Community Driven Development

Explore community-driven development through the lens of an open source project built for New Sanctuary Coalition, an NYC immigrant rights organization. Dive into the evolution of a collaborative effort spanning two years and over 1,000 commits, addressing the growing demand for immigration court accompaniment, pro se legal clinics, and anti-detention programs. Learn how embedding technologists within the organization fostered strong collaboration, first-hand knowledge, and mutual trust. Examine the diverse skill sets required for project success, including coding, training, project management, and digital security. Discover strategies for building a sustainable community of technologists to support immigration justice work, drawing from NSC's expertise in community building and lessons learned as an open source maintainer. Gain insights into maximizing the impact of technology for small organizations with limited resources, and explore the potential of community-driven development in creating effective, impactful collaborations for social justice.