The OpenVillage Festival is a #nospectators event. Each talk, workshop or exhibit is contributed by participants. The program is thoughtfully assembled by curators who work with session leaders to make the most out of the interests and learning expectations of each:
- Community curators are leaders on the ground. Each of them proposes a theme that she will curate. Her/his job is to find the content to exhibit, get the relevant stories blogged out here on the Edgeryders platform, and convene their protagonists at the OpenVillage itself. Curators receive an opencare fellowship and/or a travel allowance.
- Guest curators are senior people - established scientists, or serial entrepreneurs, for example – who act as a sounding board to support OpenVillage participants in their work. They give them advice and access to global networks. They have no specific commitments, other than to offer advice upon request and participate at the OpenVillage.
- Participants and session leaders are active community members involved in articulating questions from their work and shaping a collaborative program.
Francis Coughlin - Woodbine Health Autonomy Resource Center. A medical doctor, resident in a public hospital in NYC and a member at woodbine.nyc, Frank is a revolutionary doctor working to build infrastructure at the community level, for people to reclaim their health and reduce their dependency of oppresive systems. At woodbine, they are organising discussions, running workshops (i.e. introduction in health systems) and learning events (i.e. skillshare) where the colective develops skills, practices and tools needed to approach health in a holistic manner. Say hi to Frank here.
Areas of expertise: #healthsystem #ER medicine #firstaid #communal autonomy #wellness #alternativemedicine #mentalhealth #fitness
Winnie Poncelet - Reagent, Ekoli & OpenInsulin A mix of engineer, biologist, entrepreneur and storyteller. ReaGent, Ekoli and other educational non-profits he co-founded in Ghent, Belgium, mainly work on rendering science and technology more accessible to diverse groups. A big focus is on the way in which they do it, always trying to stimulate cooperation and other values. In Edgeryders he’s now coordinating the OpenInsulin global group. Looking at things from diverse perspectives is a competence Winnie values highly. Say hi to him here.
Areas of expertise: openscience citizenscience #engineering diy biomaterials interdisciplinary collaboration
Gehan Macleod - Galgael A hoarder of bits of thinking and disruptive thoughts with occasional bouts of fundamentalism about things that should be simple. Lives in Glasgow, Scotland where she co-founded the GalGael Trust, which she prefers to think of as a social solidarity organisation rather than a charity engaged in traditional forms of community development. The collective works together on the demanding common tasks that demonstrate ways of living with more humanity in our times. Say hello to Gehan here.
Areas of expertise: #woodbuilding community activism #marginalization #publicpolicy Wellbeing in Europe #therapy #mentalhealth
Matthias Ansorg – Edgeryders & PayCoupons An open source hacker who refuses to believe that his work borders on magic (it does!). Among other projects, he is currently working on a moneyless mass collaboration tool called PayCoupons and a new marketplace with six smallholder farmers from Nepal shipping coffee beans to Europe with no intermediaries. Say hi to Matt here.
Areas of expertise: #diyEverything resilience economy development #opensystems #computing EarthOS
Noemi Salantiu - Edgeryders, Food Waste Combat A social science background coupled with soft skills honed in the digital realm, Noemi is one of Edgeryders co-founders from back in 2011. She’s consistently pulling off balancing acts of working online and on the ground to enable care by communities caught in complex systems. Finds that residency at Edgeryders Reef will fill in the gaps brought by the promise of the digital as an instrument to provide support and real care to change makers around the globe. A believer in strong work ethics and human kindness.
Areas of expertise: #communitybuilding #onlinecommunities peer #humancare #socialcontracts fairness #networkweaving #facilitation
Guest Curators
Eric Osiakwan - Chanzo Capital Entrepreneur and Investor with 15 years of ICT industry leadership across Africa and the world. Eric was part of the team that built the TEAMS submarine cable in East Africa - he has worked in 32 African countries setting up ISPs, ISPAs, IXPs and high-tech startups. Some of these companies and organizations are Angel Africa, Angel Fair Africa , Ghana Cyber City, PenPlusBytes, African Elections Portal, FOSSFA, WABco, GISPA, AfrISPA, GNVC, Internet Research, InHand, Ghana Connect. He serves on the board of Farmerline, Forhey , Teranga Solutions, Siqueries , Amp.it, SameLogic, eCampus, Bisa App, SeeSayDo and Wanjo Foods, - some of which are his investments. Eric is a Poptech, TED, Stanford, MIT and Harvard fellow.
Marco Manca - CERN & Scimpulse Foundation A Medical Doctor by education, with more than 10 years of research and clinical practice in Internal Medicine, and a long history of volunteer activities, including providing medical services for free in refugees shelters in South of Italy, and in social-care centres for troubled children. CoFounder, and Chairman of the Board of SCImPULSE Foundation, a sandbox and incubator Foundation dedicated to philanthropic projects ranging from financial inclusion, to the future of medicine. Senior Research Fellow of the Director for Medical Applications at CERN, the European Nuclear Physics Organization, where he has experienced the complex ways of International Diplomacy, and the facilitating role of science and education.