Exploring the intersections of Community Tech with other fields of work and practice

Power to Change and Promising Trouble are working together to nurture a growing network of practitioners who are creating and using tech to transform their communities – underpinned by the principles of community ownership, democratic governance, and empowerment of local people and places.

To help us along this journey, Cassie Robinson is hosting a series of events to explore how Community Tech can support other fields of work and practice that share these same place-based themes and values.

Community Tech and the Solidarity Economy

The first event in our series set out to examine the relationship between Community Tech and the Solidarity Economy – a global movement to build a just and sustainable economy, based on mutual aid and cooperation, that prioritises people and the planet over endless profit and growth.

We were delighted to welcome 100 attendees from all over the world to hear Promising Trouble’s Rachel Coldicutt in conversation with: Solidarity Economy entrepreneur, writer and community organiser Nikishka Iyengar, who is building community wealth and power through cooperative real estate, entrepreneurship programmes, and access to capital for marginalised communities; and Caroline Woolard, artist, educator, and Chief Culture Officer at Open Collective, a technology platform that supports 15,000 groups to raise and spend $35 million each year.

Together, our speakers demonstrated how the Solidarity Economy can offer an alternative, non-extractive way of thinking about tech – with the potential for Community Tech and the Solidarity Economy to build power together by creating assets that are collectively owned and from which the community benefits, bringing people together, and generating community wealth.

Coming up…

Are you interested to learn more? Sign up to our next event in the series, this time focusing on Community Tech and Place - from Neighbourhood to Local Council. The webinar will take place 5pm-6pm (GMT) on Monday 20th March.

Our guest speakers are the brilliant Immy Kaur and Catherine Howe, who will be helping us to answer questions like: Where is the greatest potential for Community Tech in place? And what does it mean for Community Tech to be accountable to place – to the people, communities and natural world that is rooted there?

Sign up now to secure your place! http://bit.ly/ctplace