Happy 5th birthday to Civic Tech Toronto!
Here’s how to join the celebration for one of Canada’s first civic tech community groups.
Hi! Skaidra here, one of the co-organizers at Civic Tech Toronto, inviting you all to participate in our virtual 5th anniversary on Tuesday, July 21st from 7–9 pm EDT — RSVP HERE.
Whether you’ve been to one of our weekly hacknights or are completely new to this community, anyone and everyone is welcome. You don’t need to be in, or even close to Toronto; you just need to be curious about tech and design can be used to improve communities.
Quick refresher: what is civic tech?
“Civic Tech” is about making or using technology to improve our communities, our cities and our governments. Civic tech is also a commitment, or aspiration to developing technologies in a way that is thoughtful, user-centred, iterative, data-driven, open-source and collaborative.
So what is Civic Tech Toronto?
Civic Tech Toronto (CTTO) is a space for people to learn and experiment with technology as a form of civic engagement, and to focus on public issues. CTTO is a diverse, 100% volunteer-run community of passionate Torontonians that have hosted weekly Hacknights every Tuesday for five years. These Hacknights offer a chance to meet new people, learn from an incredible roster of speakers, and time to work together on projects that aim to make Toronto better.
5 years in, 5 years more!
Join us for a moderated panel discussion about the past, present and future of Civic Tech Toronto. We’ll be hosting a panel and discussion to reflect on and celebrate the successes and challenges of the last five years, and to imagine possibilities for the next five years.
After much deliberation and input from our community, we selected the following three panelists who can, in partnership, speak to the origins of this community, what we’ve been up to lately and help us reflect and carve our path forward.
Nasma Ahmed
Nasma is a technology and community organizer that works within the intersections of social justice, technology and policy. She is currently Director of the Digital Justice Lab.
Jennifer Hollet
Jennifer is the Executive Director at The Walrus, Canada’s Conversation. The Walrus is known for its award winning independent journalism, fact checking, and national ideas-focused events. Jennifer was also the head of news and government at Twitter Canada and co-founded a startup and developed “Super PAC App”. Described as a “Shazam for politics,” the app debuted #1 in its category in the App Store, helping make political TV ads more transparent.
Dilini Kurukulaarachchi
Dilini is a public servant who has been a passionate volunteer within the civic tech community, serving as a co-organizer and participating in a number of civic tech initiatives over the past two years. Since 2018, she has founded and led a civic tech project that is supporting young people in transitional housing through tech skills mentoring.
Why should you attend?
We asked some of our co-organizers and here’s what they have to say…
“It’s tougher than ever to meet new people right now, but Civic Tech Toronto keeps working hard to create a space where those who want to improve public life can connect. When the selling feature of a community’s events is ‘learn more and do more to improve public life’, those events tend to attract a genuinely good group of people.” — David, Civic Tech Toronto Co-Organizer
“I’ve been attending CivicTechTO since I moved to Toronto 4 years ago to join the City. It’s been a great space to find inspiration for my work and for me to connect to people who might be interested in the data, processes, and analyses my team has been developing. I’m excited to kick start the conversation of where we can take this community in the next 5 years!” — Raphael, Civic Tech Toronto Co-Organizer
“Civic Tech Toronto exists for, and because of, its contributors. Everyone who comes to a hacknight, whether to eat pizza, to work on a project, or to share an announcement, helps to reproduce a space and a community that is centred around cooperation, learning, and the improvement of our public and civic lives.” -Curtis, Civic Tech Toronto Co-Organizer
“Our community has been, and continues to be, built with the input of many voices. We’re excited to celebrate with those of you who have been a part of this development, and we look forward to welcoming those of you who are new and interested!” — Civic Tech Toronto Co-Organizer
Come out any time and please stay in touch!
Register for our upcoming hacknights on Meetup
Follow us at Twitter.com/CivicTechTO
Learn more on our website at https://civictech.ca
