DigiShift 61: The case for community tech

Explore the concept of community tech and how it could help voluntary sector organisations

Community tech - technology that gives power and generates benefit for communities - is a vital part of the modern technology ecosystem.

While a small number of very large companies might seem to dominate the digital landscape, the reality is that the Internet is full of alternatives and possibilities - of people making and sharing things for collective benefit.

This Digishift we will be joined by Anna Dent from Promising Trouble and Fergus Arkley from Power to Change to explore The Case for Community Tech - setting out a vision for how hardware and software created by, with and for community organisations:

• builds the resilience and impact of individual community organisations and the communities they are part of
• contributes to the growth of place-based communities
• promotes a more diverse and sustainable technology ecosystem

Pioneering organisations from across the UK are developing alternative, locally rooted solutions to everyday problems like food delivery, sustainable housing, and green energy. And the technologies these communities are using and creating help them deliver collective benefits, including local economic and social capital, while also promoting a more diverse and sustainable alternative technology ecosystem.

This description of Community Tech is taken from Rachel Coldicutt's blog on the topic which is a great primer for those new to the concept.

This report marks the launch of a programme of activity throughout autumn 2022, including the launch of a £400,000 fund, Community Tech: Makers and Maintainers on 6 October and a Connected People and Places report, featuring contributions from a number of international technical and social innovators.

Anyone using digital or technology in their organisation