership with PwC and UNICEF. He spoke to us briefly about this initiative as well. Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Charter Project Africa Website · CodeforAll on Twitter · The Charter Project Africa on Twitter · YoMobi Website

This year marks 15 years since the adoption of the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (ACDEG). The ACDEG is a framework whose main objective was for African States to adopt good democratic and governance principles. In this episode, we talk about an initiative aimed at boosting civic participation in issues of democratic governance on the African continent. Justin Arenstein spoke to us about the recently launched Charter Project Africa initiative. We talk about how the Civic Tech landscape in Africa and some initiatives doing great work on the continent. Jason Bygate joins us as co-host for this episode. Jason is the Head of Innovation, Tech, and Data for Development at Capacitate Social Solutions, and he's recently launched the YoMobi platform in partnership with PwC and UNICEF. He spoke to us briefly about this initiative as well. Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Charter Project Africa Website · CodeforAll on Twitter · The Charter Project Africa on Twitter · YoMobi Website

Le premier forum civic tech en Afrique francophone s'est tenu fin juin à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, à l'initiative de CFI. Pour L'atelier des médias, Raphaëlle Constant y a tendu son micro à celles et ceux qui développent des initiatives numériques dans plusieurs pays africains pour améliorer la circulation de l'information et déclencher des mobilisations citoyennes pour peser dans le débat public. La première véritable initiative civic tech d'ampleur en Afrique a déjà 15 ans. En 2007, au Kenya, un collectif de blogueurs et développeurs décidaient de créer Ushahidi, témoignage en swahili, pour recenser les violences post-électorales. Dans les années qui suivent, cette plateforme va être utilisée dans plusieurs pays à travers le monde pour mobiliser les citoyens dans des activités de collecte et de mise à disposition d'informations utiles à tous.  Depuis, l'explosion de l'internet mobile et des réseaux sociaux ont  favorisé l'expression des citoyens et leur capacité à participer activement au débat public. La jeunesse africaine s'est saisie de ces opportunités et entend contribuer au processus de décision publique, favoriser la transparence, faire des questions de gouvernance une préoccupation quotidienne. C'est dans ce contexte que le premier forum civic tech en Afrique francophone s'est tenu à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, les 28 au 29 juin 2022. Ces deux jours de rencontre, préparés par Samsa Africa, ont réuni plus de 120 journalistes, activistes, experts et personnalités de la civic tech africaine.  L'événement était organisé par CFI dans le cadre du projet Connexions citoyennes 2, un dispositif d'accompagnement, de développement et d'incubation de projets numériques d'action citoyenne. Ce projet est co-financé par l'Agence française de développement (AFD) et le ministère français de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères. Où en sont les Civic tech aujourd'hui ? Qui sont ces jeunes qui veulent changer le continent et son image grâce au numérique et quels sont leurs projets ?  Pour L'atelier des médias de RFI, Raphaelle Constant était fin juin à Abidjan, où elle a rencontré plusieurs figures de la civic tech qui exploitent la puissance des outils numériques pour construire des projets d'action citoyenne : Nnenna Nwakanma : cette Nigériane est l'une des pionnière de l'Internet en Afrique. Ambassadrice en chef à la Web Foundation, elle travaille avec les Nations unies. Cette militante infatigable d'un Internet qui se déploie pour le meilleur a de nombreuses autres batailles : le logiciel libre, la protection des données, ... Elle fait aussi pression sur les Gafam pour améliorer l'accès des femmes à Internet. Caroline Mveng Mengue : cette activiste et féministe camerounaise est âgée de 34 ans. Elle est vice-présidente de la communication de l'association Réfugiés sans frontières. Elle élabore le média en ligne Elles rayonnent ensemble, accompagnée par le programme Connexions Citoyennes 2 de CFI. C'est aussi une blogueuse de Mondoblog, plateforme des blogueurs francophones de RFI, portée par L'atelier des médias. Aïsha Dabo : journaliste et web activiste, elle est cofondatrice et coordinatrice de la plateforme AfricTivistes. Elle a grandi en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), au Sénégal et en Gambie.  Sally Bilaly Sow : Web activiste et blogueur guinéen. Il est membre de l'Association des blogueurs de Guinée, Ablogui, et de Mondoblog. Il a co-fondé la communauté Open Street Map Guinée en 2015 et GuineeCheck pour lutter contre les fausses informations dans son pays. C'est le coordinateur de l'association Villageois 2.0, un projet incubé par le programme Connexions Citoyennes 1 de CFI. Mondoblog audio est incarné par la blogueuse ivoirienne Aïssatou Fofana qui nous propose un petit tour des sujets qui fâchent avec ses parents, au premier rang desquels le mariage, qui cristallise toutes les attentes… et toutes les incompréhensions.

How can governments more effectively work with civic tech communities to deliver results? Great question, we are glad you asked. This has been a big theme at this year's Code for America Summit. We sat down to discuss this with Jessica Cole, co-founder and CEO of U.S. Digital Response (USDR), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps governments, nonprofits, and public entities respond quickly to critical public needs. Jessica Cole's Twitter account twitter.com/jessunscripted US Digital Response's Twitter account twitter.com/USDResponse Code for America's Twitter account twitter.com/codeforamerica Richard Pietro's Twitter account twitter.com/richardpietro Derek Alton's Twitter account twitter.com/DerekAlton ReOpenGov Twitter account twitter.com/re_open_gov The Voice of Stories from the Open Gov is Maurice Mendes ABOUT Stories from the Open Gov is a podcast published by www.reopengov.org and is dedicated to telling the stories about what Open Government & Open Data look like. Your hosts are Richard Pietro and Derek Alton, Open Government & Open Data practitioners for the past 10 years. Listen and learn how Open Government & Open Data are becoming a reality! MUSIC ATTRIBUTION - Introduction & conclusion Singing Sadie - I Can't Dance freemusicarchive.org/music/Singing_…3_I_Cant_Dance Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ #opendata #civictech #cfasummit #opengov #govtech

Hey y'all! It's Ajay here. It has been a few months since I have been behind the microphone at think civic because of some travel (some vacation and some work, although mainly I have been traveling to visit family and friends that I have not seen since before the pandemic). As I have been venturing across Europe with brief stops in Africa and Asia, I have been thinking a lot about how my own life path ended up to where I am today. Since being behind a microphone is at times very therapeutic, I decided to sit down this evening in Lucerne, Switzerland and just talk (just me, my microphone, and my laptop) about my own story: how my values were instilled at a young age, my college and Facebook experiences, dealing with ableism at FAANG companies, and finding the civic tech community and workplace that I am so thankful to be a part of to this day. I hope you all enjoy this surprise episode.

This week, The Periphery talks to Stephen Caines, the Deputy Chief Innovation Officer at the San Jose Mayor's Office of Technology and Innovation (MOTI), about the potential of civic technology and the role of city governments in unlocking it, Stephen's path from law school to municipal government in the heart of Silicon Valley, and the strange and disturbing dynamics of radicalization online. Leave us an honest review, subscribe, and send us any ideas or feedback that you'd like to share at theperipherypodcast@gmail.com. And be sure to become a Conversationalist on our Patreon if you are eager to support our efforts to diversify tech. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chizo and Evan spoke with Billy Lim, the former Senior Organizer for Code for America's National Action Team. Billy touches on his childhood growing up in Milwaukee, his experience working as a teacher and organizer for AAPI Communities, details on the Reimagine 911 National Action Network, and his advice for those looking to make meaningful career pivots

How does an architect end up working on Obamacare? What are the differences between designing with data and physical materials? Why does the government need more designers? Sha Hwang is COO and co-founder at Nava, a public benefit corporation working to make government services simple, effective, and accessible. Founded as a part of efforts to help fix HealthCare.gov, Nava now works on projects across Medicare, Department of Veterans Affairs, and at the state level on large efforts to improve government digital services. A failed architect and accidental entrepreneur, Sha has worked with clients such as the New York Times, the Harvard Library Lab, CNN, MTV, Flickr, and Adobe. Prior to Nava, Sha worked at Stamen Design and later co-founded the company Movity, which was acquired by Trulia. Sha has spoken frequently at events including the White House Datapalooza, Webstock, Eyeo Festival, and Visualized. Follow Sha Hwang: Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Follow Nava: Twitter | LinkedIn Episode website link: ​​https://mailchi.mp/designlabpod/shahwang More episode sources & links Sign-up for Design Lab Podcast's Newsletter Newsletter Archive Follow @DesignLabPod on Twitter Instagram and LinkedIn Follow @BonKu on Twitter & Instagram Check out the Health Design Lab Production by Robert Pugliese Cover Design by Eden Lew Theme song by Emmanuel Houston

We have partnered with the Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN) for our new series of digital dialogues. We will continue to explore civil society perspectives on the emerging digital world every first Thursday of the month starting at 16:00 CEST / SAST. This first session, moderated by malebo sephodi, unpacked the role of digital innovations in facilitating inclusivity and diversity within civic tech. Our panellists: -malebo sephodi - Writer and Researcher -Astha Kapoor - Aapti Institue, Co-founder -Onica Makwakwa - Alliance for Affordable Internet -Download the transcript: https://bit.ly/3yxz3M3

The Civic Tech Innovation Network and International Civil Society Centre partnered for a digital dialogue on 'Building Inclusive Communities'. This session, moderated by malebo sephodi, unpacked the role of #DigitalInnovations in facilitating #inclusivity and #diversity within civic tech. In exploring this, the session posed these questions among others; how do we amplify underrepresented voices in civic tech? Is building an inclusive civic tech community merely about highlighting digital innovations or leveraging the same digital innovations to intentionally highlight and amplify diverse voices within the space? How do we make sure this happens? Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Digital Dialogues: Building Inclusive Civic Tech Communities · International Civil Society Centre · AAPTI Institute

The Civic Tech Innovation Network and International Civil Society Centre partnered for a digital dialogue on 'Building Inclusive Communities'. This session, moderated by malebo sephodi, unpacked the role of #DigitalInnovations in facilitating #inclusivity and #diversity within civic tech. In exploring this, the session posed these questions among others; how do we amplify underrepresented voices in civic tech? Is building an inclusive civic tech community merely about highlighting digital innovations or leveraging the same digital innovations to intentionally highlight and amplify diverse voices within the space? How do we make sure this happens? Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Digital Dialogues: Building Inclusive Civic Tech Communities · International Civil Society Centre · AAPTI Institute

Bienvenue chez Spleen Doctor, le podcast de la communication politiqueEpisode du 20 avril 2022 animé par Amandine MichelInvité : Antonin Lafaye, consultant en concertation publique au sein du cabinet La suite dans les idées A l'automne 2018, un peu plus d'un an après son élection, Emmanuel Macron connaît la première grande crise de son quinquennat avec l'éclosion du mouvement des Gilets jaunes. Cette contestation protéiforme montera en puissance pendant plusieurs semaines avant de s'éteindre peu à peu après le printemps 2019 et la conclusion du Grand débat national (janvier - avril 2019). A la croisée de la concertation locale, de la Civic Tech et de la communication, le Grand débat national donnera naissance en octobre 2019 à la Convention citoyenne pour le climat, qui a réuni 150 personnes tirées au sort et supposées constituer un panel représentatif de la diversité de la population française. Ces innovations démocratiques répondaient-elles au besoin de démocratie directe exprimé par les Gilets jaunes et/ou incarnaient-elles un court-cirtuitage maladroit de la représentation nationale ? Avec le recul, si le Grand débat national et la Convention citoyenne pour le climat ont plus fait office de pare-feu qu'ils n'ont apporté de véritables réponses aux revendications hétéroclites des Gilets jaunes, ils ont surtout permis à Emmanuel Macron de tester de nouvelles formes de concertation publique.... et de communication politique. Car entre la communication, l'information, la consultation et la concertation, les frontières sont souvent floues !

1- Smart cidadão 2- Gov Tech e Civic Tech como instrumentos promotores da democracia participativa 3- Ambiente legislativo propício à transformação: * Marco Civil da Internet (Lei 10,973/04) * Lei de Acesso à Informação (Lei 12.527/11) * Lei Nacional de Governo Digital ( Lei 14.129/2021) * Carta Brasileira de Cidades Inteligentes 4- A importância da inclusão digital diante da pandemia

Grâce à l'expansion de la culture numérique, des projets centrés sur la participation, la collaboration et la transparence ont vu le jour. Objectif : favoriser l'interaction et l'action du citoyen dans le système démocratique. Qu'est-ce qu'une civic tech et que peut-elle apporter ? Contribue-t-elle à des transformations démocratiques ? Invitée : Sinatou Saka, journaliste pour RFI et France 24, et présentatrice du Mooc sur la Civic Tech «connexion citoyenne» pilotée par CFI.   Initiative : Salim Azim Assani, cofondateur de Wenak Labs au Tchad.

How can we kickstart civic tech careers for young professionals? Ariana Soto, Deputy Director of Coding It Forward, joins us to discuss her work in creating new opportunities for students to learn more about applying their technical skills to government roles. Ariana discusses how Coding It Forward has supported over 300 students in helping bring federal, state, and local government agencies to the 21st century. In highlighting the lack of technical opportunities in the government, Ariana notes how students can create new paths from the private sector to the public sector and vice-versa, while also noting partners who have supported bringing recent grads new opportunities. Ariana highlights the skills that can help in government roles, and then finally discusses her serendipitous path to where she is herself. Guest bio: Ariana is the Deputy Director at Coding it Forward and has been with the organization since 2018. She leads Coding it Forward's partnerships and new program launches — including the Civic Innovation Corps. Ariana graduated from Harvard College in 2020 with a B.A. in Government and Computer Science and a certificate in Technology Science. Ariana has experience in local government working with data teams in New York City and her hometown of Los Angeles, CA. About the podcast: How Tech Becomes Law is a weekly public interest tech podcast about technology, public policy, and career advice. We are your co-hosts, Jinyan Zang and Dhruv Gupta. Each episode uncovers insights from leaders in government, business, journalism, and academia to highlight how technology can be built in the public interest. Interviewees discuss how technology can move society forward, what role they play in shaping this, and how students and young professionals can impact the path forward. We are supported by the Public Interest Tech Lab. Listen to us on your podcast platform of choice. You can find us online at howtechbecomeslaw.org and on social media channels @techbecomeslaw.

This week we welcome Mark Noonan to the show to talk about how becoming a part of Civic Tech initiatives can help career changers to grow and help existing developers create opportunities for mentorship, support, and connection for those coming into tech.Mark talks about his experience with FreeCodeCamp as well as Code for Atlanta, and the $40,000 Hackathon his group won and donated to charity! He brings his experience as a career transitioner to the conversation and we look at how participating in Civic Tech can help you develop skills to be a better communicator and programmer. And you might hear a little bit about how we prefer our breakfast foods too

In this cross-over between the Civic Tech in Africa podcast and the Talking Tech for Good podcast, co-hosts Jason Bygate (of Capacitate) and guest Munyaradzi Dodo (of Magamba Network) discuss how young people can have their voices better heard in the corridors of power. Munyaradzi shares the journey he undertook with his team to establish Open Parly ZW, an initiative to promote a new generation of young citizen journalists, and the influence it had on other young people outside of Zimbabwe. He talks about the challenges and opportunities that come with upscaling an initiative such as Open Parly and also delves into why #DIYAfrica is such an important concept for young people in Africa. Special thanks to Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN) team and VOW.fm, who handled the recording of this bonus episode. To find out more about the ‘Talking Tech for Good' podcast visit www.techtalk.org.za Don't forget to join the Civic Tech Initiative and the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the session on ‘African #DIY Civic Tech Approaches' on the 15th September 2021, at 15:00 (CAT). This year, the Civic Tech Innovation Forum and Jamfest conferences invite African civic tech innovators, media innovators and stakeholders to connect around the ways in which digital innovators, innovations, initiatives and their support structures are playing out across our continent in the spaces of journalism, media, civic activism and public services - particularly in this pandemic era. The theme is DIYAfrica, focusing on how we can co-create meaning, identity and solutions for Africa. The conference will be hosted on event hosting application Whova. (Download Whova to join this week-long conference.) Learn more about this event and register here: www.civictech.africa civictech.africa · www.civictech.africa · jamlab.africa · whova.com

It's the series finale and what a way to end an incredible first series! This week Professors Sue Black OBE and Gordon Love welcome Megan Smith, Barack Obama's ex CTO, to discuss the emergence of civic technology and the huge potential for good it can have on society and economies plus her brilliant work with the then US President, big data challenges, the increasing problem of bias in AI. Also in this episode, Sue and Gordon take a look at some of the forerunners and shining examples in this social revolution and how it's shaping the landscape of the future. You can email your suggestions for moments for Sue and Gordon to look at using 100moments@durham.ac.uk For those interested in studying Computer Science at Durham, visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/computer-science/ to find out how you can apply. If you enjoyed this episode please do three lovely things for us - like, subscribe and tell a friend! 100 Moments that Rocked Computer Science is a Why did the Chicken? production for Durham University.

Answer this call to action from Ana Neves. She is conducting a very important survey of your organization on how the social platforms are working for operational knowledge flow and proficiency. You can use this as your organizations template to improve. https://www.maturityscan.orangetrail.com/ _____________________________________________________________ Ana Neves is the founder and managing director of Knowman, a consulting company providing strategic guidance and support to organisations and communities keen to improve results through a better use of knowledge. She narrows the gap between knowledge management, internal communication and collaboration, focusing on processes, culture and tools. Together with her partners at OrangeTrail, she created the the Social Collaboration Maturity Scan: a free instrument for organisations to assess their maturity and get personalised recommendations to improve their use of enterprise social platforms. The Scan is available till 14 May 2021. The anonymised and aggregated results will be used to produce the Social Collaboration Maturity Benchmark 2021. This year Knowman and OrangeTrail are planning to create an additional benchmark report focusing on non-profits and humanitarian organisations. Ana is the organiser of Social Now, a very unique conference which applies many KM principles and techniques to offer participants a rich learning experience focused on the use of enterprise social tools that improve knowledge sharing, retention, collaboration and internal communications. Ana coordinates the CivicTech work group at APDSI (Portuguese Association for the Promotion and Development of the Information Society). In 2001 she created KMOL, a website dedicated to knowledge management and organisational learning in Portuguese language. In 2020 she started podcast KMOL, also about knowledge management and also in Portuguese. On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ananeves On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananeves ___________________________________________ Edwin K. Morris is the president and founder of Pioneer Knowledge Services which produces this educational program, Because You Need To Know. It is part of the mission to educate and bring awareness around knowledge management and nonprofit concerns. pioneer-ks.org/

Answer this call to action from Ana Neves. She is conducting a very important survey of your organization on how the social platforms are working for operational knowledge flow and proficiency. You can use this as your organizations template to improve. https://www.maturityscan.orangetrail.com/ _____________________________________________________________ Ana Neves is the founder and managing director of Knowman, a consulting company providing strategic guidance and support to organisations and communities keen to improve results through a better use of knowledge. She narrows the gap between knowledge management, internal communication and collaboration, focusing on processes, culture and tools. Together with her partners at OrangeTrail, she created the the Social Collaboration Maturity Scan: a free instrument for organisations to assess their maturity and get personalised recommendations to improve their use of enterprise social platforms. The Scan is available till 14 May 2021. The anonymised and aggregated results will be used to produce the Social Collaboration Maturity Benchmark 2021. This year Knowman and OrangeTrail are planning to create an additional benchmark report focusing on non-profits and humanitarian organisations. Ana is the organiser of Social Now, a very unique conference which applies many KM principles and techniques to offer participants a rich learning experience focused on the use of enterprise social tools that improve knowledge sharing, retention, collaboration and internal communications. Ana coordinates the CivicTech work group at APDSI (Portuguese Association for the Promotion and Development of the Information Society). In 2001 she created KMOL, a website dedicated to knowledge management and organisational learning in Portuguese language. In 2020 she started podcast KMOL, also about knowledge management and also in Portuguese. On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ananeves On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananeves ___________________________________________ Edwin K. Morris is the president and founder of Pioneer Knowledge Services which produces this educational program, Because You Need To Know. It is part of the mission to educate and bring awareness around knowledge management and nonprofit concerns. pioneer-ks.org/

Godfrey Senkaba spoke with Tim Leisman, a data-based community problem solver, and civic tech enthusiast. Only four years as an evaluator but has found interest in civic technology. But what is civic tech? how does it apply to evaluation? Through his work with the Code for Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, Tim demonstrates a good career trajectory that can inspire young, emerging and advanced evaluators. See the discussion outline below:  [00:34] Hello, everyone! Introducing Tim Leisman.[02:10] Background in community development and the start of evaluation career.[4:25] How to join the Monitoring and Evaluation Career without background training in evaluation.[6:23] Top 2-3 skills every evaluation professional should have.[8:53] Biggest challenge faced when working as an evaluator, and how to address it.[10:18] Top monitoring and evaluation tool and/or methods used.[11:55] Using technology to improve monitoring and evaluation work.[15:40] How civic technologies are used to address problems in the community in Greensboro, North Carolina.[18:22] How government technical and elected officials support evaluation, and related civic tech evaluative work.[20:21] Key learnings about being an evaluator, and civic tech.[22:25] Next steps/future for Tim Leisman[25:05] How to contact Tim Leisman.[25:48] Thank you, Tim. Thank you everyone for listening! Find Godfrey Senkaba: https://www.mandeboost.com; Email: info@mandeboost.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/senkaba_g  Connect with Tim Leisman: E-mail: tim@codeforgreensboro.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/timleismanLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyleisman

Dans ce cinquième épisode de La Mairie, nous réalisons une première immersion dans le monde académique et de la recherche en compagnie de Tatiana de Feraudy. Tatiana est chercheur, spécialiste des sujets de Civic Tech et de démocratie numérique. Elle est également chargée de recherche pour le think tank Décider Ensemble. Grâce à Tatiana, vous découvrirez les points clés du dernier baromètre de la démocratie locale numérique que Décider Ensemble a publié cette année. Nous reviendrons également avec elle sur quelques notions cruciales du fonctionnement de la démocratie locale.

In this episode, NRC Program Associate Richard Haddock sits down with Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang to explore what digital democracy means and looks like in action. Minister Tang discusses open government, civic technology, how misinformation and disinformation were addressed in Taiwan's 2020 presidential election, and the ethical and practical limits of technology use in governance.

Listen to this KM visionary share her organizational and research experience with companies centered around Portugal. Recorded 29 March 2019 Edwin K. Morris is the president and founder of Pioneer Knowledge Services which produces this educational program, Because You Need To Know. It is part of the mission to educate and bring awareness around knowledge management and nonprofit concerns. https://pioneer-ks.org/ Ana Neves is the founder and managing director of Knowman, a consulting company which provides strategic guidance and support to organisations and communities keen to improve their operation through a better use of knowledge. She narrows the gap between knowledge management, internal communication and collaboration, focusing on processes, culture and tools. Past experience includes: Senior Consultant at Headshift, Knowledge Network Manager in agencies of the British Department of Health, Cultural Change Manager at a large British bank, etc. She co-edited two books on knowledge management. She is the organiser of Social Now, a very unique conference which applies many KM principles and techniques to offer participants a rich learning experience focused on the use of enterprise social tools that improve knowledge sharing, retention, collaboration and internal communications. Ana coordinates the CivicTech work group at APDSI (Portuguese Association for the Promotion and Development of the Information Society). In 2001 she created KMOL, a website dedicated to knowledge management and organisational learning in Portuguese language. http://kmol.online.pt/category/blog http://knowman.pt

Listen to this KM visionary share her organizational and research experience with companies centered around Portugal. Recorded 29 March 2019 Edwin K. Morris is the president and founder of Pioneer Knowledge Services which produces this educational program, Because You Need To Know. It is part of the mission to educate and bring awareness around knowledge management and nonprofit concerns. https://pioneer-ks.org/ Ana Neves is the founder and managing director of Knowman, a consulting company which provides strategic guidance and support to organisations and communities keen to improve their operation through a better use of knowledge. She narrows the gap between knowledge management, internal communication and collaboration, focusing on processes, culture and tools. Past experience includes: Senior Consultant at Headshift, Knowledge Network Manager in agencies of the British Department of Health, Cultural Change Manager at a large British bank, etc. She co-edited two books on knowledge management. She is the organiser of Social Now, a very unique conference which applies many KM principles and techniques to offer participants a rich learning experience focused on the use of enterprise social tools that improve knowledge sharing, retention, collaboration and internal communications. Ana coordinates the CivicTech work group at APDSI (Portuguese Association for the Promotion and Development of the Information Society). In 2001 she created KMOL, a website dedicated to knowledge management and organisational learning in Portuguese language. http://kmol.online.pt/category/blog http://knowman.pt