I have watched the “Code for America” movement with great admiration. This movement encourages programmers to take a year off to do community service working with government. I believe that this movement is creating a very special community of technology empowered servant leaders.
The following TED talk by Jennifer Pahika shares the mission of “Code for America” and the impact of the movement. As we enter this season of voting, it’s important to remember that voting is only one way that we can influence government as Jennifer remarks. In particular, I believe Jennifer Pahika and the “Code for America” fellows promote 5 killer ideas in this talk!
1) “Government is what we do together that we can’t do alone” — @timoreilly
2) As a community, we should encourage citizens to serve each other for the benefit of all. These acts of service can be big or small. It all matters.
3) Apps can help remind us of the needs in our local community and connect people together. She shared the example of CitizensConnect .
4) Government can become a platform to lead citizens to serve each other.
5) In many cases, the movement is discovering ways to save tax dollars.
Abstract: Can government be run like the Internet, permissionless and open? Coder and activist Jennifer Pahlka believes it can — and that apps, built quickly and cheaply, are a powerful new way to connect citizens to their governments — and their neighbors.
If you’re interested in learning more about this movement, there is a “Code for America” summit is happening this week. Check out the Twitter Buzz.
- The hashtag for the conference is #cfasummit
- Link to the Twitter activity
- Link to Google+ activity
In the Macon, GA, I am pretty excited to see the collaborations between my university, the College Hill Alliance, and Code for America. To learn more, please visit the following article: http://codeforamerica.org/2012-partners/macon/
This movement has also inspired a number of other citizen empowerment movements. In particular, I would encourage you to visit “Random Hacks of Kindness.”
What would you challenge our community of citizens to build to enhance government together? Share your comments below.