We are actively engaged in the dialogue and debates of our space: on issues of social justice, global development, and democratic innovation, and on the ethics and methodological evolution of design, mediation, and co-creation practice. More of our writing can be found at Medium.
Business Daily, a Nairobi-based newspaper by the Nation Media Group, published an op-ed by Ory Okolloh of Omidyar Network discussing Reboot’s latest report: Strengthening Kenyan Media. The article calls for a robust debate on the Kenyan media ecosystem, citing findings from our research on the challenges facing a free and vibrant press, as well as opportunities to strengthen the press as public watchdog.
On March 13th in Austin, Texas, Zack Brisson will moderate From Publishing Data to Solving Problems as part of SXSW’s first ever Cities Summit, a convening of civic leaders, creative citizens, and urbanists. Panelists Adrienne Schmoeker of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Data and Analytics, Mary Tobin of the Brownsville Partnership, and Hadassah Damien of the Participatory Budgeting Project will share tales from their experiences using NYC open data to fight poverty, change lives, and build community. Join us! #SXSW #CitiesatSXSW #changeliveswithdata
On March 9th, Reboot will host an End of Open Data Week Celebration, welcoming civic change makers and data enthusiasts to come together for a happy hour closing reception. We’ll be playing games, sharing open data tales, and enjoying (free) beverages, snacks, and slow jams. Reboot’s Principal Zack Brisson will provide brief remarks alongside Adrienne Schmoeker from the City of New York; and Carey Klutz from Open Contracting Partnership. NYC techies and social change makers: RSVP to join us!
Reboot is excited for Andrew Haupt to join our leadership team as Chief Operating Officer. Andrew brings expertise in business operations and deep experience supporting the start-up and maturation of nonprofit. He is eager to help Reboot further its impact by applying his entrepreneurial mindset to our operations, HR, and finance units.
On March 3rd, Lauren Gardner will join fellow social innovation practitioners from Frog Design and Moment to discuss the evolution and future of design thinking at an event hosted by the NYU chapter of Design for America. Lauren and her fellow panelists will speak to students from NYU, MIT, RISD, Brown, Yale, and Columbia Universities about using design thinking in their careers, and the challenges and opportunities this approach presents.
On January 16th Ahmed Rufai Isah will take part in an interactive session organized by the National Institute of Legislative Studies on sustained citizen involvement in the budget reform process in Nigeria. Participants, including senators, academics, civil society organizations, and members of the press, will discuss principles of citizen engagement, the process of budget reform, and the role of the legislature in distributing funds. Follow the conversation at #NILSBudgetReform.
On December 6th, Ahmed Rufai Isah will appear on The Core, a Nigerian TV show produced by Daria Media, to discuss political ownership as a threat to independent media and the need for financially sustainable newsrooms. Rufai will share lessons from Reboot’s media portfolio, including research on the West African radio ecosystem, as well as insights from our work supporting and convening Nigerian independent media.
On November 29th, Yop Rwang Pam will present findings from People-Powered Media Innovation in West Africa at the 2017 International Conference on Religion and Politics in Lagos. The event is organized by the Lagos-based organization Action for Community Development. Yop will discuss the role media plays in government accountability, sharing insights from Reboot’s media portfolio.
On December 8th–10th, Panthea Lee will join artists, scientists, writers, and economists to explore the challenges and opportunities of creating information-healthy societies. The 3-day immersive workshop in upstate New York, hosted by Arts Letters & Numbers and UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, will develop approaches to improve the lives of children through increasing access to life-enhancing information about nutrition, health, and educational opportunities.
On November 28th and 29th, Lauren Gardner, Zack Brisson, and Panthea Lee will facilitate Open Contracting 2017, a global convening to map out the future of smarter and fairer government contracting. Organized by the Open Contracting Partnership, The B Team, CoST, Hivos and Article 19, with Reboot as the design and facilitation partner, the event will gather 200 open contracting leaders, practitioners, and champions from across the world for two days of co-working, networking, and peer exchange.
On November 8th Zack Brisson delivered a lecture at Rutgers Honors College Forum, an interdisciplinary course focused on tackling global issues through social innovation. The lecture, entitled “So You Want to Start a Revolution?” covered tactics for working within existing power structures to create meaningful change.
Chioma Agwuegbo and Ahmed Rufai Isah will join the 10th Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg alongside international media experts and fellow MacArthur Foundation grantees. The event, which takes place November 16th-19th, is the world’s largest gathering of investigative journalists, with a mission to spread state-of-the-art investigative reporting, data journalism, and cross-border collaboration around the world.
On November 7th and 8th Panthea Lee will take part in HCD Uncut, a co-design workshop on challenges in the application of human-centered design in global health and development. The event, which takes place in Berlin and will be attended by an expert group of funders, designers, and implementers, is convened by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID’s Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact.
On Thursday November 2nd, Zack Brisson will attend the 2017 Feedback Summit in Washington D.C. as part of a panel that asks: Under what conditions is information empowering? Panelists from Feedback Labs, GlobalGiving, Omidyar Network, and University of California of Irvine will discuss how increased access to information has empowered, or failed to empower, citizens.
Panthea Lee and Zack Brisson will join dozens of urban experts at the CityLab Summit in Paris to discuss city-level solutions to global challenges. The conference, hosted by AtlanticLIVE, convenes mayors from over 30 global cities to collaborate on innovative ways to move our cities forward. As part of the two-day event, Panthea and Zack will share key insights into city-led initiatives, and learn from other advocates of local change.
Reboot has been selected to attend this year’s SXSW conference, leading a panel on the future of open data, From Publishing Data Sets to Solving Problems. The panel will be part of the new Cities Summit track, a convening of civic leaders, creative citizens, and urbanists, brought together to create more equitable, resilient, and livable cities. Zack Brisson will moderate, alongside Adrienne Schmoeker of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Data and Analytics, Mary Tobin of the Brownsville Partnership, and Hadassah Damien of the Participatory Budgeting Project and Femmetech. #SXSW #citiessummit
The Wikimedia Foundation covered findings from research they conducted in partnership with Reboot on their blog, sharing personal stories and statistics from the cross-country study that aimed to better understand and serve new potential Wikipedia readers. Reboot worked with The Wikimedia Foundation on this research in India and Nigeria, studying how access to connectivity and trust in information varied across communities. Learn more on the Wikimedia blog and in the New Readers Research Findings wiki.
Lauren Gardner joined the digital agency Huge’s Give a Damn series, which spotlights the work of creative entrepreneurs designing actionable solutions for a better world. Lauren presented alongside Robin Newman, Product Design and Leader of Huge Change, and Catherine Addo, Senior Strategist at Purpose. The all-female panel discussed how to meaningfully incorporate social impact in the context of private sector marketing and design.
StateScoop, a publication covering innovation and technology in state and local government, featured Reboot’s New York City open data research in their recent article Assembling the Open Government Puzzle. The article identifies areas for improvement in transparent government practices, and highlights Reboot’s user personas—illustrated archetypes like the “Community Champion” and the “Influential Interpreter”—as a tool to engage current and potential data users in New York City.
Ahmed Rufai Isah joins Reboot as an Abuja-based Program Coordinator. He helps the team meet goals, guides and coaches local researchers, and facilitates smooth knowledge transfer for clients and staff members. Rufai brings expertise in digital communications and media from a range of past positions in the private and public sectors.