Chi Hack Night joins the Alliance of Civic Technologists

Published on Dec 16, 2024 by Derek Eder

The Chi Hack Night Board is proud to share that we have become a member of the Alliance of Civic Technologists (ACT), a national network of volunteer civic technology groups.

ACT is the spiritual successor to Code for America’s Brigade program, which was sunset in 2023. As part of the first 7 inaugural members of ACT, we are excited for the opportunity to have an official relationship with civic technology peer groups and meetups like Civic Tech Atlanta, Beta NYC, Code for Boston, Code for Philly, SF Civic Tech and Code for Dayton.

ACT is modeled as a membership-driven organization, just like Chi Hack Night, with each member group having 2 delegates (and one alternate) that vote on the core activities of the organization and provide direction to their Executive Director, Christopher Whitaker. As a fun aside, Christopher was one of the original organizers of Chi Hack Night and is still based in Chicago-land.

In this time of political and technological uncertainty, strengthening the ties to our peers and kindred spirits is one of the most valuable things we can do. The work we do in Chicago is not performed in a vacuum, and there is much we can learn from groups similar to ours in other cities.

We encourage everyone in the Chi Hack Night community to learn about ACT and its other member groups, and to reach out and participate in their spaces where and when you can. The Chi Hack Night Board and delegates (Sean Watland, Derek Eder and Sneha Jalukar) will continue to share updates, events, projects and initiatives from this growing network of civic technologists, so stay tuned!

Interested in learning more about the ACT? See Christopher Whitaker’s Chi Hack Night presentation from Oct 29, 2024 on Launching the Alliance of Civic Technologists. ACT will also be hosting a Virtual Holiday Mixer this Thursday December 19th, at 8:00 PM CST. You can register for that event here.

More about the Alliance of Civic Technologists

civictechnologists.org

The Alliance of Civic Technology (ACT) is a newly formed organization that will connect volunteer civic technology efforts, in both technology and advocacy, in their local communities. Our initial goal is to ensure the continuity and growth of civic technology volunteer communities across the United States. The network is currently accepting existing organizations and will begin recruiting leaders for new chapters starting in the new year.

Civic technology organizations began with the idea that people want to give back to their local communities by tackling challenges that leverage their unique technical and advocacy skills. Civic technology volunteers joined these organizations to help people where we live. ACT is a decentralized network of civic tech volunteer organizations, providing opportunities to connect, strategize, and grow.

ACT is itself a community, one that builds with the communities we serve. As civic technologists, we go where the work is, talking with users and understanding their needs. The people we serve are our partners in this work. We forge friendships and learn from them as we share our skills and support their work.

We advocate for changes in, both, technology and policies that enable more effective and equitable delivery of services to the people who rely on them. We will champion solutions that support the civil rights of our neighbors, as well as to call out those that would endanger them. As technologists working at a local level while also having a national perspective, we aim to join coalitions pushing for progressive policies at every level of government.

Currently, ACT has 8 members with additional cities expected to join before the new year including Austin and Orlando. We will continue to recruit initial member organizations, with our first meeting in June. Leaders of local civic technology organizations interested in participating should reach out to ACT leadership via at hello(at)civictechnologists.org

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