Welcome to Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camps and Meet-Ups!

What are Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camps?

Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camps are local events for people passionate about using mobile technology for social impact and to make the world a better place.

Each event includes interactive discussions, hands-on-demos, collaborative scheming about ways to use, develop, and deploy mobile technologies in health, advocacy, economic development, environment, human rights, citizen media, to name a few areas.  

Participants for Mobile Tech 4 Social Change barcamps include nonprofits, mobile app developers, researchers, donors, intermediary organizations, and mobile operators, and anyone passionate about the topic.

In short, Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camps are:

• One-day events held all over the world
• An exploration of mobile technology to advance social development and social change goals
• Participatory and interactive
• Open to anyone with passion and interest in the topic 

Upcoming M4Change Gatherings

• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Berlin, Germany (Q4/2009)
  • Information, sessions and documentation
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Toronto (Spring 2010)
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Ottawa (Winter 2009)

Pics from M4Change Camps are here on Flickr (tag m4change)

Recent M4Change Camps 

• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camp, Cape Town, South Africa (October 31, 2009)  --Documentation Here
  • Co-Hosted by Cell-Life and Supported by Betavine Social Exchange and Microsoft Research India 

• Open Mobile Camp (with the Open Mobile Consortium focused on open source mobile tools), New York (Oct 24, 2009) --Documentation and Agenda HERE 

• Mobile Tech Salon, New York, NY (October 21, 2009) Sponsored by MobileActive.org
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Bangalore (September 4, 2009)
  • Information, sessions, and documentation
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Nairobi Camp with Strathmore University (all-day event, June 27, 2009 
  • Information, sessions and documentation

• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change San Francisco (Nov 2008)
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change New York (February 2009)
  • See a review here
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Washington, DC (April 2009)
  • For a few reviews, see here and here (this one on how researchers and practitioners work together) and one on the USAID Development Commons
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change London (May 23, 2009)
  • Sessions and documentation are here!
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Halifax, Canada (May 23, 2009)
• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Barcelona Open Air Meetup! with Mobile 2.0  (June 20, 2009 -- 5 pm/17:00 at La Caseta! (an informal gathering for those passionate about mobile tech for social change to have a drink and watch the sunset!)

Participants

Mobile Tech 4 Social Change camps are entirely participant-driven.  You run and participate in sessions, showcase your mobile apps, inquire, discuss, and engage. There are no tourists at Mobile Tech 4 Social Change camps!

• If you have apps you'd like to showcase, please bring them -- Mobile Tech 4 Change camps have spaces for hands-on demos of applications.
• M4Change camps have interactive workshops, discussion groups, and lots of ideas and interactions with a passionate and knowledgeable community of you all. If you want to discuss a topic, you will have the chance to do so, so please be prepared.
• If you are interested in leading a discussion or workshop, you can bring a short introduction of the topic you are interested in, as well as two or three key questions you want to explore in the conversation with your fellow campers in that session.  You do not have to be an expert in the topic you are curious about -- sessions can be exploratory with your questions and ideas rather than a polished presentation!

Organize your own Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camp 

Mobile Tech 4 Social Change camps happen wherever and whenever local people in the MobileActive.org network want to organize them. Here are a few resources that you might find useful when planning your own Mobile Tech 4 Social Change Camp!

• FAQ
• Slides you can use
• Session Ideas
• Sample Agenda

Related Links

• Mobile Tech 4 Social Change camps are inspired in part by BarCamp. The BarCamp site has lots of good context and organizing resources. We also acknowedge the amazing inspiration of @msurman, Executive Director of the Mozila Foundations whose wiki on organizing MozCamps on the open web inspired this one.  Thanks!