This post opens a January mini blog post series devoted to 2012 social tech trends. Even though old divisions (when it comes to time, as well as geography) are of less and less appliance in the modern (tech) world, 2012 already seems to be critical for various tech-driven decisions of global importance. 

In a series of posts this week, we will be exploring the near future of web design, as well as the mobile trends; we will also call out a few #protips for going greener technology-wise. 

You may have read about how Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) will be spreading to different world locations in the upcoming days of early December. In this post I would like to shine a little light on how the idea of organizing Random Hacks of Kindndess Warsaw (to happen this weekend) came to life. This initiative constitutes a very interesting, geo-specific example of how a community of practice can develop and grow organically.

Did you know that TechSoup Global has its European Headquaters in Warsaw, Poland? The office known under the name of Fundacja TechSoup plays both the role of the European hub, and an independent Polish nonprofit. Billy Bicket and Laney Strange are currently visiting Fundacja TechSoup’s Office in Poland. In an effort to understand the local reality and therefore be able to develop new programs and projects that would be actually community driven, the CDI team went to interview NGOs in the Polish countryside.

Sektor 3.0, a conference for Polish NGOs interested in technology-driven social change, was an unusual event. For two days in May (5/23 – 5/24) contributors, participants, and organizers met in the local Warsaw venue to share experiences, listen, and collaborate. The event was actually created by participants themselves within the framework previously set by the Polish NGO Stocznia — The Unit for Social Innovation and Research. This framework is described in their sociological report on the state of IT, third sector, and local communities in Poland. The second-day conference agenda was created using ideas suggested by first-day participants and volunteers.

We’re currently looking for a veteran community builder with experience growing and managing community-driven projects in central and eastern Europe and around the world.

Here’s a quick summary of the role:

The Sobibor Death Camp  

The Oxfam International team is reporting direct from the United Nations Climate Change Conference (1 – 12 Dec), in Poland.

Why do we blog at events like this? Well there are many reasons but for us the big ones are: