Code for All Newsletter — July 2023
Words by Mar Marín • Jul 12 2023
In this edition, discover the inspiring work of 11 of our member organizations, catch a glimpse of the upcoming Summit 2023, and join us in fostering meaningful discussions on security research and innovation with civil society organizations.
> Code for All Updates
- The response to the Summit 2023 has been incredible, with over 105 submissions received, surpassing last year’s record by an impressive 77.97%. You will get a glimpse of the agenda soon!
- Phase 1 of our Refresh Process has been successfully completed, thanks to the collaborative efforts of our member organizations and the fantastic Anca Matioc from La Sobremesa. We have delved into the purpose of our mission, explored our needs and added value, prioritized objectives and activities, and brainstormed funding strategies. Now, we are excited to announce the kickoff of Phase 2. Stay tuned for more details in our upcoming blog!
- As a member of the TRANSCEND Consortium, we have been actively sharing our knowledge and expertise in engaging individuals and civil society organizations in citizen participation. We have played a crucial role in advising the Consortium on network setup and utilizing our community-building and communications skills to promote knowledge sharing and supporting pilot strategies across its four thematic areas.
> Member Updates
Here find updates from a handful of our 31 member organizations.
→ Ciudadanía Inteligente ????
Our Abre Alcaldías project is training 230 public officials in Chile. In August we will expand our efforts to Colombia! Additionally, we continue working with La Constitución es Nuestra towards enhancing citizen participation in the new constitution.
→ Code for Africa ????
To assess media susceptibility, we surveyed the top news media organisations in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia focussing on the transparency and accessibility of editorial policies. Explore the findings here. We also launched the 2023 Reuters Digital News Report which gives the Kenyan, SA, and Nigerian perspectives in relation to the global trends
→ Code for Canada ????????
Organized its first-pandemic in-person retreat, and it turned out to be a tremendous success. During the two-day event, its “HQ” staff and board members engaged in workshops, informative talks, and social interactions. Read all about it here.
→ Code for Pakistan ????????
Recently celebrated their 10th anniversary amongst a gathering of all the change agents and community members that have supported the civic tech nonprofit all these years. They also completed the 2nd Cycle of their KP Women Civic Digital Internship Program which enabled 50 women from underrepresented areas in the tech field.
→ Codeando México ????????
We are 10 years old and we plan to celebrate with lots of memories, hack nights, and moments to share our favorite times of these years and where we want to go. Follow us on Twitter and join our Slack to know all about the celebration updates.
→ Dark Matter Labs ????????
Published 3 part blog series on our project Cornerstone Indicators to reimagine metrics as tools for radical civic empowerment.
→ Datasketch ????????
Worked on the redesign of CDMX Open Data Portal; the information and visualizations of COVID for Vacunas para la Gente, and the design of Segur@s en línea, Ipandentec’s website to share about online security from a gender perspective.
→ mySociety ????????
Are starting work on TICTeC’s next stage. We’ve also released TheyWorkForYou for the devolved Welsh parliament, and are working hard on user research into how we can better support marginalised communities in the UK.
→ Open Data Kosovo ????????
Currently implementing the first edition of Data Governance Academy targeting public officials, CSO, and media representatives from Kosovo.
→ OpenUp ????????
Recently launched Climate Observer, a new platform that makes climate data more accessible to African journalists. We are also enhancing the functionality and usability of the Vulekamali and Municipal Money portals. These enhancements will make the portal more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.
→ Česko Digital ????????
We have tested 37 000 students in the international test of digital skills IT Fitness Test 2023 3 V4 + Ukraine. In addition, we launched Nezisk.Digital, a pilot course for NGOs to help them increase their digital competencies. Furthermore, we are hoping to help close the digital gap in the Czech Republic among children, elderly people, and minorities through the Digital Inclusion project in partnership with Google.
> Job & Opportunities
This is where we share current job calls and opportunities we’ve found within and around the network.
- Code for Pakistan: Senior Communications Manager | Managing Director
- Code for Africa: Drone Tech Lead | HR Manager | Communities Product Manager | E-learning Course Developer
- Waag: Business Developer | Communications Officer
- Cipesa: Session Proposal or Travel Support Application to the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2023
- Civic Square: Strategic Researcher, Writer + Administrator
- CoGlobal: Project Assistant – Participatory & Deliberative Democracy
- Humanitarian OpenStreet Map: Improvement of documentation of HOT TECH Tooling
- People Powered: Digital Democracy and Climate Democracy Accelerators
- Wikipedia Foundation: Research Manager
> Events around the world
This is where we share upcoming events within the civic tech realm.
- [July 13] Ciclo de Paneles #AbreAlcaldías
- [Sept 18 – 21] Code for All Summit 2023
- [Oct 31 – Nov 3] AbreLATAM
- [November 7 – 9] Festival de Datos
> Reading Room
Here’s a list of some of the latest articles we recommend.
- Building Communities Within Peace Tech: Can We Learn From Civic Technology?
- Data from women, for women
- Fighting Chinese Disinfo with Doublethink Lab
- How Inclusive Usability Testing is Helping People Find Doctors
- Human-Centered, Machine-Assisted: Ethically Deploying AI to Improve the Client Experience
- Supporting Good AI Governance in Municipalities: Findings and Recommendations, pt 1
- Unmasking Disinformation: SocialTIC’s Open-Source Intelligence Approach
- Using civic tech for environmental governance: Lessons learned through models of civic engagement
> That’s all folks!
If you wish to connect with our member organizations or are interested in giving a hand with a particular project, please get in touch with us – we’d love to hear from you! Find us on Slack (@lorin, @mar and @renja)
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Until next month — keep up the good work!