[Hidden-tech] Boston event: "Nonprofit Organizations, Civic Data, and Civic Faith" (July 11th, Fairmount Innovation Lab)

[Deborah Elizabeth Finn]

Dear Hidden Tech Colleagues,

Tech Networks of Boston (TNB) is pleased to invite you to a Roundtable session at the Fairmount Innovation Lab on nonprofit organizations, civic data, civic faith, and the future of Boston. Our featured guests will be Stephen Walter from Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston.

Here is what Steve says about this session:

"There is a crisis of faith in our civic institutions, in civic data, and of our ability to get things done with each other. While civic data transforms the ability for nonprofits and local government to make efficient and targeted decisions, we must also not lose sight of the fact that before data is used to inform an action, our stakeholders must first have faith in our ability to do meaningful things with data and with each other. In an era of "alternative facts" and fear-based advocacy, it is increasingly clear that just having data is not enough. It is up to us to cultivate civic faith - a belief that we can make an un-cynical leap of faith to work together to solve civic problems.

"This TNB Roundtable session will be presented through the lens of the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics - a first-in-the-nation civic research and design team. As a group, we will be playing a game that we co-created with the Engagement Lab at Emerson College called @Stake. This simple game has been played in places ranging from UN headquarters in New York to a group of BPS students at City Hall in order to facilitate discussions about how leaders are creatively engaging and understanding their stakeholders. Through gameplay and discussions, we will attempt to unpack the following question: How can nonprofits and government be better at designing the conditions for people to develop faith in our (and their) ability to do good things with data?"

Here's a little more about Steve:

Stephen Walter is a program director for the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, where he helps lead efforts around experiments in civic engagement, storytelling, smart city technology, and various research collaborations, like the Local Sense Lab.

Previously, Steve was the founding managing director of the Engagement Lab, an applied research lab for reimagining civic engagement in a digital era. There he led the design and development of online engagement platforms like Community PlanIt, digital games like Civic Seed, analog games like UpRiver, and initiatives like the UN Gamechanger Fellowship and Games for Social Change Program. He's conducted community-driven action research projects in places like Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, Moldova, Zambia, Egypt, and Bhutan, and his research appears in the books Civic Media: Technology, Design, Practice (MIT Press) and The Playful Citizen: Power, Creativity, Knowledge (University of Amsterdam Press). He's also worked at the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, the United Nations Development Programme, the US Department of State, and the PBS television shows Frontline and Nova.

Please note:

1) In keeping with the spirit of the TNB Roundtable series, this session will NOT be a sales pitch for any product or service.  This will be a professional development opportunity for nonprofit professionals who want to learn with and from their peers in other organizations.

2) This session is for employees of nonprofit organizations. It is not designed to meet the needs of vendors, volunteers, students, consultants, job-seekers, and others.

3) Priority in registration will be given to those who are employed by nonprofit organizations that hold full membership in the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network.

4) Participation in this session is free of charge for nonprofit professionals. However, you must have a confirmed reservation in order to attend.

5) If this session is booked to capacity by the time you seek to register for it, please go ahead and put yourself on the waiting list. We have a good track record of finding seats for nonprofit professionals on the waiting list.

We hope that you can join us for a vigorous and informative conversation, in which you will be welcome to share your knowledge and experience with your peers!

To register, please follow this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tnb-roundtable-nonprofit-organizations-civic-data-and-civic-faith-registration-35181581056?aff=hiddentech

Best regards from Deborah

Deborah Elizabeth Finn  |  Senior Strategist
Tech Networks of Boston
1 Wadleigh Place  | South Boston, MA  02127
Phone: 617.504.8188 | Fax: 888.527.9333
deborah at techboston.com | techboston.com
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