In this episode of the Tech for Good report hosted by Peter Day, we'll explore whether the blockchain is hype or real hope. Hear from our guests, who are all looking at the transformative powers of the blockchain and let us know your thoughts over at techforgood.global.

Tech for Good

Blockchain – Hype or Hope?

This is the second episode of the Tech for Good Report with Peter Day, a podcast series about people and enterprises using technology for good supported by Bethnal Green Ventures. This episode features Tech for Good ventures Ally, Mind Moose and TalkLife all working on tech solutions that help vulnerable children and youth, ranging from a chatbot to reduce the risk of homelessness, a peer-to-peer support network to help young people address mental health and more. You’ll also hear from Matthew Reed and Kirsten Naudé from The Children's Society talking about the potential of digital for good and the disruptions they embracing in the nonprofit sector.

The Tech for Good report - Episode 2

Welcome to the first episode of the Tech for Good report with Peter Day, a podcast series about people and enterprises using technology for good supported by Bethnal Green Ventures. This episode features Tech for Good ventures The Hard Yard, How Do I, Mental Snapp, as well as BGV’s own Paul Miller. You’ll also hear from Vicky Hearn from Nominet Trust talking about the potential of digital for good and NT100, Cassie Robinson tackling the question if tech is inherently benign and Dan Sutch from CAST telling us more about Tech for Good in the nonprofit sector.

The Tech for Good report - Episode 1

The annual UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) will be held in Paris this year, it’s the 21st UN Climate Summit and this year they (once again) hope to come to a new international agreement to minimise global warming. Feeling deluded by the failed attempts at agreeing on very much over 20 years – in which time C02 emissions have doubled – instead of a COP, OuiShare and Open State banded together to propose a different type of meeting, a Proof of Concept (POC): “a proof of concept of the disruptive impact that collaborative production, open source and the maker movement can have on mainstreaming the means of sustainable living."

POC21

Ben Vickers is a curator, writer, network analyst, technologist and self described luddite. Currently Curator of Digital at the Serpentine Galleries, he co-runs LIMAZULU project space, and is a founding member of unMonastery, a new civically minded social space based on contemporary monastic principles. In the first of a two-part interview, Jo Barratt talks to Ben about Digital Nomadism. Economic nomadism of one kind or another has been the norm for humans for much of the the last million years which may seem surprising. Ben discusses the reasons he chooses not to rent or own a home why he and others are choosing to adopt this lifestyle. Produced by Jo Barratt Music by Chris Zabriskie

Tech for Good: Ben Vickers - Digital nomads

This is the second in a mini-series of interviews curator and technologist Ben Vickers. Last time, we chatted with ben about his experience living nomadically. In this episode we are concentrate on the UnMonestary Project. The unMonastery is a place-based social innovation is aimed at addressing the interlinked needs of empty space, unemployment and depleting social services by embedding committed, skilled individuals within communities that could benefit from their presence. Developed in collaboration with EdgeRyders, UnMonestary It is an EU funded project that aims to challenge existing dependency chains and economic fictions and it had now developed into an international, community-run social enterprise. In this Podcast Jo Barratt talks to Ben about the aims of the project, how an ancient monastic tradition is updated for current age and where the project is headed.

Tech for Good: Ben Vickers - UnMonestary

Can an App Stop a Bullet? Our latest podcast explores how groups are using tech to help build peace around the world. It is framed around a recent discussion (link to http://talkingpeacefestival.org/event/peace-talks-can-an-app-stop-a-bullet/) at Google Campus London (link to site), organised by International Alert (link to their site), one of the largest peacebuilding organisations in the world with over thirty years experience. We talk to some of the leading people in this complex but promising new field, who are bringing innovative approaches to problems old and new, through improved communications, data and networks. Chaired by Helena Puig Larrauri, co-director of Build Up and an International Alert Trustee, the panel included peace builders and technologists with John Ridpath, Head of Product at Decoded, Mariéme Jamme, co-founder of Africa Gathering and Nikki Philline de la Rosa, Deputy Country Manager, International Alert Philippines as well as a specially recorded response from Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. We hear from them about how tech can be used for good and bad. For example, it can often help create hidden biases, usually towards a privileged few - but used in the right way it can also recreate gender roles and empower women in vulnerable and violent situations. Technology is not inherently violent or peaceful – it can be used for bad or good, depending on who uses it. As some groups are exploiting new technologies for violent ends, we finish by looking at the future - how might we use the same or new tools for a better, more peaceful world?

Tech for Good: Peace Tech

City Lab – in its third year following on from past events in Los Angeles and New York – took place last month in London’s city centre. Attending the 3-day event were city mayors, urbanists, architects and innovators from across the globe. Taking a step back from the second day’s headline speakers including current London mayor Boris Johnson and former New York City mayor, Mike Bloomberg, Jo Barratt spoke with Elana Berkowitz, a strategic advisor to startups and philanthropic investors. Elana speaks about what City Lab offers in terms of behind the scenes technology and diversity among the litany of important speakers, buzzwords and data, smart cities and innovation soft talk.

Tech for Good: City Lab sandbox

In the latest podcast for Tech for Good TV’s series on homelessness we’re talking to journalist, filmmaker and activist Daisy May Hudson. Daisy, fell into homelessness when her family lost their house and it has been a formative experience. Daisy speaks about her time struggling with the system, and how she became on of Britain’s hidden homeless. We also discuss her filmmaking practice and explore the ways she uses technology, and her existing networks to get her message out and campaign for awareness of homeless issues.

Tech for Good: Daisy-May Hudson

Has the world of commerce encroached irrevocably on our civic spaces, and how much do we care? How much is civic exclusion growing because of what participation demands or expects of us? Civic Radio is on the road, seeking out the people and organisations that are exploring these topics in different ways. In this episode we meet Zara Rahman. Civic Radio is part of the Civic Shop and is published by Tech for Good

CIVIC RADIO: Zara Rahman

In 1999, when he was twenty years old, Duane Jackson was sent to prison for trafficking drugs from England to the United States. Ten years since his arrest, and a two and half year stint locked up, Duane has started, grown, and successfully sold his own business. By 2013, his company, Kashflow (a cloud based accounting software business) was employing 40 people, bringing in £2m a year in revenue, and providing its accounting services to around 20,000 start ups.    How did he do it? Drawing on his passion for coding, and his life experiences in both children’s homes and prison, he cultivated a persistence and hustle that drove him forward. 

Tech for good TV: Living the questions

 Has the world of commerce encroached irrevocably on our civic spaces, and how much do we care? How much is civic exclusion growing because of what participation demands or expects of us? Civic Radio is on the road, seeking out the people and organisations that are exploring these topics in different ways.   In this episode we meet Kate Krontiris.  Civic Radio is part of the Civic Shop and is published by Tech for Good TV 

CIVIC RADIO: Kate Krontiris

What does homelessness mean in our increasingly connected, so-called digital age? We’re on a journey to find out.Recent research shows that 91% of the homeless  have a working mobile phone and 46% have a smartphone.How aware are we about how the homeless use technology in their everyday lives?  How could it make things easier? How might it enhance our understanding of different forms of homelessness and challenge misconceptions? And how is it changing the way homeless charities and organisations work?In the second of our podcast series, we talk to Gaia Marcus, from Centrepoint and Gerard Lemos, partner in social research firm Lemos & Crane about how we can use tech to understand and tackle homelessness more powerfully.Gaia is overall Project Manager for the Google Impact Challenge-funded Youth Homelessness Databank - the UK's first open data resource which aims to end youth homelessness through gathering data and lived experience.Gerard leads the research team at Lemos&Crane and is the author of several books and reports about social policy and supporting vulnerable people including the recent report Trends and Friends: access, use and benefits of digital technology for homeless and ex-homeless people 

Tech for good TV: Homeless data?

This is the first podcast in a new series of films, podcasts and writing from Tech For Good TV that will be exploring themes of housing, home, homelessness and technology.This first episode in our podcast series started by looking at the the interconnection between technology and homelessness. We’d heard of people attaching go-pros to people sleeping on the streets to reveal the realities of their daily lives so as to build empathy of their lived experience. But it lead to us thinking about the bigger issue of homes and technology. In many ways, we’re more connected than ever before - wireless digital technology makes it easier for us to create new identities, and be active members of all sorts of different groups. It also increases our physical mobility and our sense of what it means to be part of a group… a state, a company even a family has become blurred.So how do we actually use our home today? What do we get out of it? What does it mean to be so Networked?Perhaps we don’t even need a home, although most of us think we do.And yet, home ownership is increasingly the defining mark of wealth and power, skewing our economy and creating a wealth consolidation wedge in our city. Homelessness has been a problem as long as we've had homes.This episode explores questions that the work Nearshot are doing in San Francisco to repurpose a bit of technology to dispel myths and build understanding around homelessness... with you and your neighbours.The next few episodes will look at how homeless people are using technology on a daily basis, how institutions are using technology to engage with the homeless and how technology is being used to revolutionise the way homelessness is measured and understood.

Tech for good TV: Extreme Living: Homelessness and Technology

 Has the world of commerce encroached irrevocably on our civic spaces, and how much do we care? How much is civic exclusion growing because of what participation demands or expects of us? Civic Radio is on the road, seeking out the people and organisations that are exploring these topics in different ways. In this episode we meet Alistair Parvin.    Civic Radio is part of the Civic Shop and is published by Tech for Good TV 

CIVIC RADIO: Alistair Parvin

We feature stories that help you navigate the world of tech and keep updated on society's most important topics. We share the best of tech for good with our community, reveal the impact that technology has - both good and bad - and encourage debate about the issues that matter now and in the future. Who are the people, projects, communities and industries that use technology to create social change?