Joining the Digital Wellness Collective — Myrth

We’ve made some new friends! Myrth founder Emma McLaren has been busy attending lots of digital wellness events, mindfulness conferences, tech startup gatherings, and other events that help grow and inform our work here at Myrth.

Unlike in some industries, where there are formal organizations to join for networking and professional development (think of, say, the American Bar Association for lawyers or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), our sector is so new that there isn’t a single major org to join. There are so many great projects and companies out there, but one really stood out, and Emma knew early on that she wanted to get involved.

It was the Digital Wellness Collective.

The Digital Wellness Collective works “to enhance human relationships by supporting the intentional use and development of technology.” Sound familiar? It’s the same stuff we’ve been banging on about here on our blog since we first started writing, and it’s the same stuff that motivated Emma to start Myrth in the first place.

So last December, we became full members of the Digital Wellness Collective, and we’re excited to share with you some of what that will mean for the future of Myrth, the content you’ll see here on our blog, and other things.

Here are some answers to the most frequent questions we’ve gotten about getting involved in the Digital Wellness Collective.

What is the Digital Wellness Collective?

The Digital Wellness Collective is an organization that brings together educators, mental health practitioners, software developers, social change organizations, and other people who want to encourage the use of technology for good purposes. You’ve probably heard a lot about the harmful effects of some technology, but the Digital Wellness Collective is committed to the idea that with the right strategies and thoughtful development, we can build tech that reduces harmful effects and unintended consequences, as well as encourages people to have healthier relationships with themselves, the world around them, and the devices and platforms they use.

They work to achieve these goals through collaboration across industries, bringing diverse perspectives together to better inform the development of new tech and the modification of existing tech.

How & Why is Myrth involved in the Digital Wellness Collective?

Myrth is a member of the Digital Wellness Collective, which means we’ll be sharing resources and perspectives with the other members and will be able to access other members’ resources and perspectives, too. There are lots of upcoming events that we’ll be attending so that we can connect with fellow members and other people in the digital wellness world who are curious about what we do. And when we are ready to start running workshops and events on our own they will be supportive of that too! They have 100 members as of 2020 and are growing every week it seems. Sometimes when an industry is young and sporadically spread out a central hub can be indispensable. In many ways, just as your women’s circle is your tribe, the Collective is Myrth’s tribe.

Will the content I see from Myrth change now that you’ve joined forces with the Digital Wellness Collective?

Yes and no! We’re excited to connect with lots of thoughtful people who are involved in the digital wellness space, and we’re sure we’ll encounter some new ideas from them that we’ll want to share here on the blog. What you won’t see, though, is a fundamental shift in our values. That’s because, first and foremost, we know who we are and what we stand for, but also because we wouldn’t join a professional organization whose values don’t align with our own.

You’ll still see lots of content from us on mindfulness, minimalism (both digital and physical), living intentionally, and self-care. We’re still the same Myrth, but now we’ve got a great team of people and organizations that we can work with to achieve a common goal.

We’re really excited about the future of Myrth and the new ideas we’ll be exposed to through the Digital Wellness Collective. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on with the other members. Here’s to an exciting and engaging year ahead!

Do you have questions about the Digital Wellness Collective? Drop us a line below and we’ll be sure to answer them!

Originally published at https://www.getmyrth.com