BetaNYC was founded to be a communal safe space for neighbors and government to solve problems. Since 2009, we have matured this idea and have continued to expand our ability to build a city for the people, by the people, for the 21st century.
Now, in our 5th year, we are 2,000 strong and pioneering a 21st century practice of information, technology, design, and local empowerment. Standing on top of concrete legislative and policy wins, we want 2015 to be our most successful year to date. For BetaNYC to grow, we need YOU to lead!
Today we announce the formation of four working groups!
- Membership Committee will be a team of nine and help outline future governance and membership platform. Apply Here.
- Hosting Workgroup, minimum team of eight, will help move BetaNYC’s hacknights into a “free school” and turn BetaTalks into an unforgettable monthly event. Apply Here.
- Facilitators & Educators Workgroup, will be a community of mentors and educators who can help lead the City’s civic technology and design ecosystem. Apply Here.
- Storytellers Workgroup, minimum team of six, will capture New York City’s civic technology and hacking story. They will be task with translating our collective actions into words and images into something we all can find meaningful. Apply Here.
These four groups will form the heart of BetaNYC. This heart will grow the connective tissue to build a stronger body that oversees civic technology, design, and tools for local empowerment. To us, technology, data, and design are tools for conversations. While we value building tools and practices, we value human relationships at the heart of the process. Over 2015, we want the body of BetaNYC to use their technology, data, and design skills to solve local problems and build stronger, resilient neighborhoods.
BetaNYC is committed to a diverse leadership team that represents the best of NYC’s civic, technology, and design ecosystem. Through this application process, we want to maximize ability, diversity, and throughput. We are striving to build an environment where every member is valued and challenged to achieve their potential while executing their duties and BetaNYC’s mission.
Join us and build a New York City for the 21st Century. All applications are due 14 Sep 2014, by 23:30 NYC time.
Expectations / Requirements:
- Committed to BetaNYC’s Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy.
- Regularly attend BetaNYC events.
- Outside of BetaNYC events, commits to working 5 to 10 hours a month on their workgroup issues & assignments.
- Participates in respective workgroup’s email list, online task list & accomplish quality work.
- Each committee or workgroup is expected to meet once or twice a month to address and resolve pressing issues.
- Each committee or workgroup would send a representative to a monthly “core meeting.”
Benefits:
- Pioneer the global civic hacking movement!
- Lead smart government and civic technology policy and practice in New York City.
- Be listed on BetaNYC’s website as part of the leadership team.
- Represent BetaNYC at NYC technology & design ecosystem events.
- An official “@BetaNYC.us” email address. <= best part right?! 😉
- Limited edition BetaNYC hoodie, t-shirt, button, and ‘civic hacker’ business card.
About future governance:
Organizationally, we are recruiting an inaugural “membership committee.” This is a bit of a constitutional committee. To be a community based organization, we need the community to lead. BetaNYC’s Board of Directors is placing its future governance into this committee’s hands. This committee will be charged with writing BetaNYC’s not-for-profit bylaws, developing BetaNYC’s membership and partnerships platform, hosting the initial community fundraiser, helping implement our demographics and diversity goals, and laying the foundation for the next 100 years.
Yes, 100 years! Collaborative technology and design practices are only going to be more important as we build technology and data programs for all and for this century.
Membership Committee Responsibilities:
- The first committee will be composed of nine “active BetaNYC members,” three of which are BetaNYC’s Board of Directors.
- Active members are defined as someone who has attended more than two BetaNYC meetings since Dec 2012 and lives by BetaNYC’s code of conduct.
- Committee members will be expected to volunteer five to ten hours a week (at least for the first four months). After 1 Jan 2015, this will be reviewed.
- You do not need to be a “technologist” but you must be comfortable attending bi-monthly conference calls/video chats, working remotely, via email lists, google docs, and online task boards.
- Apply here.
About future of events – BetaTalks and Hacknights:
For our events, we want to continue being one of NYC’s best in-show. BetaNYC’s Board of Directors are looking to develop BetaTalks into a monthly showcase of apps, maps, hacks, and community leaders. For the rest of the month, we will host hacknights and we would like them to operate as a free-school. At these hacknights, you can tap into facilitators and mentors who know their bits and engage with other community leaders. We have put together a document outlining how to run a BetaNYC hacknight.
Hosting Workgroup:
- Apply Here
- Mission: coordinate and organize BetaNYC’s hacknights and BetaTalks.
- Workgroup members must represent themselves as safe space coordinators and be responsible to address any issue that pops up and flag these issues with the membership committee.
- Promote, setup, and cleanup of Hacknights and BetaTalks
- Ensure refreshments are stocked. If needed, food and/or snacks are ordered, delivered, and receipts are processed.
- Provide weekly feedback and attendance reports.
Storytellers Workgroup:
- Apply Here
- Mission: – Attend BetaNYC events, capture images, videos, and stories. Share these stories with email lists, press, blogs, and other social media outlets.
- Produce a online content and a monthly newsletter that features upcoming events, projects, and featured BetaNYC members.
- Help develop BetaNYC’s public information portal.
Facilitators & Educators Workgroup:
- Apply Here
- Mission: In essence, become the “go-tos” in your subject area. Represent these subjects online and in person events. Facilitate conversations and/or interest around respective subject areas, document people and projects, and help run events.
- Help develop BetaNYC’s public information portal to share project ideas, completed projects, facilitator & educator profiles, and member profiles.
- Find and recruit relevant community educators who can teach at hacknights and work with the storytellers workgroup to document those stories.
- Find and recruit a network of facilitators who can represent subjects and schedule them to be present at hacknights.
Questions:
Every application has its own question session. If you have a question about a role or opportunity, please ask it within its respective application.