Victoria Wenzelmann

This talk tells the story of the GIG network and its members, how we started as a small track at re:publica 2013 and grew to become not only a re:publica sub-conference, but also a network of trust that realizes projects around the globe together: from #i4Policy to the Labmobile, from PeaceHackCamps to Precious Plastics machines, from student exchange programs to hub sustainability. We aim for impact not exit!

Blockchain technology offers an enormous opportunity in 2018: Its decentralized, secure and transparent system of storing and making transactions supports a range of services. There are many opportunities but equally many unanswered questions when it comes to the future of blockchain technology in developing markets and beyond, though. This session brings experts from technology, finance, and grassroots community activism together to discuss a way forward with blockchain technology where no one is left behind.

What are use cases for the blockchain beyond digital currencies? Land rights ledgers, anti-corruption tools, smart contracts...There are many possibilities, and as GIG we want to explore a few of them from all over the globe. We want to discuss critical questions, but also the potential that the blockchain has for collective yet distributed actions, like co-creation and co-manufacturing.

From the circumpolar high arctic to the African savannah digital technologies and networks affect all areas of human interaction. They are not just physical or economic drivers but change social interaction and basic societal structures. Key components of this changing (global) society are increasing opportunities for open innovation and knowledge-sharing. In the Workshop Series “Digital Alternatives and Social Innovations” open culture advocates, researchers and social activists discuss the opportunities these shifting paradigms present.

Doing Development Differently – OPENing up Cooperation looks at the need to re-think international development taking into account these rapidly evolving scenarios. The continually expanding tool-kit of open resources for development actions employing ICT4D (Information and Communications Technologies for Development), open data and collaborative citizen driven initiatives are moving faster than the policies to implement them.

The notion of Doing Development Differently aims, by applying and linking the use of open data and open technologies, to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, harnessing these new technologies to strengthen governance. Such ‘open development strategies’ base themselves on the key elements of collaborative enterprise and technological possibilities inherent to the open source movement. They range from open source software (FOSS) to up-cycling and DIY practices, from open educational resources (OER) to comprehensive open data repositories, from crisis mapping, witnessing and citizen journalism to the creation of globally interactive open knowledge and resource commons. The work of Canadian and German organisations and grantees in these area such as the IDRC-funded SIRCA program, the Humanitarian Open Street Maps Team (HOT), or the Open Institute’s open governance initiatives illustrates both the potentials and urgencies of taking a decidedly open approach.

In this session, the initiators of the AfricaHackTrip, GeeksGoneGlobal and the FounderBus will compare their experiences related to the synergies of travel and innovation, and discuss the role that travel-based learning initiatives have in the cross-polenization of the global innovation ecosystem.

After reading about the African tech-hub boom, a group of European designers and developers decided it’s about time to connect our communities beyond the continents. We spent 5 weeks in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, met hundreds of local creatives in 8 hubs, made loads of friends during our barcamps and hackathons, and kicked off continuous exchange. In this session, we want to share our impressions, future plans, and introduce you to exciting places, people and projects.
Curiosity required. Be a part of AfricaHackTrip
http://lanyrd.com/2014/interactive-cologne/sczwxh/