Our Networks is a conference about the past, present, and future of building our own network infrastructures. Now in its second year, the event brings together enthusiasts, hardware and software hackers, researchers, organizers and more to collectively explore creative and critical engagements with the Internet and alternative infrastructures.
The event has a Code of Conduct in order to foster an environment where we can all work together. During the event if you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, we ask you to contact an organizer immediately. Those who wish to do so but don’t feel comfortable talking to the organizers in-person can email coc@ournetworks.ca.
We would like to acknowledge this sacred land on which Our Networks will take place. Tkaronto (Toronto) has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. The territory was the subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
We are grateful to the First Nations House and Elders Circle (Council of Aboriginal Initiatives) for the language that this acknowledgement is based on.
Organizers
Our Networks organizers have hosted civic tech events and community networks workshops, created network literacy materials, and built mesh networking software for the past two years.
Benedict Lau is an engineer working on mobile software and mesh networks. He is a contributor and organizer at Toronto Mesh, currently focused on meshing with single-board computers and building deployment tools and literacy around peer-to-peer applications.
Dawn Walker is a researcher and PhD student at the University of Toronto focused on participatory design tactics for building environmental civic technologies. She also imagines possibilities for grassroots and decentralized (environmental) data with EDGI and Data Together. A keen urban agriculturalist, Dawn would rather be in the garden.
Garry Ing is a designer and technologist residing in Toronto, contributing to Toronto Mesh. His previous work and collaborations has been with the Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) at OCAD University, the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab at the University of Toronto, and Normative. He is a graduate of OCAD University, with a background in graphic design.
Patrick Connolly is a failed biochemist, a computer programmer, a co-organizer of CivicTech Toronto, and an anarchist sympathizer. He is interested in liquid democracy, the changing nature of work, and how we can build communities and organizations that are more open, inclusive, and resilient.
Sarah Friend is an artist and software engineer working at a large blockchain development studio. When not doing that, she creates games and other interactive experiences. Her practice more broadly explores the polar concerns of privacy and transparency and the political/environmental implications of technology. She is a proud Recurse Center alum, and has recently presented at the Montreal International Games Showcase, the MoneyLab program by the Institute for Networked Culture in London, and Transmediale Berlin.
Design
Design concept and logo by Marlo Yarlo.
I want to make this event better, how can I help?
Coming to our free kickoff party Yami-ichi or pitching a project for our Sprints. We are planning this event openly so you can also check tasks we are working on. If those activities don’t appeal to you, we will need volunteers to help the event run smoothly–reach out to us at orga@ournetworks.ca to be added to the volunteer list.