DDcommons
DD Commons is a Dundee based project that aims to establish an online network designed with care-led values in mind, providing a supportive and abuse-free community for collaboration and learning.
It came from a desire to:
- Provide a online space driven by care and community needs.
- Be online without fear, prejudice or judgement.
- Affirm that our lived-experiences are recognised, validated, and supported online.
- Increase digital inclusion, access and knowledge, and open up tech and digital opportunities for women.
Our aim is to shape a new care-led digital infrastructure for a wide network of women that is not extractive and exploitative. We believe that we can work with Feminist practices as the building blocks to do this.
Here, digital infrastructure means a local based server (like the internet) that provides connected digital spaces (like the web). ddcommons.net is our connected digital space and our local server sits in a community cafe in Dundee.
By doing this we can highlight what a digital space could be like when shaped through local communities; providing connection, support and the sharing of knowledge in a non-extractive way; promoting digital access and literacy whilst prioritising inclusivity.
This project has been initially funded by Connecting Scotland: Place Based Digital Inclusion a collaboration between Scottish Government and SCVO to increase digital inclusion. Original development partnership was between Cake or Dice, Scottish Refugee Council (Dundee), Scrap Antics, Dundee Makerspace, Abertay University (Computer Arts), In-Grid Collective. This group is still learning and growing.
