# Narrative proposal Community Mapping Tools -First draft

# **Background and justification**

This proposal is built by different hands, by a group of people who live and work in diverse contexts around the world. Most of us met in an event in August of this year, *DWeb*, organized with the main objective to build links and networks of people and organizations that seek a more decentralized Internet. So that's what we did: during the event we got together and saw that we have common interests and the actions that we had been developing in our contexts could strengthen each other. After the event we have gathered in virtual spaces with other colleagues from our organizations to think of a way to make synergy, to design a space - or several - so that there is more governance in the digital world, especially on the part of the most vulnerable populations and where there is a diversity of worldviews and ways of being in the world.

But then who are we? We are passionate, dreamers and we are accompanying grassroots communities (Indigenous, Afro-descendants, peasants, people living in peripheral areas in cities, migrants, refugees, LGTBIQ+, popular communicators, environmental defenders, people with disabilities, among others) in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, India, Colombia, Australia and the United States to strengthen their technological autonomy, from a critical, pertinent vision and where they can use digital tools and the Internet for their life projects and good living.

We have accompanied processes for the gestation of community networks, in the creation of local content with native languages, in locally-owned infrastructures, models of sustainability and governance, in autonomous servers, documentation and systematization of experiences, in pedagogical methodologies of accompaniment, storytelling, development of applications for localized solutions, among others.

# **why are we developing this proposal?**

Within all our projects and processes, we have realized that there have been developing different applications; free software initiatives, p2p, decentralized, etc. that are mostly free, secure, easy to access and without any lucrative purpose that contribute to the actions that are taking place locally. Some of these are related to the defense of the territory (such as EDT of Digital Democracy), the creation of radio and video content, educational platforms, georeferencing, information search tools, videoconferencing platforms, chat and calls, clouds, electronic mail, among others.

Despite the variety of tools that exist, there is no repository that groups them into categories and that have been tested in different contexts based on the limitations that may arise (access equipment, capacity, technical skills, security, language, etc.). In addition, that can be found in a friendly search engine where you could write a felt need by the community and that the various options are displayed.

Beyond wanting to offer a technological solution model, we want to make it easier for people to find a tool that responds to their perspectives, needs and dreams. Additionally, having a tool among communities, organizations, people and collectives where we can exchange experiences with the use of them, strengthening this network, in which we seek technologies contributing the autonomy, governance in each territory, guarantee the right to communication and expand the plurality of voices.

# **Goal**

Build a Community mapping tools that are easy to access, free, inclusive, intuitive, online-offline, dynamic, in different languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and decentralized, in which diverse grassroots communities and organizations that accompany processes of technological autonomy can find and share solutions based on their needs, dreams and communication strategies.

# **Objectives**

* Design a development model of the tool under principles of cooperation, security, inclusion, free and under lived experiences of grassroots communities and local organizations.
* To develop the community mapping tool in a decentralized way, where it can be hosted on autonomous servers, cell phones, computers or the Internet.
* Share and consolidate a network with people, collectives and organizations to continue enriching the community mapping tool with stories, dialogues and suggestions.

# **Indicators**

* 1 protocol/guide for use and access to the community mapping tool
* 1 Community mapping tool developed in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
* at least 30 applications tested in a variety of contexts
* 5 spaces for dialogue with communities on needs and uses of tools
* 5 case studies on the use of tools

# **Activities**

**Objective 1:**

* Make a mapping of what are the needs and dreams that the communities we accompany have, as well as the applications that are already being used.
* Make a map of applications that we consider can be in the Community mapping tool, taking into account (name, what it is used for, link, category, required infrastructure, sovereignty, by whom it was created, language, cost, user friendly, etc.).
* Test the applications in different contexts
* Build a protocol of use, access and appropriation of the tool.

**Objective 2:**

* Define the development model: tags
* Development of the application at ....
* Test the application on different devices, etc.

**Objective 3:**

* Develop virtual meetings with different people, organizations, communities that are interested in these topics and want to test the tools in their context.
* Build an action plan to enrich the platform with stories, success stories, among others.
* Make webinars or events in which the experience can be shared so that more communities can use them.