A Digital Common for Open Governance
As an open & free digital common, Voca aims to become a dynamic force in open governance.
In this article we explore the intersection of our role as a digital common and its capacity to foster a community of developers, civic-technology enthusiasts, and participation experts to build a resilient and transparent product for open governance. By intertwining these elements, we are determined to emerge as a public good for digital participation.
The Power of Digital Commons and Networks
Voca is a shared digital resource shaped by a community. This collaborative approach helps us collectively grow and maintain a more stable, resilient, and adaptable product. We are not building a company, we are not building processes, we are putting together a community of interest that is collectively responsible for ensuring it remains aligned with its purpose and mission. Collaboration among developers, participation enthusiasts, and implementers fosters collective intelligence through a culture of openness and inclusivity. This diversity of perspectives equips us to address a multitude of governance challenges across geographies and cultures.
Engaging an Existing Community of Developers
Voca is built upon existing civic tech communities centered on developers and enthusiasts dedicated to open-source innovation. We are not a new technology, we are a layer to Decidim, and building on it helps us to foster a collaborative and enthusiastic community. Their collaboration refines features, identifies bugs, and addresses challenges. Through this community, we are better able to improve the software and make it more useful to those who use it.
Local Network of Experts for Impact at Scale
Voca is built upon a network of participation experts rooted in their local political and cultural context who are best able to create participation frameworks and models engaging Decidim users. We empower them to focus on their expertise that is participation and build Decidim instances on-demand without needing to get entangled in tech support. Our upcoming template feature also helps them reproduce existing Decidim platforms and build upon successful participation frameworks. Their local insights enrich Voca's community of users, ensuring sharing and learning from real-world applications. Our locally rooted networks support a global community of users.
A Nexus of Responsibility that Guarantees Transparency and Resilience
Voca's network thrives on collaborative responsibility reinforcing the purpose and stability of the product. Stakeholders engage with the product making it a shared common resource that guarantees more reliability through the diversity of its usage. We envision our product as a common innovation that helps us be on point with the needs and use-cases of open governance technology. It is Voca's network of stakeholders that secures its relevance and stability.
Pioneering a Collaborative Governance Future
Our journey reflects on the fusion of digital commons and collaborative networks. By embracing this synergy, we stand as a resilient platform that allows Decidim users to build the governance models of their choice. To read more about our vision behind Voca, explore our Theory of Change.
You can join us on this journey and explore how Voca enhances digital participation: please connect with us at guillaume@octree.ch.
Let's shape together a governance future fueled by collaboration.
— Guillaume for Voca
