Dear Open Tech Community,

One of life’s most urgent questions is what am I doing to support others? We, the community and leadership of OpenUK, see this letter as a duty of activism and care.

We want to emphasise across the Open Technology communities, the magnitude of systemic exclusion and discrimination that continue to exist in society today. As Open Technology (open source software, open hardware and open data) is the engine powering the UK’s Digital Economy, each one of us has a responsibility, plays a key part, and must do more, must do better, in eradicating these problems.

Covid-19 and the rapid pace of technology development has increased the urgency for action.

At the start of the pandemic, in 2020, Ofcom estimated 1.8m children were without adequate access to devices, the gap that already exists is widening, with ‘less than one in five of UK technology workers being a woman or from a BAME background and only one in 10 having a disability’ according to Amali de Alwis, in 2020.

The consequences of digital exclusion include narrow talent pipelines, technology that does not represent the people it serves and the refusal to provide those under-represented groups the opportunity to earn equally and to experience the opportunities that come with technology.

At OpenUK, we work on 3 Pillars. One focuses on building Learning in Open Technology, to inspire confidence and motivation in our children from an early age. Our message is that everyone and anyone can belong to the Open Technology community. This reaches the systemic root of digital exclusion and aims to fulfil our purpose of not only developing but also sustaining UK Leadership in Open Technology.

Although we have supported over 47 schools and over 3000 young people learning digital skills in 2020, we must do more to reach those who remain digitally excluded. Our individual work alone will not be enough. Unless collective action is taken, we will be left with a workforce struggling for diversity, in thought and experience, leading to gaps in
creativity, innovation and ingenuity.

To take a step forward we must remember that the issue is not Black, White or Female. Regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, creed, colour, age, neuro divergence, socioeconomic status, origin, or sexual orientation – we are people, not labels. Everyone, each of us, should have the opportunity to succeed and feel “a sense of belonging”.

We choose the term “belonging” as it represents acceptance and security for each of us. It focuses on people and everyone’s innate need to belong. From this point in time, we will focus our attention not on individual groups or certain agendas but to recognise the vital need to accept everyone.

We are counting on you, our Open Technology community to recognise and commit to belonging with us by:

• Leading with data; capture metrics, set targets and create accountability
• Teaching, inspiring and empowering leaders and a culture that promotes belonging
• Paying attention to young people, retention and promotion – not just recruitment
• Looking outside to develop a supportive ecosystem and make a social impact
• Be courageous. Take action. Be the change you want to create.

Sign up to the commitment in this letter and help OpenUK lead the Open Tech community into a brighter future.

We are counting on you. But more importantly future generations are too.