Meet our Connectors. They are anti-corruption and transparency experts, social entrepreneurs, and journalists based around the world – Seattle, Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Lagos, Manila, and Karachi –helping us to get the word out about TESTING 123. Beyond efforts to encourage their own networks to develop new and testable ideas for greater transparency and accountability, they are promoting the Innovation Fund in online and offline communities in various spaces and locations.
Grassroots ideas are coming out of the woodwork as our Connector, Dondon Parafina, travels to local governance forums and spreads the word through ANSA-EAP in Southeast Asia.
Our Connector Tobias Eigen (@tobiaseigen) featured the Fund on Slashopen.net, his open data initiative.
TESTING 123 has reached the blogger’s paradise – Global Voices – through the help of our Connector, Renata Avila (@avilarenata).
It has also reached Spanish speakers through this article, thanks to our friends at RACI and our Connector Hernan Charosky (@charosky).
Offline, innovators in Lagos and Karachi have been invited to attend the following events this week:
What: Info Session: Testing 123 Global Integrity Innovation Fund
Where: Co-Creation Hub – Lagos, Nigeria
When: October 15th 16:30 (GMT +1)
For more information on this event, email our Connector, ‘Bosun Tijani [bosun@cchubnigeria.com].
What: Innovating to tackle corruption: A discussion and film screening of Us Now
Where: PeaceNiche – Karachi, Pakistan
When: October 19th
For more information on this event, email our Connector, Fahad Desmukh [fahad.desmukh@gmail.com]
Also, on Thursday, October 18th, our Connector, Fahad Desmukh, will give a brief introduction to the innovation fund during his appearance on The Breakfast Show of CityFM89 Pakistan radio.
The buzz around TESTING 123 has given us the opportunity to partner with others that are hosting events with similar goals. One such example is the US Department of State’s upcoming TechCamp in Sarajevo on October 18th and 19th, focused on New Technology for Accountability and Open Government. Participants in the TechCamp will be introduced to TESTING 123 and encouraged to submit their ideas for funding. Our friends at Transparency International will also be announcing the fund in their upcoming Hackathon.
We understand that innovation is a result of collaboration. As such, we want ideators across the globe to have the opportunity to work together in generating the half-crazy ideas that we want to help test. Our Connectors have been invaluable in creating spaces for collaboration, and we want to thank them for all their help! If you are an innovator with a fresh idea or keen on brainstorming with others to come up with ideas, feel free to reach out to our Connectors to learn about opportunities for further information.
— Nicole Anand
— Image Credit: Flickr | Anthony Reeves at WebWizzard
