External Initiatives

When looking at a volunteer organization, certain questions need to be asked:

• How easy is it for an outsider to join and start contributing?
• Is it non-profit?
• What are their goals?
• What is their place in the volunteer scene? In other words what is their focus?
• What are their current activities? Are they active in providing updates about what's going on?
• What kind of work has been completed/in-progress?
• Do they have a Wikipedia page and coverage on any news websites?
• Is their work limited to a certain geographic region or is it global in nature?
• Is there a way for the best ideas to surface and become prominent?
• Is there transparency?

Javul.org needs to support these existing initiatives. We are interested in what has been achieved and how we can assist:

• Progressive International - ""Progressive International is created "to mobilize people around the world to transform the global order and the institutions that shape it". -- Its not clear what their actual plan is as they currently just have a donation page and a Call to action which can be signed. It is hoped that they will advance in their goals.
• The Venus Project - "The Venus Project proposes an alternative vision of what the future can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old inadequacies of war, poverty, hunger, debt and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable."
• Open Government Partnership - "Open Government Partnership brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive and accountable."
• Centre for Law and Democracy - "The Centre for Law and Democracy believes in a world in which robust respect for all human rights underpins strong participatory democracy at all levels of governance – local, national, regional and international – leading to social justice and equality."
• Centre for Social innovation - The link is listed here however please be aware that they ask for paid memberships - "The Centre for Social Innovation is a social enterprise based in Toronto, Canada, that specializes in the creation of shared workspaces for people or organizations with a social mission."

Software

• Code for All - "Code for All is international network of organizations supporting each other to empower citizens to meaningfully engage in the public sphere and have a positive impact on their communities. We help civic institutions to be more open, democratic, and equitable in the services they provide to the public through digital technology"
• Code for Romania - "We are a community of 550+ volunteers who create open source digital tools for solving societal challenges. Our mission is to innovate through open data, transparency and civic tech. At Code for Romania, we believe that technology can enable citizens to more meaningfully engage in the public sphere and have a positive impact on their communities."
• Vote Monitor - "Vote Monitor is a product designed to address this fundamental need, a tool dedicated to election monitoring both for commissioned observers and regular citizens."
• Code for Canada - "Code for Canada is a national nonprofit that connects government innovators with the tech and design community. Our programs enable governments to deliver better digital public services and empower communities to solve civic challenges using technology and design."
• Citizens Foundation - "The Citizens Foundation is a global nonprofit based in Iceland offering creative and secure open source digital democracy solutions used in over 20 countries. Our mission is to bring people together to debate and prioritize innovative ideas to improve their communities. Our main goal is to help citizens get their voices heard and to encourage citizens participation in governance."
• "I created a Social App that helps you follow your Congressional Representatives to keep them Accountable and Share Your Opinions on Bills" (Reddit) - Website: https://4us.com/ - Sub-reddit: /r/4USXUS/
• Reddit link: IAmA civic hacker + former House staffer. Last year I created an app that mirrors Congress’s radio-frequency voting bells with push alerts. My new webapp CapitolBells.com let’s you crowd-lobby Congress by writing and upvoting positions on any bill, from stopping SOPA 2 to legalizing hemp farms. AMA. - Crowd lobbing app (people vote on phones to let politicians know what they want)

Other Links

• Finland has been pioneering a form of deciding upon public policy where people actually think through the problems at issue, ponder on them, consider solutions, test a few of them, and then implement the best. (Reddit.com)
• Category:Open_government (Wikipedia)
• IAmA Post - Get additional links for other organizations

People and Organizations to Contact

Reddit

Contact moderators and active participants:

• /r/opengov (184 subscribers; created 2013)
• /r/OpenGovCan (40 subscribers; created 2016)
• /r/OpensourceDemocracy/ - (77 subscribers; created 2013)
• Reddit user milesmcc - Developer of a website related to government officials
• Reddit user JohnWellPacked - Developer of 4us.com (see Reddit post)
• Reddit user CapitolBells - See Reddit post. Developer of various projects
• PoppinKREAM - exceptional fact-based content. They have their own sub-reddit: /r/ShitPoppinKreamSays/