Thursday 6 August 2015, 15:00 UTC (08:00 San Francisco, 11:00 Washington, 12:00 São Paulo, 16:00 London, 17:00 Amsterdam)
Guest speakers: Jason Mogus, Tar Sands Solutions Network & Marisa Franco of #Not1More movement
Open source principles have made their way into many mainstream NGO’s – changing not only technology but the way campaigns are fought and won. For programmers, open source means making their design code available for others to copy, reuse and revise. The same is true for new models of community organizing, as open principles encourage access, modification and even improvement of campaign strategies by the public. This is allowing for more powerful movements to be built: think Keystone Tar Sands movement, Divestment movement or #Not1More.
But ‘open source’ ideas raise key questions about distributed organizing models. Such as how much centralized leadership is still needed? What are the roles of NGO’s vs. local groups? What are the risks? Or how do you plan and run an “open” campaign? These are just a few of the questions we’ll cover in the talk.
- Jason Mogus is a Senior Adviser for the Tar Sands Solutions Network, an open network of 60 environmental and First Nations groups. He has spent over twenty year as a lead digital strategist for some of the world’s most recognized social change brands, including TckTckTck and more.
- Marisa Franco is a Community Organizer directing the #Not1More anti-deportations campaign in the United States. She is also the author of the new report: “How we make change is changing: Open Source Campaigns for the 21st Century,” sharing the lessons of the #Not1More movement.