Welcome to Space Cadets

A dynamic space for Social Justice Activists and Movement Technologists. Engage in community-driven workshops and collaborations to level up your use of tech in your activist organizing work.

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Space Cadets is your community center at the intersection of social activism and Movement Technology. A digital space where communal creativity is fostered and collective actions are nurtured.

Dive into interactive workshops, share space during weekly livestreams, and contribute to community-driven projects — all steering towards visions of the future with social justice and collective liberation as the north star.

Subscribe to the Navigational Notes newsletter to stay connected, and discover emerging opportunities for individual growth, co-learning, and purpose-driven collaboration.

Hello there! I'm Lyre Calliope, your host at Space Cadets, a new digital gathering place where social activism, technology, and creativity meet, and curiosity and collaboration converge.

🤔 What does this mean?

Picture Space Cadets as an events venue and project creation space. This is a place where you, along with those you value and collaborate with, can attend events such workshops and social gatherings. A place where we collectively build and resource shared tools and frameworks for research, collaboration, collective actions, care, and play.

✨ Why "Space Cadets"?

The concept behind Space Cadets has its roots in my childhood, often lost in daydreams. Grounding my activism in curiosity and what I imagine to be possible has been a powerful motivator to connect with others to share and strive towards visions of a thriving future filled with hope and love.

As a queer Puerto Rican and lifelong 🖖🏼trekkie, I cherish and embrace the diversity and strength in my own identity. This constellation of identities combined with my experiences as a community organizer, technologist, and nonprofit sector participant, has enabled me to recognize the essential necessity for bridge building between people and communities who:

Utilize technology in their activism
Create, manage, and teach technology as their vocation
Advocate for the responsible integration of technology in the social and political spheres.

Space Cadets aims to be playground for exploration of Movement Technology*, for social activists and non-profit professionals, especially from queer and BIPOC communities whose voices, stories, and leadership illuminate paths of learning and creativity. It's a haven where curiosity meets action, inviting people to navigate, benefit from, and shape digital landscapes with a community-oriented perspective, crafting a space where empathy meets innovation, trekking towards a society rooted in equity, community wisdom, and collective liberation.

✳️

Movement Technology: Using technology strategically to support and amplify social justice movements. This involves using and guiding the development of digital tools that align with the values of these movements, fostering collaboration, enhancing communication, and promoting liberation.

🚀 Get Started

Here's what's on the horizon at Space Cadets:

Interactive Workshops and Events

Discover upcoming events and workshops where collective knowledge meets hands-on experience:

Upcoming Workshop: "Activism and Tech: Power Up Your Organizing with Tech That Embodies Your Values" (October 25 and 26, 1 p.m. -4 p.m ET both days). Designed for activists and organizers, especially from queer and BIPOC communities, this nontechnical workshop empowers you to navigate the landscape of Movement Technology through a political lens by fostering social connections and collaborations that align your tech choices with your values. Don't miss out - register by October 21st to secure your spot. Early birds registering by September 22nd will receive a bonus 1-hour coaching session post-workshop to further refine your strategy.

Weekly Livestream: "lyre.live with @CaptainCalliope" (Thursdays, 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET) Join for lively chats on creativity, culture, and tech's role in society. You can also stop by during impromptu streams for casual conversations and shared coworking space with some chill chill music in the background. For notifications when the stream goes live, you can click on the "Follow" or the "Notifications" buttons on the right hand side of lyre.live, or follow @CaptainCalliope on the Fediverse/Mastodon.

Offerings and Opportunities

Our offerings will be fundamentally community-driven based on need, inquiry, and relationship. Here's a shortlist of the types of programming that may be developed for you to benefit from, contribute to, and even start here at Space Cadets:

Creating Resources and How-To's: Getting into topics in technology that are relevant to our communities, the aim is to develop resources that encapsulate the collective wisdom and experiences of Space Cadets members.
Setting up community-managed software Tools: Setting up open-source communication and collaboration platforms that align with the values and principles of Movement Technology and Design Justice* to meet the needs of Space Cadets and those closest to us in collaboration and care. These could range from community-managed social media apps to alternatives to popular cloud storage apps, facilitating agency and autonomy in movement work.
Spaces for Play, Care, and Respite: Developing spaces where community members can find both relaxation and engagement. These could encompass new spaces such as virtual art galleries to showcase community art and multimedia projects, organizing a book club, or setting up a Minecraft server as a safe space for virtual connection and creative play.

✳️

Design Justice: A framework, encompassing design practices of all kinds, that advocates for the fair distribution of design's benefits and burdens; meaningful participation in design decisions; and the recognition of community-based design traditions. It challenges the privilege and power structures that use design to maintain oppressive systems, and seeks to create design processes that center those who are often marginalized by design. For more, read the Design Justice Principles.

Stay in the Loop: Navigational Notes is your gateway to the evolving Space Cadets community. It offers a curated selection of resources such as topical news, tutorials, and critical analyses at the intersection of technology and society. Plus, be the first to learn about upcoming events and exclusive opportunities for engagement.
Save Time: Understanding the value of your time, each newsletter features a concise TLDR summary at the beginning, empowering you to gauge your interest for a deeper dive. Additionally, a video synopsis will often be available!
Join Conversations: Subscribing to the newsletter grants you access to participate in discussions right on this website. Your thoughts and can actively shape the progression of the Navigational Notes format, and the future of Space Cadets as a community of practice!

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