SO, HERE’S WHAT WE’RE ABOUT…
Technology has improved our lives in so many ways – from health and education to its potential to save us extra work and time. For us as individuals, technology also remains an important part of our daily lives – whether it be accessing information, or simply creating, as a hobby, in groups, or for work.
Here at the FreeTech Project we believe in technology functioning to meet each of our needs, where each of us make informed choices and customise our hardware and software to suit our individual preferences on privacy, security, and more: tech where we’re in control, rather than feeling like the tech itself is running away in control of things without us.
We value science and technology, and believe that — as important as they clearly are — they need to be accessible to as many people as possible — whether it be promoting better internet connectivity or computer re-use, or even just discussing complex technology in plain language.
The FreeTech Project is strictly not-for-profit, run by a small, dedicated team of volunteers and freelance facilitators. We try and utilise grant funding to keep our workshops free or “pay-as-you-feel,” and demystify tech in a fun, friendly, and informal way, welcoming both absolute beginners and even passionate computer geeks hungry for more knowledge to learn and share. What one person isn’t familiar with, the next person may well be — and that’s why we nurture environments where skill-sharing can be utilised as well.
This ethos of sharing expands beyond our learning modules — we enjoy partnering and sharing resources with other organisations, and we promote free and open source software as much as possible. We believe the digital commons is important to preserve, protect, and promote, where communities create, share, and utilise technology free from the commodification culture of profit-driven corporations.
WE HAVE SIX SUMMARISED STANDARDS OF SERVICE:
SAVINGS.
We believe in saving money by expanding the lifespan of the technology we use, or even by simply embracing technology designed with sustainability in mind.
SAFETY.
We believe in safe spaces, with no tolerance towards bigotry, including but not limited to homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, ageism or ableism.
SCIENCE.
We believe in promoting science, from valuing public health to safeguarding against misinformation.
SECURITY.
We believe in security as an important way to protect privacy and sensitive information.
SUSTAINABILITY.
We believe in sustainability, such as by increasing the lifespan of the technology we use.
SHARING.
We believe in sharing, whether it be sharing skills, or sharing resources and valuing free and open source software.