What is Edgeryders?
At Edgeryders we support our members in creating self-sustaining projects that contribute to a common good. Our diverse community is made up of people from all walks of life and different places around the planet that share ideas and collaborate together on projects.
We are a not-for-profit organisation that grew out of a project funded by the Council of Europe in 2011; it aimed to figure out how governments could tackle mass youth unemployment.
Our founders built an open online platform that allowed hundreds of individuals to share their experiences of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown. They also created a methodology and software that helped process and analyse the information provided.
Soon after completing that project, we realised the open online platform built for the project along with the methodology and software we developed could be used for other projects too.
Since then, we have continued to build on and develop our platform and tools. Over the past eight years, we have 6000 registered users, 70,000 posts and members of our communities have orchestrated some fascinating projects.
Some of these include successfully advising cities on how to win the title of European Capitals of Culture to harnessing our network to create training tools for effective remote work.
Why Edgeryders?
When you join Edgeryders you become part of a collaborative community. Through structured activities our members can become inspired by one another and help each other improve existing projects and develop new initiatives together.
Together with others we use new tools to build a deep experience that no small group or individual could reach on their own.
How we work
Edgeryders’ process begins when an idea or solution is posted on the platform, sparking discussion among community members. Some join in, actively listening, asking questions or giving thoughtful responses.
The discussion begins with first hand accounts of attempts taken to solve societal issues and moves to navigating the personal challenges experienced by members. Nuances and the various different contexts surrounding these challenges begins to show.
These conversation starters can occur through different mediums that take place on our platform, which include: listening sessions, webinars, online co-creation workshops, person to person support sessions and online hackathons
After ideas and thoughts have been exchanged, our open source technology makes connections between topics being discussed, the people discussing them, places, projects, solutions and struggles.
When we put this together, patterns start to emerge that help join these ideas and people to each other and to other information, skill and resources.
By the end of the process, our community members have gained a richer knowledge and understanding of the issue they wish to tackle and have a blueprint to put their idea into action.
So, what are you waiting for?
If you are an activist, entrepreneur, changemaker, expert, hacker or doer who thinks they can change something within our society, join the Edgeryders community today by signing up here. Introduce yourself to our community at our camp fire and share your thoughts. Who knows how your idea will have evolved a year from now?