ONLY BY joining forces will it be possible to fully address the most serious challenges we as a nation face today. To this end, the Scottish Tech Army, a not-for-profit organisation focused on harnessing the power of technology for good, today announced the formation of the Tech for Good Alliance which will be formally launched at the Tech for Good Summit Scotland taking place on 28th April.
Now in its second year, the event will focus on the power of collaboration and the role technology, and the tech sector have to play in supporting the third sector as it comes under ever-increasing pressure. The event is being co-presented by CodeClan, Inspiring Scotland and OpenUK and will pave the way for a new level of collaboration to advance the tech for good agenda.
The line-up of speakers and panellists includes Celia Tennant, CEO of Inspiring Scotland, Ali Marano, Global Head of Tech for Social Good at JPMorgan Chase, and Theresa Shearer, CEO of ENABLE Scotland, along with speakers from many of the leading tech organisations in the UK and internationally.
Collaboration and the development and promotion of the tech for good ecosystem are key themes for us in the Scottish Tech Army,” said Alistair Forbes, co-founder and CEO of the Scottish Tech Army. “We believe that, while there are many great programmes and projects being carried out under the banner of tech for good, the landscape remains fragmented and that as a result, the impact is less than it could be.
This is what the Tech for Good Alliance aims to address by bringing together members of the tech and tech-related industries to tackle the problems facing society today and aggregate and amplify the impact that can be delivered across the ecosystem. In launching the Tech for Good Alliance, we are inviting organisations with a desire to deliver that impact to join forces and create positive change”.
A number of leading companies have already made large and long-term commitments to tech for good and the Tech for Good Summit will showcase some of these as examples of what can be achieved. Representatives of IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft and Salesforce will participate in a panel discussion – Tech for Good Titans – chaired by Raymond O’Hare, formerly Country Manager for Scotland at Microsoft and now Chair of Technology & Change Board, ENABLE Scotland.
Forbes went on to say “The tech and tech-related sectors have enormous resources at their disposal that, directed effectively, can create very significant positive change in the world, but it is not easy to know what to do or how to begin. The Tech for Good Summit will explore meaningful and impactful CSR programmes and the Tech for Good Alliance creates a platform to help organisations at the beginning of their journey to start and develop their own tech for good initiatives to benefit not only society but their company and their people”.
Summit Themes (full agenda here: https://tfgscot22.scottishtecharmy.org/schedule/):
The Art of the Possible
Post pandemic, the Third and Public Sectors are still under intense pressure. Greater reliance on fewer resources is highlighting the need for new thinking. Through our Art of the Possible discussions, we will showcase real world examples that demonstrate the impact that technology can have to help organisations deliver more effectively, efficiently and affordably and on a scale that has never been seen before.
Tech for Good Ecosystem
The Tech for Good Ecosystem is alive and well in Scotland, but we believe that a great deal more is possible. Our panels discuss the roles and contributions of all organisations that can play a part in the overall mission and how the ecosystem nourishes every part of it – charity, volunteer, employer and customer. We need a new alliance – only by joining forces can we really address the challenges we face today.
Agents of Change
Volunteers are Agents of Change – we will highlight and celebrate their contributions show they create value for the organisations they sign up to help and the impact for the people served by those organisations. We will explore the quality of their experiences as volunteers, learners and employees and provide examples of the value that volunteers deliver back into the organisations that employ them.
Register here: https://tfgscot22.scottishtecharmy.org/tickets/
For details on how to get involved in the work of the Scottish Tech Army, please visit:https://www.scottishtecharmy.org/take-action
