We are actively engaged in the dialogue and debates of our space: on issues of social justice, global development, and democratic innovation, and on the ethics and methodological evolution of design, mediation, and co-creation practice. More of our writing can be found at Medium.
Emily Herrick will join the Sunlight Foundation’s Tactical Data Engagement webinar on September 19th at 1pm EDT. The webinar launches the foundation’s guide for facilitating open data, which shows how governments can implement community-driven open data interventions. Emily will share lessons from Reboot’s NYC open data user research as part of the kickoff conversation, alongside April Urban, Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University, and Kara Kratowicz, Data Projects Coordinator at the City of Madison, WI. Listen to a recording of the webinar here. #TacticalData.
In partnership with the MacArthur Foundation’s On Nigeria program, Reboot will host Nigeria’s leading media practitioners and experts in Lagos for a 3-day workshop on August 16th, 17th, and 18th. The bootcamp-style convening, featuring pitch competitions, ecosystem mapping, and master class sessions, seeks to build a practitioner community focused on covering corruption in Nigeria’s power and education sectors through an ecosystems lens. Follow along at #AABootcamp
Asch Harwood will be a lecturer for TechChange’s online course Mobiles for International Development. The course, held from August 14th to September 8th, explores successful applications of mobile phone use that facilitate economic transactions, support public health campaigns, and connect learners to educational content. Learn more and register to take the class here.
Reboot will be at the Africa Open Data Conference in Accra, Ghana. Chioma Agwuegbo will lead a discussion among pioneering African investigative journalists, including from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, Premium Times, and Tiger Eye Media. And as part of a session on empowering communities using data, Adam Talsma will share lessons from Reboot’s open government work in Sekondi Takoradi, Ghana; panelists include Code for Nigeria, Data Zetu, Development Gateway, and Open Institute. Get updates by following #AODC17.
Today the NYC Open Data team released their annual progress report including a plan to release all remaining public data sets by the end of 2018. The report, created with support from Reboot’s design team, features Reboot’s research into existing and potential users of open data, and highlights ways New Yorkers are already using data to solve problems in their communities. Find out more at the NYC Open Data Summer Updates event at Civic Hall on Wednesday July 19th, or watch the livestream starting on Wednesday at 6:30pm ET. #OpenDataForAll
African Newspage, an online, Nigeria-based newspaper, covered a roundtable discussion in which Chioma Agwuegbo and Rufai Isah discussed Reboot’s research on improving citizen engagement and accountability via social media. The roundtable, held in Kano, Nigeria was convened by the Department for International Development’s Partnership to Engage, Reform, and Learn (PERL) program.
On June 13th, Emily Herrick and Marielle Velander will lead a workshop for the NYC Sustained Global Impact Community of Practice on applying design thinking to policy and service design through design research. Emily and Marielle will share examples from Reboot’s projects and lead exercises designed to help participants apply methods and tools of design research to their own work.
Chioma Agwuegbo was interviewed today on Radio Nigeria on the relationship between inclusive governance and violent extremism. The interview took place on the Neem Capsule Radio Show, a weekly live program hosted by the Neem Foundation in collaboration with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and broadcast to an audience of 30 million Nigerians. Insurgency in the northeast of Nigeria thrives “when people do not feel they are a part of the governance structure,” said Agwuegbo. “The people need to be a part of every solution.”
Meet Reboot West Africa’s newest Operations Intern Abubakar Sadiq Idris! A Mathematics graduate of Bayero University, an IT enthusiast, and a mathematics tutor for secondary school children, Sadiq’s lifelong goal is to increase literacy and access to education in his community. He looks forward to working with Reboot’s diverse team and adding to his knowledge of international approaches to development.
On May 24th, Reboot will present new open data research in collaboration with the NYC Open Data team at Civic Hall. Reboot’s research into current and potential users of open data supports the NYC Open Data team’s efforts to empower communities to use data for problem solving. This event is free and open to the public; register here.
Isabel joins the Reboot team as our new Partnerships Intern. She brings a wide variety of economics, communications, and technology experience, including strategy work at a “smart cities” startup, Soofa. Across these industries, Isabel has focused on reaching a wider audience through accessible communications and design. She is excited to learn more about service design and research at Reboot, and hopes to gain a stronger understanding of how to create change in complex systems.
As a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a leader of the Abuja regional hub, Chioma Agwuegbo was selected to attend the first ever Solutions Summit. Hosted by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the Summit immediately precedes this year’s World Economic Forum on Africa, in Durban, South Africa. May 1st through 5th, Chioma will join other rising leaders to explore, showcase, and scale models for social impact. #solsum17 #WEFAfrica2017
The LA Review of Books published an essay about the evolving meaning of the word “citizen” by Reboot’s Editor Kate Petty. The piece discusses the word choice dilemmas writers face as once-powerful words lose their meanings through overuse, co-option, or shifting political currents. Kate’s contribution was also named among the month’s “best” on the LARB website.
On May 1, Laura Freschi will lead a seminar on implementing public sector innovation to alumni of the mid-career Master of Public Management program at the University of Potsdam, Germany. As part of a week-long workshop focused on the exchange of design-based, participatory, and co-creative approaches to policy-making and public service delivery, Laura will share lessons from Reboot’s work in Mexico and Nigeria.
On April 24th and 25th, Emily Herrick will join global thought leaders in civic technology and digital democracy at TICTec, The Impacts of Civic Technology Conference, in Florence Italy. On April 25th, she will speak about how governments can harness existing communication technologies to close citizen feedback loops. Follow her at @immabeemilyy and the conference conversation at #TICTeC.
From April 21st to 22nd, Lauren Gardner will advise education entrepreneurs at Teach for America’s (TFA) Entrepreneurs United conference in Houston, TX. The convening for TFA members and alumni will allow participants to build skills and connections for developing and growing their ventures. On Friday, Lauren will join a panel for early stage entrepreneurs on how they can understand their problem and test their idea. Her Saturday workshop—“Putting a Face to Your Idea”—will demonstrate how user personas can help participants conceptualize their idea, engage partners, and tell their story. Register to attend here.
On April 18 at 9am ET, Panthea Lee will take part in a webinar hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on data literacy. She will join colleagues from the Web Foundation and Fabriders in sharing lessons and ideas to support IFRC in its aim to be a data-driven organization making evidence-based decisions. Join the webinar and read more about the data at the IFRC.
We are pleased to welcome Chioma Agwuegbo to the Reboot team as our new West Africa-based Program Manager. Chioma brings a wealth of communications and strategic advisory expertise, including her work producing the award-winning radio drama “Story Story” with the BBC World Service Trust and her experience advising business and government leaders on social media engagement strategies. At Reboot, she looks forward to leading projects that bring together media, civil society, communities, and government to advance social justice.
Reboot won the Open Government Partnership’s #OpenGovGram photo contest with a shot of a participatory budget meeting in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. Panthea Lee snapped the winning picture while working with the county to bring citizen voices into government decisions. Read more about Reboot’s work in Kenya here.
On March 31st, Marielle Velander and Emily Herrick will share their experiences supporting open government initiatives in Jalisco, Mexico, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kenya, and Austin, Texas with students at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School for Public Service. During an interactive session, Emily and Marielle will use these case studies to illustrate Reboot’s approach to co-creation and change management. The event is open to all NYU students and is hosted by NYU International Public Service Association and NYU Bridge: Students for Social Innovation from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in the Leslie eLab, 16 Washington Place, NYC.