There’s nothing more awkward than a reintroduction, so let’s just get this out of the way.

Tech About Town is our effort to bridge the tech and non-tech communities in Waterloo Region by shining light onto local events, issues, opportunities and community builders. It’s been on a bit of a hiatus, but now it’s back with a new format and mission.

I hope Tech About Town can be a little spot on the internet where we highlight some of the most interesting collaborations between people in the tech community and area non-profits, charities, groups and communities. So the format we’re trying out will also include two new sections: Something Good, a feel-good note from the tech ecosystem, and What Can I Do?, a rolling list of local philanthropic events.

After a year and a half as Community Relations Manager at Communitech, I’m ready to share more about what I’ve been working on and learning about. The varied nature of my role means that I’ve worked on over a dozen community partnerships – ranging from Black History Month to the Kitchener Rangers to K-W Counselling – just since returning from the holidays. I get to witness so much great energy and work coming out of our community, and I’m excited to finally share that with you.

There are a bunch of interesting and even inspirational things going on in Waterloo Region at any given time. I hope Tech About Town becomes one of your ways to learn more about them and find opportunities to get involved.

Something Good

We have a lot of local tech companies that give back to our community, and Vidyard is a perennial community champion.

Their latest initiative, Vidyard Gives Back, has injected 800 hours of community volunteer work into six local charities. You can check out some great pictures and tweets about their staff volunteering here. This is in addition to their existing initiative, Plugin, an ongoing series of fun events aimed at young professionals that always end with a charitable partner leaving with a cheque.

What can I do?