Happy Friday readers!

In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California, as the result of a recall election. This is the first time this has happened since 1913. I found all of this out, whilst looking up the results of the most recent California recall election, and researching how it all worked.

For better or worse, the only reason I knew this election was even happening was because of Instagram, and the people I follow posting about it. 

Now, I’m not about to make a case for Instagram as a tech for good platform, especially not after the news this week about its internal knowledge of the harms it can cause for teenagers. But it did get me thinking about the role of technology in elections and civic participation, often referred to as Civic Tech or GovTech. 

Civic Tech and GovTech are loosely related in that they tend to involve innovations in elections, government, democracies, and citizen engagement. But they have different audiences and targets. 

While Civic Tech focuses on community engagement and how to directly help members of society, GovTech is more about efficiency and government operations. CitizenLab has produced this really excellent explanation of the key differences between the two.

For today’s newsletter, I’m sharing some of the most interesting projects and stories I could find in the broad world of Civic Tech and GovTech, and looking into some of the things we should consider as tech continues to play a big role in democracy.

#Civic Tech, GovTech and Elections 🗳 

🏘 CitzenLab is a great place to start learning about digital democracy. They have 300+ platforms across 18+ countries, all being used to facilitate community engagement.

🧑‍⚖️ This piece looks into GovTech specifically, and whether it can help promote democracy. There is a great overview of how governments across the world are integrating technology into their processes. 

💬 The Civic Tech Field Guide is a crowdsourced, global collection of tech for good tools and projects. They also have a huge catalog of conferences, funders, awards, design principles and playbooks.

🇺🇸 The Centre for Tech and Civic Life demonstrates how Civic Tech and GovTech can come together to facilitate efficient, and informed, elections. 

🌎 The Immigration Policy Lab has a number of tools using technology to create better outcomes for millions of people, including GeoMatch, which uses machine learning to predict where people are most likely to thrive and participate in communities. They’re currently hiring - check out job opportunities!

⚖️ The Open Rights Group (ORG) is a UK-based digital campaigning organisation working to protect our rights to privacy and free speech online. They raise awareness of the ways technological developments may threaten human rights, and challenge them through public campaigns, media commentary, legal actions, policy interventions and tech projects.

🤝  The Civic Tech Innovation Network explores how civic activism and technology can work together. In this piece, they look at how Civic Tech can increase political participation in Africa. 

🗳 Within Civic Tech and GovTech, there is also Election Tech - technology which influences how people vote. This article looks at eight startups shaping the future of election tech in the US. And this handbook was created in the run up to the UK General Election 2019. 

🤳 We know that social media can have a large impact on elections and the spreading of information. This WIRED piece argues that global democracies need to align to fight disinformation. 

📲 There’s an app for that - Tactical Tech investigates election apps here.

News in tech for good:

🚀 Bethnal Green Ventures just announced its largest cohort of tech for good startups yet. Meet the teams here.

🏠 The Venture Studio from Crisis has also made its first investments into two teams. Find out more here.

✨ This is a succinct look into why diverse teams in tech are important for both tech development and user experience.

💸 We have heard that bitcoin uses more electricity than many countries, but I’ve also found that concept difficult to visualise. The New York Times provides a great explanation here.

🚕 Check out this excerpt on the evolution of platforms and their treatment of gig workers from The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society by Azeem Azhar, a really insightful read.

😈 A recent report has revealed how troll farms on Facebook, reached 140 million users in the run up to the 2020 election, potentially having a significant impact on political discourse.  

The Tech for Good Newsboard 📍

• If you are thinking of applying to Y Combinator, you may find this insider look interesting, and useful. 

• The people around me are in their podcast years - making, guest starring in, and sharing podcasts. If you have one and are interested in making it more accessible, check out this piece.

• London Metropolitan University has launched two new clinics, offering free professional advice to small businesses, social enterprises, and charities within the capital. Find out more here.

• Rolling invitation for anyone interested in joining our Slack community. Connect with more than 300+ peers passionate about tech for good.

#Opportunities and Funding

If you have a funding challenge, grant opening, speaking gig or another opportunity that you want to share - let us know!

• Applications are now open for the FCA/City of London Digital Sandbox. Apply here by 11th October for the opportunity to receive access to a suite of tools to collaborate and develop financial services Proofs of Concept.

• FORWARD is a 6 month accelerator programme, based in the UK, for high-growth startups. Apply here for the January 2022 cohort.

• The French Chamber of Great Britain has announced that the Franco-British Business Awards are open. There are five categories: Community Impact, Franco-British Collaboration, Net Zero Champion, Tech Launch & Wellbeing in Crisis. Apply here by 20th September.

• The William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation 2021 Theme is “A Home for All.” The call is for innovative ideas tackling homelessness and addressing temporary accommodation needs, creative solutions for housing an ageing population and for tech supporting sustainable tenancies. Apply by 6th October for your chance to win up to £20,000.

What’s going on? 📅

• Join us for our LDN Tech Week 21 Tech for Good Community Hangout on 20th September, and connect with others in the growing tech for good ecosystem.
• And join the LDN Tech Week 21 WorkerTech Community Hangout on 22nd September to explore what a fairer fair work could look like.
• Find more London Tech Week events here.

• Join Bayo Adelaja from Do It Now Now and Nesta on 24 September for a discussion about why we must empower ethnic minorities to ensure truly equitable innovation. 

• AdaCon is back for a virtual conference on 12th October. The theme is: Hungry for Change - Activism and why we need it in the UK technology industry. Find out more here.

• On 30th September, join Shift Conversations with ​​Veris Wealth Partners to dis​​cuss: How Can We Efficiently Mobilize Impact Capital for Climate Justice & Action?

• On 8th-9th October, join Ada's List Annual Conf 2021. Check out all the events and sign up here.

Working in tech for good 💼

We’ve trimmed the job section to new arrivals and featured ads only. For the full list head to our website.

• Bethnal Green Ventures is looking to hire an Operations Associate to join our team under the government's Kickstart scheme. Find out more here, and apply by 3rd October. 

• Big Society Capital is hiring a Venture Investment Manager. This role will help to deliver transformative social change through investments in impact venture funds that support mission-driven startups. Apply by 11th October.

• Catalyst is recruiting two new roles to join as their core team, facilitating their development and growth. They plan to hire two new team members based on their complementary skill sets and experiences. Find out more here, and apply by 29th September.

• MovingWorlds is looking for a Senior Data Engineer to help scale their high-impact programs, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable economy. Apply for this remote role by 1st October.

• Local Welcome is looking for a Full Stack Developer for this remote role. If you are interested in working in mental health, find out more about the role and apply by 19th September.

• Turn2us is looking for a Digital Project Manager to join their team. Apply here by 5th October.

• Simprints Technology is looking for a Director of Partnerships to focus on increasing their reach and impact with partners. Apply by 30th November.

• The Immigration Policy Lab is looking for a Full Stack Software Developer to serve as the technical lead on a wide range of research projects. Apply here by 30th November.

• SecondMuse is looking for an IT manager to join their global team. Apply by 31st October.

• OneDegree, a program of Alluma, is looking for a Member Support Coordinator to support their members in accessing necessary community resources. Apply here by 26th September.

If you have an opening or know of a job opportunity to do with tech for good, please head to our website and we can look into adding it to the jobs board.

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