We have a plan for better Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at mySociety. It is an important part of our mission to break down barriers to democratic participation, equipping people to take action and drive meaningful change. 

We have tried to write this page in Plain English. Please contact us if there is anything you would like us to explain better. See the bottom of this page for definitions of some of the words and phrases we use.

People

• Our board of trustees and our staff come from a diverse mix of backgrounds and lived experiences.
• We have an inclusive and fair working culture. We support, hear and value all staff equally.
• We talk with, and learn from, a diverse mix of people within civic tech and civic society.
• mySociety makes a big contribution towards helping grow the diversity of the civic tech sector.
• We have Equity, Diversity and Inclusion goals for each team.
• We build our projects and services to help improve equality for minoritised groups, and to be accessible and inclusive.
• We design them together with diverse communities, and they can be used by a diverse range of people.

Research and events

• Our conferences and events are online and offline. Either way, they are accessible.
• Everyone can participate.
• The subjects of our events are about a diverse range of people and the events are useful for a diverse range of people.
• Our research and policy work helps increase equity, diversity and inclusion in civic tech, and wider society.

Our work

• We work with businesses and funders who can help us meet these EDI aims, and whose values are similar.
• When we buy services (like catering at our events) we choose suppliers who can help us with our EDI aims.
• We communicate our work in an inclusive and accessible way, and reach diverse audiences.

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Definitions

• Accessible: this can describe websites that everyone can use, or events that everyone can attend. We try to make it as easy as possible to join in, even if you are disabled, visually impaired, neurodivergent or have needs around access.
• Civic tech: the name of the type of work we do. Many organisations around the world make and run websites, apps and services that can be described as ‘civic tech’. It is technology that helps people communicate with government and public authorities.
• Diverse: including people from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and experiences.
• Minoritised: we use this word to describe people or groups that have historically been socially, politically, or economically marginalised, often because of systemic power imbalances.

Our policies are a work in progress

As with all mySociety’s policies, this is just the beginning. We want to learn more, to have better strategies, to keep getting better at every part of EDI. As we become a more diverse and inclusive organisation, of course, we’ll have more people telling us how to improve from the inside – but we’re equally keen to learn from other people, too.

If you can help, by example or through ideas, please let us know.

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Last update: May 2022