Get out of your fish tank
Back in 2015, Code for Asheville’s core team sat in a co-working space, trying to think of what to build for the community. Code for Asheville (now called Code with Asheville after Code for America sunset its brigade program) was a motivated group of typical tech people — white, middle-class, predominantly male, and wanting to make a difference. At the time, my business partner, Patrick, and I were co-captains. While some of our efforts had gained some traction with the national network and we had thrown a few successful hackathons, there was a feeling that we were effectively siloed from the communities we wanted to help. We knew that if we built a piece of tech the community really needed, we would see the impact we hoped for; and if we brainstormed hard enough, we would get there. We were wrong — if we built it they wouldn’t come. So we flipped the model on its head.
Sitting in our glass “tank” and looking around the room as we were about to adjourn yet another fun-but-ultimately-ineffectual meetup, Patrick, Eric (another core team-member), and I had a crazy idea: What if we alighted from our ivory tower of tech and actually went out into the community? What if we listened and asked how we could help instead of guessing? What if we went to them, instead of expecting them to come to us?
Go to them
We started by attending Asheville Homeless coalition meetings (a collective of government and non-government emergency services and crisis management organizations in the community). We asked permission to attend, explaining that we were just there to observe and learn. We showed up expecting to meet a community that didn’t know a lot about tech, and who would need help understanding what was possible. What we found was a group of enthusiastic individuals with a clear understanding of how to use technology to make an impact. We enjoyed an extremely warm reception, as flies on the wall who had a different set of skills that could help members of the coalition achieve their goals — whether that was eliminating penalties for crimes of existence, or advocating for a written consent policy.
Through the Homeless Coalition, we connected with multiple social and racial justice groups. We assisted in multiple “data advocacy” campaigns in which we called for accountability and transparency on the part of government agencies, including the Asheville Police Department. We helped community groups analyze public data to identify trends and support their calls for reform, and we lent our voices as credible data experts.
This is the real work
This work was not glamorous. Deep in the bowels of City Hall, in rooms that could only be found by winding through labyrinthian corridors, we addressed the Public Safety Committee and pored through spreadsheets with City staff. We navigated the unhurried machinations of local government alongside our community partners. We went where we were asked to go, showed up when we were needed, spoke when we needed to speak, and played our part. These efforts led to real policy change and the establishment of programs to address social issues.
All of these efforts are ongoing, and our work is not done. But this model of community engagement works. Meeting people where they are is something I’ve always had success with. Next time you’re wondering what to build, stop brainstorming. Attend a meeting for a local organization that addresses big issues in your community (with their permission, of course). You’ll likely be surprised at how happy they are to see you, and how much you can get done together. Even if you are just a fly on the wall.