Acumen Academy’s Post

It's Tech Co-op Tuesday, and that means it's time to highlight a company collaborating their way to community impact. This week, we're taking a look at May First Movement Technology (https://mayfirst.coop/en/). Founded in 2005, May First is a non-profit membership organization based in the United States and Mexico that's demonstrating the impact and power of collectively owning the means of production. In this case: - the servers - network infrastructure - open-source platforms - communications technologies which we take for granted in this age of Software as a Service (SaaS) companies and cloud computing. By collectively procuring, managing, deploying, and funding their own IT infrastructure and open-source platforms, they are working to provide accessible alternatives to corporate networks and cloud infrastructure. This ensures that social and environmental justice movements have a safe place to communicate and organize without threat of corporate censorship or surveillance. How does it work? Direct democracy in action. Members gather annually each Fall to collectively develop and rank the organization's priorities for the coming year, approve the yearly financial report, and elect members to the Board of Directors. Not just organizing around tech for tech's sake, May First and its members actively participate in actions, campaigns, and coalitions around technology-related social issues. They are actively working to combat racism and sexism within the structure of their organization as well as within society at large. If you feel that social justice call-to-action and are in need of web site hosting, databases, e-mail, secure chat, and more, you should check out and support May First Movement Technology! https://mayfirst.coop/en/ Do you know of other tech co-ops that I should feature? Share them in the comments below! Stop by next Tuesday to learn about Koumbit, a Montréal non-profit tech collective leveraging open-source software and their own network infrastructure to support community groups, organizations, and activists making an impact in the Montréal community. Until next time -- stay collaborative! #techcooptuesday #technology #cooperatives #socialjustice #solidarity

Raising the Next Generation of Tech Leaders Parenting in the digital age: As technology continues to shape the world, equipping our children with the skills and awareness to navigate it safely and responsibly is crucial. Here are some key strategies to foster a positive and productive tech experience for kids: 1. Cybersecurity Champions: Data Privacy: Let's teach our children to be mindful of what they share online, just like they wouldn't share personal information with strangers in the real world. Digital Literacy: Develop their ability to critically evaluate information online. Help them distinguish credible sources from misinformation, similar to how they differentiate between fantasy and reality. 2. Building a Positive Digital Footprint: Responsible Posting: Discuss the long-term implications of online activity. Encourage thoughtful and responsible behavior, reminding them that everything they post leaves a digital footprint. Open Communication: Let's create an open and trusting environment where our children feel comfortable discussing their online experiences and any concerns they may have. By working together, we can empower our children to become responsible and informed digital citizens, ready to thrive in the ever-evolving tech landscape. #HarlemDowling #ChildrenAndFamilies #Nonprofit #LiftingLives #ReshapingFutures #ParentingSkills #RaisingResilientKids #RaisingStrong

Looking forward to sharing a few thoughts at this local TechSoup Connect webinar!

We're thrilled to release our report from Responsible Tech DC! 🎉 All Tech Is Human was proud to host Responsible Tech DC: A Better Tech Future For Youth, a landmark gathering of Trust & Safety professionals, researchers, civil society orgs, youth advocates, youth leaders, and other groups on Wednesday, February 28, at Union Stage in Washington, DC! In our Responsible Tech DC report we feature highlights and insights from our two featured panels including... Panel #1: What is the Current State of Trust and Safety? Andrew Zack (Policy Manager, Family Online Safety Institute) hosted a panel featuring Vaishnavi J (Founder and principal of Vyanams Strategies), Chanel Cornett (Senior Counsel on the Trust & Safety and Privacy teams at Zoom), Dave Byrne (Founder of TrustRaise) about the current state of Trust and Safety amid tech layoffs and an evolving tech landscape. Panel #2: Designing for Youth Around Autonomy, Inclusion, and Safety All Tech Is Human Head of Partnerships & Trust and Safety Lead Sandra Khalil hosted Adele Taylor (Youth Digital Programs and Partnerships Senior Manager at Thorn), Dr. Siva Mathiyazhagan (Research Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Strategies and Impact at the SAFE Lab, University of Pennsylvania and faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University), Victoria McCullough (Leads TikTok's Trust and Safety Outreach and Partnerships team for the Americas), and Ava Smithing (Director of Advocacy and Operations at the Young People's Alliance) in a panel conversation about youth empowerment through autonomy, inclusion, and safety. Thanks to the generous support of Oak Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, Mozilla, Schmidt Futures, and the The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation for making Responsible Tech DC possible! Plus... - High-level Trust & Safety Takeaways - Descriptions of Responsible Tech organizations in attendance including Wikimedia Foundation, Trust & Safety Forum, Tech Coalition, Tech Matters, New America, Accountable Tech, Atlantic Council, Bipartisan Policy Center, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, Center for Humane Technology, Center for Tech and Civic Life, Encode Justice, Family Online Safety Institute, JFFLabs, Mozilla, and Omidyar Network. - Highlights from organization presentations including Integrity Institute's Jeff Allen, Tech Coalition's Katia Potapov, and Trust & Safety Foundation's Maia Levy Daniel - All Tech Is Human's process, ways to affect positive change, our focus areas, and ways to get involved Download the full report now: https://lnkd.in/eWWT2aUY

Social media companies boast their prioritization of our privacy and autonomy, yet their profitability is based on collecting data not explicitly given by us to create an endless feed of curated content, priming us for passive consumption...?? There is nothing private about a product that relies on user data for functionality, and there is nothing autonomous about a platform that picks which content you see. Young people have ideas to help social media platforms not contradict themselves. Our experience with mid products makes solutions intuitive ... AND we are working to centralize and systematize these solutions to make them impossible to ignore!!! More on that soon ;) In the meantime check out this amazing report from my favorite people for some inspiration on trust and safety partnerships-

🚨 Top 3 Mobile Tech Concerns for Non-Profits & How Humanity Link Has Got Your Back 🚨 Non-profits face unique challenges in the digital landscape. Here's how we're stepping up: ⭐ Privacy & Security: Handling sensitive data requires utmost care. Humanity Link's secure platforms ensure your data's integrity, keeping your trust as solid as our encryption. 💵 Cost Efficiency: Budgets are tight, but impact shouldn't be. With Humanity Link's affordable solutions, stretch every dollar further, maximizing the reach without breaking the bank. ♿ Usability & Accessibility: Tech shouldn't be a barrier. Our user-friendly interfaces and accessibility-first designs make sure everyone can get on board, no IT degree required. 🌍 Your mission is our mission. Let's make technology your ally, not your obstacle. With Humanity Link, propel your cause into the future, securely, affordably, and inclusively. 🌍 #NonProfit #TechForGood #HumanityLink #DigitalInclusion

Here's a short clip from Keith Atherton's VRT last week! If you'd like to see the full recording, send me a message!

How do we use tech in a way which brings us life (rather than exploits us)? In the third of these beautiful articles by Roseanna Dias, she explores "What are some living examples of life affirming community tech?" It was such a privilege to be a part of these roundtables, with so many people whose work I admire and respect. We can have tech that is designed for us - all of us. I strongly recommend reading the whole series! The second has a really powerful manifesto which everyone should read. https://lnkd.in/ejM6RdsK #techjustice #decolonizingtech #communitytech

The moment Yaw Boakye and I have been working toward for the past 15 months is finally here! 🎉 I’m excited to introduce Borderless: The Infrastructure to Empower Global Communities. 🌍✨At Borderless, we’re not just building a platform; we’re creating a home for communities to start, grow, and scale! 🫂 From the beginning, we’ve believed that community is about people - people with shared experiences, dreams, and ambitions. And now, we’re enabling community managers with an end-to-end platform to help them focus on what matters most: the people. We’re starting with investment communities, particularly for diaspora groups, because we’ve seen firsthand that no tech currently serves their unique needs. But that is not all. Soon, we will also have tools for: - Philanthropic communities - Professional communities - Educational communities We’ve spent the last few months speaking with incredible community leaders and learning how Borderless can empower them. And now, we want to hear from you, the user. Your needs and preferences are at the heart of our platform. What do you look for in a community? How can a community best serve you? One of Borderless’ key innovations is discoverability, where users can quickly discover and join communities. We genuinely want to add value for both community members and managers. In a couple of weeks, we will launch a couple of communities in private beta and invite you, the user, to check them out. Are you interested? Have a look at our website to join the waitlist and be part of the next chapter of global communities. Together, let’s build a borderless world! www.onborderless.com

It's when you use LLMs for solving real business problems you realize how poorly most follow simple instructions. So called community fine-tunes offer few benefits and in reality serve just to promote small organizations and individuals with access to a few A100s; they do a finetune, put their name on it, and hope someone will notice. Don't waste time; use original releases from big tech: Qwen 2, Llama 3, and Gemma 2. And if you have the budget, opt for Claude 3.5.