Ottawa Civic Tech

Ottawa Civic Tech (YOWCT) is a community of citizens from diverse sectors and experiences who are interested in better understanding our complex social and civic challenges and building solutions at the intersection of technology, design, data, policy, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and citizen engagement. YOWCT creates an inclusive environment and safe space for people of all backgrounds to connect, learn, share, collaborate, and participate in the democratic process in a modern and digital world. We aim to build a sustainable community by hosting regular, consistent “hacknights” each and every Tuesday night. A special guest speaker is featured on the first Tuesday of every month, along with project updates being shared and new ideas being pitched to the group. All are welcome. YOWCT is generously hosted at a different location every month, from community spaces to government offices to tech companies, to emphasize the cross-sector nature of our work. We operate with an ‘open’ model (open source software, open government, etc.) which enables collaboration in a non-competitive, non-hierarchical, and non-traditional way.