The Mission Statement Breakdown

The purpose of this post is to provide an indepth view of the Civic Hacker mission statement that drives both internal company design and defines the components that make up Civic Hacker's technology:

Use software, policy, and data to empower activists and eliminate oppression

Components of Civic Hacker

Technology not only takes the form of a device or a piece of software. Technology also includes any new or improved workflows, policies and interfaces. Civic Hacker's mission highlights the primary elements of what I call activist-centered technologies, or ACTs. Activist-centered technology, acknowledges the importance of social activism and seeks to increase the capacity of activist groups. By using a combination of software, policy and data, it is possible to interface with the parts of social movements which are the most critical to activists. The choice to center activists comes from the reality that activist work is the result of the volunteer efforts our most vulnerable groups and their allies. They need help. They need resources. They need a champion.

Software $+$ Policy $+$ Data $\longrightarrow$ Activist Centered Technology

Vision Included

The Civic Hacker mission statement includes the Civic Hacker vision: Eliminate Oppression. My research yields that there's a finite set of conditions that lend us the abilities to eliminate oppression. Oppression, a large and complex problem, has two entry points: inequality and inequity. When I write code, mine and analyze data or write or review policy, I seek impact that reduces inequality and inequity. Our activists and their families suffer from inequality and inequity. Empowering activists so they can work along their missions more efficently is a condition to fulfill the vision. Civic Hacker has the solution in its crosshairs.