Seeds of Change 2023

Grant application for Merri-bek City Council seeds of change program.

What is your Seeds of Change idea? What would you like to do?

I'd like to kick-off a local non-profit web hosting organisation, currently called “Merri-bek Tech”. Merri-bek Tech would aim to provide organisations (predominantly community groups) and individuals with Merri-bek with free or at-cost hosted web software. This could mean things like websites, email & productivity tools, document collaboration, chat groups and forums. Unlike commercial offerings, which are typically run by large companies out of massive far-away data-centers, our offering would be locally served up from computers physically in Merri-bek, and ideally running on 100% local renewable energy.

To provide these services locally, we don't just need local computers, we need the local know-how to actually build and run the systems. So, that means that the largest organisation component of Merri-bek tech is a volunteer program that builds local skills needed to do this, and as such will have other benefits including access to job pathways (particularly for groups less represented in tech).

I've made a start on this already, and received various offers of help and equipment, but at this stage the organisation wont really come into being without me spending the next couple of years driving it from an idea to a sustainable and well-running organisation with governance model, code of conduct, volunteer program, financial model, etc. This is something that I've done before in several organisations and I know how much work it can be.

So, specifically for the seeds of change program, I'd like support for me in my attempt to setup a well running volunteer program through 2024. This would involve at completing at least one volunteer cohort lasting three months, by June 2024, clearly documenting and refining the process, and starting a second cohort by the start of August 2024.

How does it connect to the program objectives and make a contribution to Merri-bek's community?

The primary program object that this application contributes to is: “provide skill development opportunities for economic and civic participation, particularly for priority groups”. Our specific aim with the volunteer program is to work with groups with less access to tech education and the well paying jobs (often dominated by middle-class white men) this unlocks. We'd like to run volunteer cohorts that are representative of Merri-bek's diverse community, and particularly include affirmative action to support women, trans and no-binary participants, BIPOC participants, and refugees.

As well as providing opportunities and learning pathways, this project addresses the local needs and ambitions of local community groups and organisations. By providing non profit hosting for them, we lower costs and barrier to entry for community projects and advocacy groups, lowering the barriers to civic participation.

Finally, this project lowers emissions for websites and software used by local organisations. This isn't listed as a program goal (it should be), but given that Merri-bek has declared a state of climate emergency, this project contributes to Merri-bek's pathway towards zero carbon.

Who will be involved in your activity and how will they be involved? E.g. what are you going to ask them to do?

Currently I have a group of six mentors signed up, each with deep experience in relevant areas of technology. They have volunteered to provide advice, feedback and learning direction to our cohort of volunteers who will be participating in the program.

Another participating group is venues who will partner with us to physically host our equipment. We have no firm agreements with any as yet, and it's my job to approach them and build those relationships, but we have a verbal agreement-in-principle from Maker Community, to host servers for us at 70 Saxon St.

How are you planning on using the funding?

None of this funding will go to me, and none is needed to fund technical equipment. Instead, I'd like to use it to get help with developing the volunteer program. I'd like to pay a local volunteer coordinator to assist with running the program, to ensure that the volunteers have a consistent experience that respects their time, and provides them with a safe environment to learn. I'd also like to spend a small amount of money on promoting the volunteer program, so that I can target certain underrepresented demographics. Some of the ideal participants in this program have no technical experience, and perhaps hadn't considered learning technology, or felt comfortable before in tech education. Creating the right messaging and reaching out to the right communities will take concerted and targeted promotions.

What type of support would you like from a mentor? E.g. what types of knowledge or skills would be useful to you?

I'd particularly like a mentor from the City of Merri-bek. I'd like to be better connected in with council plans on this, as I think there are potential connections to Zero Carbon Merri-bek, and to council facilities such as the libraries, and the Glenroy Community Hub. I don't need technical knowledge from my mentor, nor do I need the basics of organisational development or facilitation, but prompts to connect with communities I hadn't considered or try things outside my comfort zone would be very welcome.