Creating a national network of Community Technology Partnerships

Geeks for Social Change has secured £220,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to establish Community Technology Partnerships (CTPs) across the UK. This initiative, developed in collaboration with C2 Connecting Communities, Manchester School of Architecture, The Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, and other partners, aims to transform how communities engage with technology.

What is a Community Technology Partnership?

CTPs represent a fundamental shift in how digital tools are created and deployed. Rather than imposing corporate solutions on communities, these partnerships bring together local tech experts and community organizers to co-create digital solutions addressing community-identified problems.

We emphasize that “disadvantaged communities and their people are not the problem – they are the solution,” noting that affected communities themselves best understand issues they face.

Real-World Examples

We demonstrate our approach through three initiatives:

PlaceCal addresses social isolation among older adults by providing a community-managed online calendar of local activities, winning international recognition.

Taphouse TV Dinners emerged during lockdown to provide meals to vulnerable residents while reducing food waste, delivering over 5,000 meals through volunteer coordination.

‘imok’ is a safety bot designed with asylum seekers to enable check-ins at reporting centers, alerting volunteers if individuals fail to return within expected timeframes.

Distinguishing from Digital Inclusion

We critique conventional digital inclusion approaches, arguing they focus narrowly on skills training rather than addressing systemic exclusion. Current initiatives often simply transfer services online without considering whether these tools actually serve community needs. The CTP model prioritizes giving communities meaningful choice and autonomy in selecting and shaping technology solutions.