​Wayfinding: conversations about navigating the tensions of tech in modern life.

​We live in a moment where our trust in tech companies to protect our privacy and our freedom is at its lowest. Large swathes of the tech industry are shifting into an openly authoritarian politic. 

​At the same time, we live in a moment where our individual capacity to collaborate with technology has been amplified more than ever before. 

​How do we engage with this potential while living in accordance with the responsibility we have to the world and each other?

​Wayfinding is a series of conversations about finding our way through this landscape together, both individually and collectively. This series will place signs and markers to help you orient yourself in the digital world with intentionality. Wayfinding is not about having the answers but about asking the right questions together.

​​Wayfinding 2: Civics

​Bianca Wylie and Hillary Hartley in conversation about civics, moderated by 1RG co-founder Max Veytsman. Hillary Hartley is a seasoned civic tech leader and advocate. She most recently served as the CEO of US Digital Response, a nonpartisan nonprofit that deploys pro bono tech talent to support public needs, and was previously the Chief Digital Officer of Ontario and a co-founder of 18F. Bianca Wylie is a writer, a public interest tech advocate, and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, where she works on resetting the innovation agenda. Her current focus is Time and Space Studios, an advisory firm and workshop that helps leaders navigate change and uncertainty through collaborative work and shared presence.

​The internet promised democratization, but it feels more and more like our attempts at civic engagement are little more than shouting into the void. Our digital tools are incredibly powerful—advocates can mobilize tens of thousands of emails to elected representatives in a weekend, educate millions overnight on social media—so why are we less engaged in our institutions and political processes than ever?

​At a time of dizzying technological progress, we look to our elected leaders for clarity and guidance, only to find that their interests are more aligned with those wanting to profit off of extraction than with the public they’re meant to be serving. And increasingly, our interactions with our government institutions are tinged with the fear of surveillance, the knowledge of what an authoritarian regime could do with the sprawling dataset we’ve unwittingly provided. 

​Digital transformation was meant to revolutionize access to information, government transparency, and citizen participation, but so often it is little more than a digitized form and a phone tree with no human operator at the end. What happened? 

​How do we build tools that are designed for action, and not emotion?

​How can we re-engage with our civic institutions from a place of genuine curiosity?

​How do we build democratic accountability at a human scale?

​Logistics

​Doors: 6
Feature conversation: 7-7:45
Discussion with the audience: 7:45-8:15pm
Mingling: 8:15pm-9pm

​Snacks and refreshments will be provided

​​🤝Join 1RG

​​​1RG is a container for experiments re-imagining the relationship between technology and our communities. If you want to be a part of our community, consider becoming a 1RG member.

​​♿️ Accessibility

​​​1RG does not have an accessible entrance, the front entrance requires 3 steps of about 8 inches each. The rear entrance is two steps. There is a bathroom on the ground floor.

​This event will primarily be held on the second floor which is accessible via an L-shaped staircase with handrails on both sides.