Aloha Code for America Network!
A few of you have been asking about plans for National Day of Civic Hacking 2022. We wanted to let you know that collective action will look a bit different this year. Instead of a separate event for National Day of Civic Hacking, we will be integrating collective action activities into this year’s Brigade Congress. As a hybrid event, whether you’re able to attend in person, or virtually, we hope everyone in the Network will have an opportunity to participate!
Why the change?
The success of the last several National Days of Civic Hacking have highlighted how collective action is central to our theory of change and our volunteer experience. Through programs such as National Action Teams and Impact Sprints, we have started integrating opportunities for collective action into activities throughout the entire Network portfolio (in fact, if you’re looking for opportunities to take action in September, join one of our Impact Sprints — virtually or in-person in Redmond, WA — at the hackathon we will be hosting with DemocracyLab). For years, we’ve talked about incorporating some kind of collective action into Brigade Congress alongside its traditional offerings of volunteer learning and connection. With this year’s hybrid event, we think this is the year to try it out! We are also especially excited about this year’s collective action theme—broadband access.
We hope to introduce more opportunities for you and your volunteers to exercise impact through collective action including more events in 2023, so stay tuned!
What does collective action look like at Brigade Congress?
This year, we have a dedicated virtual-first action track—similar to last year’s National Day of Civic Hacking—on broadband access. We will be hosting activities, such as state audits, data visualizations, and journey maps, on broadband access and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) enrollment rates.
We have trimmed down the time from last year’s event, from six hours to three hours. Whether in-person or virtual, you’re encouraged to join in on the activities during the day or afterward.
How does your Brigade join in the fun?
Click here to learn about Day of Action and the Broadband Action Tracks happening at this year’s Brigade Congress.Brigades are also welcome to host their own events, both for action and to host/watch Brigade Congress sessions. (Houston Hackathon 2022 is a great example of one that @gracerodriguez, Michelle, and the folks at Code for Houston planned!)
We’ve also created an event on your Brigade Meetup page with all of the information you and fellow volunteers will need to know.
Why Broadband?
The Network Team is pursuing actions and partnerships related to the Affordable Connectivity Program, digital equity and broadband access for a number of reasons:
- Digital equity and access is a foundational layer upon which all civic tech rests. Families must be able to access digital tools in order to benefit from them.
- We know Brigades have been exploring digital equity and broadband access through different projects for years; to gauge interest in the activities, the Network Team reached out to several Brigades earlier in the year and received positive feedback.
- At Code for America, we are dedicated to reimagining and rebuilding delivery of equitable and accessible benefits. When the Affordable Connectivity Program launched, it provided a clear opportunity to deliver a tangible benefit to households across the country.
We hope you’ll join us for this year’s Brigade Congress and collective action around broadband access. We’re working hard to bring you the best Brigade Congress experience possible, and we couldn’t be more excited to take on action broadband access this October—and into 2023.
If you have any questions, contact brigade-info@codeforamerica.org.