Technologists have the capacity to improve services that serve all citizens by becoming engaged in local and national government, as well as public interest campaigns, issues and causes, asserts U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith in a blog entry on medium.com.
Looking at ways public service can push technology policy, data and innovation efforts to make the country work better, Smith suggests engineers, designers, UX researchers and product managers, etc., get involved in local communities in collaboration with other experts.
While direct collaboration with policymakers and within government programs has improved healthcare access, national cybersecurity, immigrant resources management and more, Smith believes there are less formal ways to benefit user-focused services for the American people.
She suggests giving time to advise an agency or finding ways to use open-source data to craft apps. She believes techies can look at jobs across the local, state and federal levels that are transformative and can solve civic problems. And they can use skills to organize voices and focus on solutions through organizations like Code for America, where they can organize or participate in hackathons to build or use civic APIs.
“We can join a proud and growing tradition of technologists in public service extending back to George Washington’s Army Corps of Engineers, created before the country was even founded,” said Smith. “Think about what we can accomplish by solidifying and celebrating civic engagement in tech for this generation and beyond.”
The entire blog post can be read and commented on at medium.com/@USCTO. Engagement plans or works-in-progress can also be shared with the hashtag #TechniesEngage.
Techie engagement can help solve civic problems, says US CTO
