#nt100

Last year, PulseGuard won the NT100 award from the Nominet Trust, which acknowledged social tech entrepreneurs, who are changing the lives of people all around the world. A few months back, we were in London recently catching up with Nominet Trust and I had the opportunity to learn more about the trust, and throw a few down-to-earth fun questions at Communications Manager, Jess Dillon.

Tell me about yourself and your role at the Nominet Trust?

I’ve worked for Nominet Trust for 4 years now and I’m the Communications Manager, part of the current team of 10. It’s a great place to work because we get to support the most amazing social tech entrepreneurs tackling big social challenges using the internet and digital technology.

How did you come to work at the Nominet Trust?

It was actually through connections I had from my previous career, working for an organisation that developed and sold ICT to education, so I’ve got 15 years’ plus experience working in marketing & comms. It was an exciting transition to make; from working with tech in a commercial organisation, to tech for social good.

Can you tell me more about Nominet Trust and what they do?

Nominet Trust is the UK’s leading ‘tech for good’ funder and is the charitable foundation of Nominet, who are best known for managing the ‘.uk’ domain space. They are a public benefit company and to date have donated £39m to Nominet Trust. We work in three different ways. We fund organisations like PulseGuard, that use digital technology for social good; we work in partnership with organisations such as Comic Relief, BAFTA and Creative England to extend our reach and help tackle social challenges on a broader scale; we advocate and champion the use of the internet and digital tech for social good through programs like our annual NT100, which PulseGuard also featured in last year.

When you were young, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I was quite girly and loved horses and animals. So anything to do with horses and animals!

And who was your childhood hero?

Jason Donovan (Obviously!) and Philip Schofield - Shows my age!

And do you have a current hero? Someone you look up to.

I’m always genuinely inspired by individuals who are developing solutions to personal challenges they have experienced within their own lives and families. People like Adrian and his family who have developed PulseGuard and others like Samiya and Naveed Parvez who developed Andiamo, using 3D printing and scanning to create orthotics for children, borne out of their experiences with their own child. In fact, in our search for the 2016 NT100, we are looking to celebrate Everyday Tech Heroes, so make sure you nominate!

During your time at Nominet Trust, are there any memorable moments that you want to share?

Yes! Every time we host a ‘kick-off’ meeting for our funded projects, it’s a proud moment because it brings home what we do and we hear directly from the founders and social entrepreneurs that we support. It’s always a touching moment and it makes your job worthwhile. And also the launch of the NT100 in December 2015, which was an enormous amount of work, carried out over 6 months. When we launched, it was fantastic to highlight the 100 most exciting projects we found from around the world that are using tech for social good and it gave all of those organisations a platform to share what they do.

Beans on Toast or Sunday Roast??

Sunday roast, cooked by my Mum with veggies from my Dad’s allotment!

Would you rather be able to swim like a dolphin, but only in mud, OR, be able to turn invisible, but only when no-one’s looking?

Invisibility! Even if no-one’s looking! (Laughs)… only in mud!?! This shows the way your mind works!! (More laughs!)

You’ve heard about what we do at Adris Technologies and PulseGuard. What are your own thoughts on the PulseGuard system?

PulseGuard, in all honesty, is one of the projects that I always explain to exemplify what Nominet Trust does and who we fund. It has amazing potential to change the lives of the whole family, not just an individual. It’s relatable; you can easily understand what it does and how it works without being technically minded. Everybody knows someone with a condition like epilepsy, and can understand the huge benefits of a product like PulseGuard. I’m also inspired by the family story of PulseGuard, it’s fantastic it’s been developed into a successful business out of the Perry family’s passion to make lives better for families like them.

Have you had any experience with epilepsy, or anyone you know who suffers with epilepsy?

My friend’s brother has epilepsy, so I understand how important it is to manage his seizures. I’ve heard many times the scenarios my friend has experienced during family holidays and day outs. And all the other things that a young person with epilepsy has to think about, like drinking, and remembering to take their medication, and issues with sleep, having to live with his parents as an adult as its necessary for his wellbeing.

Rock, Pop, Jazz or Death Metal Ragtime?

Rock and Pop! I like anything from Take That, Paloma Faith and Florence and the Machine, to Guns ‘N’ Roses.

Are there any interesting developments within the Nominet Trust that you are willing to share?

Yes! Our team is expanding. Our new Partnerships Director, Ed Evans has recently joined us, as has Programme Director, Chris Ashworth.  We are also recruiting further trustees to join the current board of four plus a new Chair. That will be interesting as we bring different experts on board to help steer the Trust and the types of social tech initiatives we support.

Would rather be a quadriplegic leopard or a crocodile with no teeth??

Oh gosh! Well either way you’d starve! I’m going with the crocodile because my 6-year-old daughter has a book where a little mouse pulls out the tooth of a crocodile with tooth-ache. He’s a grumpy old croc and the mouse helps him.

Does he become a nice croc?

He does, He does!! I’m going with the nice croc. I wouldn’t be so snappy!

What was one of the most ridiculous applications you’ve received for the Nominet Trust?

Despite being a ‘social tech’ funder, sometimes we still get enquiries about projects with no tech element whatsoever!

What is your take on the fashion that is storming the UK by storm…? Ear Wellies…

Are you joking?? (Laughs)

Will you be buying a pair?

Ear Wellies?? Where did you get that from?? Have you got ear wellies??

Finally, what does the future hold for Nominet Trust?

Hopefully we will still be doing what we do best, and that is providing grant funding and business support to more amazing social tech ventures. If money and time were no object, then we would provide the best personal and business support, along with the cash, because to be a successful venture, it’s about building your expertise to make connections and making sure your business is sustainable.

Our search is on for the 2016 NT100 too, so make sure you nominate inspiring tech for good ventures by 30th September at: socialtech.org.uk/nominate

For more information on the Nominet Trust, click the following links: Nominet Trust Website, details on the NT100 and to nominate, & Twitter Page

-  a close up on an NT100 'trailblazer'

By Matisse Bustos Hawkes and Stacy Raye Kellogg of WITNESS

WITNESS is incredibly proud to have been named one of 10 Trailblazers among the Nominet Trust 100. We’ve been using technology since our inception in 1992, when co-founder Peter Gabriel and a handful of others set a vision to open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. Back then the aim was to “give cameras to the world” so that survivors of human rights abuses could tell their own stories. We knew that if the world had a visual record of their experience, the violations couldn’t be denied or buried.

Members of the Endorois community film testimony to present to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Photo courtesy of WITNESS.

And we did increase the visibility and impact of these stories. Since our founding, WITNESS has partnered with more than 300 human rights groups in 86 countries, trained over 4,500 human rights defenders, and supported the inclusion of video in more than 100 campaigns. WITNESS videos have helped restore lands to an indigenous community in Kenya, put a warlord behind bars for recruiting child soldiers in the DRC and passed the adoption of the first-ever legal protection for elderly Americans at risk of abuse.

But we have recognized the need to reach millions more people. Yes, millions. Today, thanks in large part to mobile phone companies, the majority of the world’s population now has a camera in their pocket and people everywhere are turning to video to document abuse. But all too often their videos don’t make a difference.

It’s not just a need to keep pace with technology innovation; we want to keep people safe and help ensure their videos make an impact.

We’ve evolved the way in which we carry out our mission in three main ways:

In critical situations we teach video basics, safe filming techniques, and how to create videos that stand a better chance of creating change. See our work in Brazil where activists are using video to document wide-spread use of forced evictions in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

We create and distribute toolkits, guides, tip sheets and even mobile apps to help keep activists and their footage safer. This month we launched a video series for interviewing survivors of sexual violence. Survivors’ stories are an important advocacy tool and we’re working to ensure they are captured in a way that is respectful and avoids re-traumatizing those willing to step forward and share their personal experiences.

We advocate for technology and policy changes that can help anyone using video to defend human rights to do so with maximum impact and minimal risks. Last year we helped convince YouTube to incorporate a face-blurring tool into their online editor so that activists have the option of helping protect the identity of people who appear in their footage.

WITNESS partners in Brazil document the story of a woman who was forcibly evicted from her home. Photo courtesy of WITNESS.

Core to everything we do at WITNESS are our partners around the world. Our core constituents and partners include human rights activists and organizations, technology companies, and developers, supporters, donors, and the media. Without their input and feedback we would not be able to create the curriculum and tools to make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. We encourage social tech entrepreneurs to stay connected with all of their valued stakeholders, which helps ensure that they are developing projects and resources for which there is a need.

A screening of a WITNESS co-produced video for community in the Eastern DRC trying to prevent recruitment of children to local militias active in the area. Photo courtesy of WITNESS.

The explosion of digital media means that almost anyone can bear witness to human rights atrocities. But challenges have emerged around anonymity, privacy, and retribution; how to determine the veracity of media being created by millions of people; how to highlight less visible stories and struggles with increasing volumes of content, to name a few.

The demand for our services is greater than ever before. We have a great foundation in place to meet this demand – an international reputation, outstanding staff, a dedicated board, remarkable partners and a proven-successful video advocacy model. Our continued goal is to scale our programs and reach those millions of people with the right training, tools and support.

Follow WITNESS and Nominet Trust on Twitter:

@witnessorg

by Geoff Mulgan, chief executive, Nesta

The internet came out of a military research programme, and the World Wide Web out of CERN – symptoms of a huge skew in the world’s research and development towards the needs of warfare and big science, and away from human needs.

But the new generation of digital innovators celebrated in the Nominet Trust 100 are part of a movement pointing in a very different direction.  They are sharply focused on pressing everyday needs; make the most of ubiquitous mobile phones and internet connections; and, unlike military technologies, were generally cheap to develop and cheap to scale.

They are incredibly diverse, but include some striking trends. One is the use of technology to make things visible that are otherwise invisible – like Baby Come Home in China using facial recognition software to reunite parents with lost or taken children, or I paid a bribe in India, or (not on this list) Blindsquare from Finland which is an app to help blind people navigate around cities. 

Another is the use of the web to mobilise and share resources  – at Nesta we back a lot of sharing economy projects, and the Collaborative Consumption site, which brings together knowledge about ventures like Couchsurfing, Air BnB –  all of which point towards a radically different, and much less wasteful economy.    

A third cluster of the 100 which I particularly like are the sites providing the tools for other innovators – like MySociety or Github and Bitorrent – and bringing down the cost of new ideas. 

Nesta backs well over 100 digital innovations at any one time – and we often work closely with Nominet Trust.   I’m well aware of the speed of development and the excitement there is in this field, and how much it is attracting in the best minds.  No-one knows which current digital innovations will still be running in five years time. But we can be fairly confident that even the failures will be useful.

Bill Gates may have been right when he recently said that technology alone won’t save the world.   It’s naïve to expect that a brilliant new gizmo will suddenly solve world hunger or poverty.  But I’d turn his comment on its head. Although technology on its own won’t save the world, most of the best ideas that will help the world will include an important role for digital technology, and usually the technology will work best when it’s linked to other things.  I’m sceptical about most of the MOOCs, but Digital Green in India is a good mix of online, video and face to face learning for farmers.  I’m sceptical of some of the online health tools, but when linked to the day to day work of doctors and nurses they can be immensely powerful.