The 2021 Techies in Residence pitch showcase is taking place virtually this Thursday (20 May) and will see tech community projects from across Northern Ireland bid for a share of £67,000 to take their work forward to the next stage.
Techies in Residence is a programme which matches local charities and social enterprises with digital technology partners, to help the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector develop new innovative solutions to address challenges and issues.
The programme is delivered by the Community Foundation NI. Paul Braithwaite is the Head of Innovation & Voice at the foundation, and has ran the Techies in Residence programme since its inception in 2015.
Paul said that the online event, which is free to attend, will "showcase the projects we've been supporting through Techies in Residence this year and we'll have a discussion on Covid, the last year and the future of digital innovation in the third sector."
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Viewers will even get the chance to vote at the end of the event for the five projects they feel deserve the grant prizes to further their innovative work.
Paul encouraged people from the technology, community and government sectors to attend Thursday's virtual pitch session, adding, "We think this digital innovation, cross-sectoral collaboration piece deserves a lot more prominence, investment and support.
"We will continue to invest in this and work with our funding partners - in this case, Comic Relief - to roll out Techies in Residence, but we would love other people to get involved as well.
"You'll hear some fantastic short video pitches from each of the projects we've supported and we've got a great panel lined up, with people working on tech-for-good stuff across the UK and Ireland as well."
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This year's projects which will be pitching on Thursday are as follows:
Northern Ireland Chest, Heart & Stroke (NICHS) aims to reduce disconnection and isolation between community health champions. NICHS and techie Johan Gant have developed a communication and information sharing platform for volunteer health champions active in workplaces.
MEAAP aims to reduce digital barriers isolated Older People face connecting to online community groups and support. MEAAP and Damgeo have developed a remote access app that will reduce digital barriers of navigation and literacy for Older People to easily access their vital community online services.
Young Enterprise Northern Ireland (YENI) aims to address low education and employability skills with young people. YENI and Zoo Creative have developed a Virtual Reality (VR) problem solving game that develops enterprise and employability skills.
Linking Generations NI (LGNI) aims to reduce social isolation, poor mental health and a societal disconnection between older and younger people. LGNI and Metadeck have developed a bespoke platform that can be used to deliver intergenerational activities online, engaging and connecting generations together digitally and safely.
Aurora aims to equip parents with knowledge and tools to support their child's emotional health and wellbeing at home while awaiting counselling. Aurora Counselling and Kippie have developed the Kidz Xpress App with two main sections: Parentland - a library of useful content for parents and Kidz Xpress - an interactive therapeutic storytelling section for parent and child together.
Barnardo’s through a strengths based approach, aims to promote selfadvocacy enabling refugee families to report housing issues independently. Barnardo's and Invisible Building have developed a bilingual reporting platform for directly addressing housing issues between landlord and tenant.
St. Columb's Park House (SCPH) aims to address social, emotional and mental health related to the societal disconnect from nature, for all ages. St. Columb's Park House and Access Heritage have developed a virtual reality nature tour of the grounds at St. Columb's Park House.
William Thompson, Head of Consumer Banking NI, Bank of Ireland UK, Leeann Kelly, NOW Group, and Andrew Herd, JAM Card Ambassador
Previous projects that have come through and been supported by the Techies in Residence programme include the JAM Card, which went from being a physical paper card to a free digital app.
It aids people with a learning disability, autism or communication barrier, to explain to local businesses and service providers that they need ‘Just A Minute’ in an easy, discreet manner.
The app was developed by the Belfast-based social enterprise NOW Group, and even went on to win the Tech for Good award at the UK Social Enterprise Awards in London back in 2018.
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Another Techies in Residence alumnus is Versus Arthritus, who worked on the challenge and stigma around young people in Northern Ireland with arthritus; a condition that is often associated with older people, but affects thousands of young people in the region.
They developed a diary-style app in which young people could track their daily symptoms, so when it came to talking to doctors about their condition they could show them the app, which details the peaks and troughs of their arthritus.
It has since been rolled out across the UK and Paul said it has been "very effective in improving teenagers' communications with healthcare professionals".
The Techies in Residence 2021 virtual showcase starts at 11am on Thursday 20 May and will last for approximately two hours. Find more info and how to register for free to attend here.
