We can get through this together — #AccHack16 & #FutureParliament

Wow. What a way to wake up.

If you’re anything like we were this morning, you’ve sat in shock and awe, feeling despondent and wondering how we’ve taken so many steps backwards in a year that first brought us Brexit, and now President-elect Trump.

It’s hard to feel anything other than scared for the fact that years of hard-fought-for progress for anyone other than the white man has been erased with one election result. Just as Brexit was a campaign fought on the shoulders of immigrants, minorities and refugees, so the US Election feels the same.

But hopefully, like us, you’re also now feeling an increased momentum to get up and do. With these two results come the most divisive and partisan votes in recent history. In a time where millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic feel their government is not a refelction of them and their beliefs, it feels more important than ever to find new and improved solutions to holding our elected to account.

This is what we hope to achieve at Accountability Hack on 19/20th November in London. With the event just a little over a week away, we will be doing all that we can to facilitate a productive and energetic hackathon that yields tangible impact and forward-thinking outcomes. Something it feels we all need right now.

If you’ve got any thoughts on how we might turn the fallout from the US Election or the UK/EU referendum into proactive themes for Accountability Hack 2016 we’d certainly love to hear from you. That goes for themes away from these topics too.

In advance of the 19th, Team Rebel will also be attending another UK Parliament Week event run by our friends at Hansard Society. Future Parliament: Hacking the Legislative Process takes place this coming Monday 14th November at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster from 2–6pm.

The event uses the proposed refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster after 2020 to imagine an opportunity for reform of the principal institution of our democracy. Bringing together experts from Parliament and the technology sectors, Hansard Society and their list of excellent speakers will explore how Westminster could utilise the rupture of being uprooted from the Palace to drive innovation in the legislative process.

We’ll be hoping to take ideas, learnings and some of the attendees of Future Parliament through with us to #AccHack16, and certainly hope that our event can action next steps we identify on Monday. It would be wonderful if you can join us, or follow along on Twitter using #FutureParliament.

Now is a time for hope and action Rebels; we can get through this together.

Get your free ticket to Accountability Hack here and for Future Parliament here. You might come to Accountability Hack 2016 if you are a developer, designer, UXer, researcher, data lover, public sector worker, school or university student, armchair enthusiast, an interested bystander or simply someone needing action in the face of the latest adversity.