A page from Geeks for Social Change Manifesto #1: People, not users Big tech reduces people to ‘users’: abstracted, homogenised units for selling monthly subscriptions to. We ask instead: what is it people actually want to do and be? What social processes do we want to make easier?

Community & Impostor Syndrome in the Games Industry gfsc.community/th/ The games industry is a big one. It's easy to feel like an intruder. Ben writes: Here's how I got into game-development, and three events which showed me the merits of community and cooperation in this solitary line of work.

Community infrastructure: what it is, and how GFSC plans to fund it. gfsc.community/our-social-b... - a new blog post by @kim.town

EMF Camp: Community Spotlight We interviewed Sam Cook, an organiser of Electromagnetic Field: gfsc.community/emf-camp-com... “EMF is a 4-day, volunteer-run, camping festival: we host talks, music, art installations, and workshops on whatever topics we (or our attendees) feel enthusiastic about.”

A new piece on our vision for the ‘community’ in community technology: Our goal is to help community organisations do things together rather than individually. Each project is a different expression of that. It matters to us less what we are building and more how we are building it together.

We've spent nearly a decade doing community technology work and tried to write it down it in a dozen different ways. At gfsc.community/state-your-a... you can read Kim's latest attempt to state Geeks for Social Change's assumptions. Here are some ideas which emerged.

I wrote a piece on guilt, the impossibility of remaining ethics, and whether it's ok to play The Sims.

Next up is Dr Kim Foale, founder of trans and disabled-led @gfsc.community, creating community tech in anticipation of a world without billionaires. gfsc.community

Wanna Get Involved in Running Geeks for Social Change? Collective meetings are beginning again on Tuesday 7th April at 4pm BST. Find out more about what we're looking for and come and get involved in running Geeks for Social Change! gfsc.community/wanna-get-in...

Pick Your Battles: a Shame Story If there's 'no ethical consumption under capitalism', will all our choices lead to feelings of guilt, or are we free to throw off the burden of shame? A new article by Ben Swithen -- with the full version at gfsc.community/pick-your-ba...

What’s been happening at our drop-ins? We launched four community drop-ins in January. Here's some of what we've learnt – and when you can drop in and join us next. Here are just a few snippets of what the groups had to say. See the article for more! gfsc.community/whats-been-h...

Why Bother Making a Podcast? Anyone could make a podcast, but why would you want to? An in-depth look at the reasons for and against making podcasts as political, creative and social force. gfsc.community/why-bother-m... ...or you can read the main points in the next few posts

High anxiety, signs of hope, queer rights & freedom from big tech's clutches! Here's what our community told us: A look at the responses to our supporter survey, asking about the projects, obstacles, concerns & opportunities Read on, or see a full piece on the blog - gfsc.community/what-our-com...

What's happening where you live? If you've hung around us the last few years you undoubtedly will have heard us go on about PlaceCal. But what is it, why does it matter, how can you and your community benefit, and why has it taken us so long? Let's take it from the top.

The Geeks for Social Change Supporter Survey 2026! We’re getting a better idea of our supporters by researching what people actually need from technology. Help us capture a snapshot of your feelings that we can feed into our plan for the coming year. All questions optional, so reply as you will.

Tech Developers and Creators drop-in: Tuesday 10th February 4-5pm For people who work or want to work on developing community technology, specifically those who want to: • Volunteer on GFSC's projects • Get peer support and networking • Develop new technology commons projects together

Magic Money Tree Pros: Free money, no strings attached Cons: Doesn't exist. Might cause inflation? We're often told there's no such thing. That's a valid but dismissive claim. Kim put together an article of more solid methods to garner community funding: gfsc.community/what-if-we-m...

Incredibly disappointing from @theproudtrust.bsky.social, who took away our only non profit queer space in the city centre and now are evicting grassroots organisers who are trying to reinstate it. Without this, The Proud Place isn't an LGBT community centre, it's an office space with gay branding.

hello i seem to have a bunch of unexpected new followers!! hi!! (was i mentioned somewhere?) im not really on here but i am active on fedi and discord and @gfsc.community just announced a load of meetups i would love to see you at :) gfsc.community/announcing-g...

Announcement: GFSC Community Drop-ins! GFSC is about to begin monthly drop-ins run by volunteer leads, each focused on a different area. Low-key, open to anyone, come-when-you-can. Drop-in peer support sessions for support & encouragement. Good for accountability & troubleshooting. gfsc.community

Finished my super mega post for @gfsc.community on all the kinds of funding I could think of and what you have to do to get them 😅 this is all just my opinion (and some of @szemi-petra.bsky.social's on art grants) so take with a grain of salt but hopefully useful!! gfsc.community/what-if-we-m...

What If We Made Money at the Intersection of Art and Technology? A run-down of 15 ways we could think of to get funding for your project: from the capitalist (venture capital) to the grassroots (direct donations). Because, hot take, the revolution needs a business plan.

New article: Six Ins and Six Outs for 2026. Time to get away from despair, and from renting software from billionaires. Time to get into community-ownership, community technoloft, DIY culture and taking action with gusto and resolve.

What's the rumpus in 2026? We're steering towards the new year, but we're not the captains of your destiny, so here are a handful of questions for you: What are the INs and OUTs for the year? What do you want us to talk more about? What projects are you excited about?

Geeks for Social What?! (1/10) All years are grievous and troublesome, but this one was fruitful. 23 people have volunteered their time with GFSC, working on everything from codebases and livestreams to volunteer coordination. 8 new voices contributed to our blog. Check 'em out!

All years in recent memory have been grievous and alarming, but here's what we did to make 2025 better and build for 2026. A run-down of GFSC's projects, articles, and methods for making technology which can strengthen communities. gfsc.community/geeks-for-so...

I did a livestream!!

This is what we want. More examples, please, of Good Things that have been done this year.

All years in recent memory have been grievous and alarming, but here's what we did to make 2025 better and build for 2026. A run-down of GFSC's projects, articles, and methods for making technology which can strengthen communities. gfsc.community/geeks-for-so...

We are live in 5 mins!!

Livestream Announcement: What If A Database Was A Map? On Tuesday 25th November from 7.30pm GMT we'll be speaking with Arby from @commonknowledge.coop about the Mapped project's motivations, successes and future. Hope to see you there! gfsc.community/livestream-a...

Livestream Announcement: What If A Database Was A Map? On Tuesday 25th November from 7.30pm GMT we'll be speaking with Arby from @commonknowledge.coop about the Mapped project's motivations, successes and future. Hope to see you there! gfsc.community/livestream-a...

Kim caught up with @zoyander.cc and Studio Voltaire to chat about the challenges archiving our own trans history, and some of the tools we can use to do it. Check out the interview on our blog! gfsc.community/trans-digita...

Kim caught up with @zoyander.cc and Studio Voltaire to chat about the challenges archiving our own trans history, and some of the tools we can use to do it. Check out the interview on our blog! gfsc.community/trans-digita...

Ever wanted to start a zine, a website, a computer game, or a food redistribution project? Catch up with others who have (and the ways to do so) in this round up of our autumn and the people, activities and opportunities which emerged during this year's conker season. gfsc.community/autumn-leave...

Here's me chatting about how and why I started up a zine distro, some thoughts on zines potential as a tool for connection & what I've been working on lately.

Ever wanted to start a zine, a website, a computer game, or a food redistribution project? Catch up with others who have (and the ways to do so) in this round up of our autumn and the people, activities and opportunities which emerged during this year's conker season. gfsc.community/autumn-leave...

Are zines life? Vicky has done her best to find out. Read about a life in self-publishing, starting @penfight.bsky.social, and what the future might bring for working-class zinesters. gfsc.community/zines-are-fo...

Karrot is a free and open source tool for grassroots initiatives and groups of people that want to coordinate face-to-face activities on a local, autonomous and voluntary basis. @kim.town caught up with project founder Nick for the lowdown. gfsc.community/karrot-commu...

We shouldn't need platforms owned by the biggest losers on the planet to live happy, healthy, connected lives. Our fledgling network of technologists and organisers aims to make tech billionaires obsolete by co-creating our own means of production. gfsc.community/our-plan-to-...

Something I've never really considered but seems increasingly important. Especially when we have few platforms, owned by big companies with a vested interest in shaping the narrative.

We shouldn't need platforms owned by the biggest losers on the planet to live happy, healthy, connected lives. Our fledgling network of technologists and organisers aims to make tech billionaires obsolete by co-creating our own means of production. gfsc.community/our-plan-to-...

Frederic Jameson famously said, “it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”. GFSC believe alternatives are not only possible, they’re already happening! Find out about our mission to build the technology we need to feel human again. gfsc.community/have-you-not...

Frederic Jameson famously said, “it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”. GFSC believe alternatives are not only possible, they’re already happening! Find out about our mission to build the technology we need to feel human again. gfsc.community/have-you-not...

Resilience Web is a campaign and platform that helps social justice organisations create maps of their area. @kim.town caught up with project founder @dinerismail.bsky.social for an update on the project process and an insight into the tech stack. gfsc.community/resilience-w...

Resilience Web is a campaign and platform that helps social justice organisations create maps of their area. @kim.town caught up with project founder @dinerismail.bsky.social for an update on the project process and an insight into the tech stack. gfsc.community/resilience-w...

Kim responds to a common Discord FAQ: what's the best way to get going with a website? In the start of our new series we take a look at what a website is under the hood, the main ways you can go about it, and the pros and cons of each overall category. gfsc.community/whats-the-be...

Kim responds to a common Discord FAQ: what's the best way to get going with a website? In the start of our new series we take a look at what a website is under the hood, the main ways you can go about it, and the pros and cons of each overall category. gfsc.community/whats-the-be...

Meet Ben (@benjamilian.bsky.social), a person with a tale of transphobia, excommunication, lost hope, and the secret joy of failure. How does all this lead to gender gladness, to hyacinths, and to a game called Trans Theft Horso? gfsc.community/hope-then-ex...

PlaceCal livestreams! Accessibility moans! Consensus decision making hate! Podcast revival! Mastodon interview! Ava introduction! Exclamation marks! Find out what we did this summer in our roundup post: gfsc.community/what-we-did-...