A real-world social network.
First things first.
If you have arrived here from Twitter, you will be pleased to know that our Community IT Drop-in is also a social network, we have hundreds of followers and users — and we exist entirely in the Real World. It’s a place where real people meet and talk face-to-face. It’s run mainly by older local people — not as a service, but as our way of promoting social inclusion and community cohesion.
The place can change, but not our values.
We have had an excellent venue for the last three years — but we can’t do much without Internet. It feels like time for a change, and that is why we need you. Somewhere, probably not far away, there is an underused or disused space that would be perfect for this long-term, thriving community asset. We don’t know where it is, but you do.
What would it look like?
- Reasonably close to an adequate bus route (many of our regulars can’t walk long distances).
- Ideally — close to the Stamford Hill – Stoke Newington High St – Kingsland Rd – Shoreditch High St axis through Hackney. But other areas might be even more ideal, and it certainly does not have to be in Hackney.
- Ideally — a hackable space, waiting for some community enthusiasm and commitment, not overseen by a local authority.
What could we bring?
- Instant community engagement, especially with people who have decades of experience of community dynamics.
- If you like the idea of digital inclusion, some of us have decades of that experience too.
- Resources for an oven-ready community computing project — human (users, supporters, volunteers) and digital (hardware, software) — perhaps an Internet connection too.
- Grassroots energy — universally acknowledged as the most effective antidote to a funding gap.
When could this happen?
- Pre-COVID-19, we could have suggested ‘tomorrow’. Everything is different now. It might be some time before we can revert to the Drop-in as we have always known it — the opposite of Social Distancing.
- A return to the full-scale drop-in may be weeks or even months in the future. Many of us are carers of vulnerable people, or are vulnerable ourselves.
- Meanwhile, we could create small-scale low-risk activities (eg- for up to 8 people), and maybe act as a hub for online contact until this is all over (we do have some useful experience of GSuite Meet for that purpose).
How to contact us.
- Email (best) — helpteam@hellohackney.net
- Phone — 07761 887927
- Twitter — @HelloHackney
