Project members reflect on their time on Catalyst's Tech Justice Road Trip. They share some of their insights and gains from the project. They also tell us about the connections they’ve made.
This is the last in a series of blogs that document the learning and experiences of people involved in this phase of the project.
How our organisations have benefited from the project
Nikita Shah, Hyphen Poetry: circle member and reflective session facilitator
“I’m gaining knowledge, developing skills and building connections with people. This will all transfer into Hyphen Poetry later on down the line. But also, through Hyphen Poetry, I’m working on other projects where I can apply this learning and make connections. These connections give me a broader understanding and perspective on tech justice and how it intersects with other themes. For example, the environment, education, work with young people and power shifting.”
Kayleigh Walsh: sociocracy support and tech justice research
“As a freelancer, I've been grateful to share space with people working on amazing projects. Not just the partners, but the other freelancers too. It gave me confidence to bring a (sociocractic) proposal focused on researching tech justice projects and Ustopias for the Road Trip zine. Without the conversations and company I've shared, I wouldn't have produced that proposal. Even though it's the kind of work that I really want to spend my time on.”
What we’ve learned as individuals
Eva Blum-Dumontet, Head of movement building and Policy at Chayn. Chayn is developing a feminist AI tool that helps survivors of gender-based violence create letters that advocate for their rights
“I’ve personally learnt a lot about sociocracy from the format of the circles. It’s definitely something I would see myself adopting in our internal practice.”
Kayleigh: “There are so many incredible projects that people are working on!
I’ve avoided keeping up with the development of tech and AI for a while, because I’ve found it exhausting and overwhelming. This evening, I was reading a report by Visualizing Palestine and this statement provoked a deep reaction in me: "As difficult as it is to reflect on 2023 as Israel’s acts of genocide continue unabated, we do so in the spirit of documentation, determination, remembrance, and gratitude for the way our community came together. We will not forget, and out of the rubble, we will build a movement more powerful than our grief."
Nikita: “As an individual, the main piece of learning I’m taking away is the role imagination plays in developing tech-just solutions. I’m inspired by the work of our partner organisations, and by the success of the work. Imagination has been a long-standing element of my work over the years. I see it in a broader and more encompassing way now. It’s a key component of the solutions we’re looking to develop. And an essential tool for the way we understand and discuss tech justice.”
How our conversations about equitable tech and the future have evolved
Kayleigh: “I’ve had more of these conversations in a professional capacity. But I’ve been personally and emotionally invested in this area for a long time. So I’ve spent many hours talking to friends about this work. It’s reminded me about the importance of dreaming and resistance.”
Nikita: “One of the big questions I had since we researched what tech justice looks like in the UK, was ‘how will this work in practice?’ The partner organisations have shown how tech justice is progressing in the UK. And, as we’ve explored the concept of an Ustopia, I’ve felt my own vision expand and broaden too.
I’ve also learned more about AI, ethics, use cases and exploring risks. The Road Trip, and other projects I am working on, have helped me develop this knowledge.
What’s been particularly interesting for me is taking a step back and seeing the connections between my work around anti-racism, climate, decoloniality, education and tech justice. As a result, I have been finding ways to communicate the themes that link them. These include exploring archiving. And thinking about how education models that understand equity and tech justice can help global majority pupils to engage, gain access and explore pathways into tech careers. This moves people away from being passive users of tech and towards being active agents, informed users and designers instead. Which hopefully results in them creating more tech just solutions.”
New connections we’ve made and initiatives we’re involved in
Eva: “The project has allowed us to embark on our own ‘side journey’ with Nikita, where we have been able to explore decoloniality in our organisation. I am also hoping that moving forward we will be able to use Quito's tech expertise to review our feminist AI.”
Nikita: “Through the project, Hyphen Poetry is supporting Chayn to explore decoloniality and trauma-informed approaches. Decoloniality is often used as a buzzword. But at Chayn, this term is being used with consideration and care. And the organisation is open to learning, critiquing and imagining. I am excited to continue this journey with Chayn and to share how its thinking has evolved.
My conversations with Hannah and Kayleigh have been really inspiring. From conversations about how resting enables you to show up to emergent work curiously, to afrofuturism and exploring examples of tech just work from the global south. Having space to engage in reflections and conversations has given us time to think about tech justice intellectually and artistically. And it's breathed life into conversations about power, equity, accessibility, imagination and radical joy.
I’ve also been able to share my interest in decolonising evaluation. This led me to join Catalyst’s Impact Circle and participate in conversations about their evaluation. As a result of these connections, and working with Zainab from InFocus, I’ve presented a case study of my work with Croydon Archives, where I’m piloting using poetry as a participatory evaluation tool at a decolonising evaluation workshop in April.”
Kayleigh: “I’m collaborating with Siana Bangura on the Road Trip zine. And I have been fortunate enough to start collaborating with Debs Durojaiye and the team from the amazing Multitudes, a design and tech co-op that’s one of the Road Trip’s partner organisations. They were on my wish list to work with for a long time and I didn't have the confidence to get in touch with them. So this is a big deal for me.”
Useful links
- Tech Justice Manifesto
- Decolonial evaluation
- Chayn’s trauma informed design principles
- Dismantling the facade: a global south perspective on the state of engagement with tech companies
Eva, Kayleigh and Nikita, thanks for your contributions.
---
Photo by NO NAME.
This is the last in a series of blogs that document the learning and experiences of people involved in this phase of the project.
How our organisations have benefited from the project
Nikita Shah, Hyphen Poetry: circle member and reflective session facilitator
“I’m gaining knowledge, developing skills and building connections with people. This will all transfer into Hyphen Poetry later on down the line. But also, through Hyphen Poetry, I’m working on other projects where I can apply this learning and make connections. These connections give me a broader understanding and perspective on tech justice and how it intersects with other themes. For example, the environment, education, work with young people and power shifting.”
Kayleigh Walsh: sociocracy support and tech justice research
“As a freelancer, I've been grateful to share space with people working on amazing projects. Not just the partners, but the other freelancers too. It gave me confidence to bring a (sociocractic) proposal focused on researching tech justice projects and Ustopias for the Road Trip zine. Without the conversations and company I've shared, I wouldn't have produced that proposal. Even though it's the kind of work that I really want to spend my time on.”
What we’ve learned as individuals
Eva Blum-Dumontet, Head of movement building and Policy at Chayn. Chayn is developing a feminist AI tool that helps survivors of gender-based violence create letters that advocate for their rights
“I’ve personally learnt a lot about sociocracy from the format of the circles. It’s definitely something I would see myself adopting in our internal practice.”
Kayleigh: “There are so many incredible projects that people are working on!
I’ve avoided keeping up with the development of tech and AI for a while, because I’ve found it exhausting and overwhelming. This evening, I was reading a report by Visualizing Palestine and this statement provoked a deep reaction in me: "As difficult as it is to reflect on 2023 as Israel’s acts of genocide continue unabated, we do so in the spirit of documentation, determination, remembrance, and gratitude for the way our community came together. We will not forget, and out of the rubble, we will build a movement more powerful than our grief."
Nikita: “As an individual, the main piece of learning I’m taking away is the role imagination plays in developing tech-just solutions. I’m inspired by the work of our partner organisations, and by the success of the work. Imagination has been a long-standing element of my work over the years. I see it in a broader and more encompassing way now. It’s a key component of the solutions we’re looking to develop. And an essential tool for the way we understand and discuss tech justice.”
How our conversations about equitable tech and the future have evolved
Kayleigh: “I’ve had more of these conversations in a professional capacity. But I’ve been personally and emotionally invested in this area for a long time. So I’ve spent many hours talking to friends about this work. It’s reminded me about the importance of dreaming and resistance.”
Nikita: “One of the big questions I had since we researched what tech justice looks like in the UK, was ‘how will this work in practice?’ The partner organisations have shown how tech justice is progressing in the UK. And, as we’ve explored the concept of an Ustopia, I’ve felt my own vision expand and broaden too.
I’ve also learned more about AI, ethics, use cases and exploring risks. The Road Trip, and other projects I am working on, have helped me develop this knowledge.
What’s been particularly interesting for me is taking a step back and seeing the connections between my work around anti-racism, climate, decoloniality, education and tech justice. As a result, I have been finding ways to communicate the themes that link them. These include exploring archiving. And thinking about how education models that understand equity and tech justice can help global majority pupils to engage, gain access and explore pathways into tech careers. This moves people away from being passive users of tech and towards being active agents, informed users and designers instead. Which hopefully results in them creating more tech just solutions.”
New connections we’ve made and initiatives we’re involved in
Eva: “The project has allowed us to embark on our own ‘side journey’ with Nikita, where we have been able to explore decoloniality in our organisation. I am also hoping that moving forward we will be able to use Quito's tech expertise to review our feminist AI.”
Nikita: “Through the project, Hyphen Poetry is supporting Chayn to explore decoloniality and trauma-informed approaches. Decoloniality is often used as a buzzword. But at Chayn, this term is being used with consideration and care. And the organisation is open to learning, critiquing and imagining. I am excited to continue this journey with Chayn and to share how its thinking has evolved.
My conversations with Hannah and Kayleigh have been really inspiring. From conversations about how resting enables you to show up to emergent work curiously, to afrofuturism and exploring examples of tech just work from the global south. Having space to engage in reflections and conversations has given us time to think about tech justice intellectually and artistically. And it's breathed life into conversations about power, equity, accessibility, imagination and radical joy.
I’ve also been able to share my interest in decolonising evaluation. This led me to join Catalyst’s Impact Circle and participate in conversations about their evaluation. As a result of these connections, and working with Zainab from InFocus, I’ve presented a case study of my work with Croydon Archives, where I’m piloting using poetry as a participatory evaluation tool at a decolonising evaluation workshop in April.”
Kayleigh: “I’m collaborating with Siana Bangura on the Road Trip zine. And I have been fortunate enough to start collaborating with Debs Durojaiye and the team from the amazing Multitudes, a design and tech co-op that’s one of the Road Trip’s partner organisations. They were on my wish list to work with for a long time and I didn't have the confidence to get in touch with them. So this is a big deal for me.”
Useful links
- Tech Justice Manifesto
- Decolonial evaluation
- Chayn’s trauma informed design principles
- Dismantling the facade: a global south perspective on the state of engagement with tech companies
Eva, Kayleigh and Nikita, thanks for your contributions.
---
Photo by NO NAME.
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