Civic Makers is a volunteer-led program run by Code for Australia, that brings people together to say, “how can we make our communities better?” We do this through the lens of civic tech.
Our Civic Makers are made up of people with all levels of experience who are interested in development, design, content creation, community management and so much more.
The team are currently building a climate change tool for local councils - if you'd like to learn more about the project you can listen to a recent episode of our podcast where a few members of the team talk through the amazing work being done.
It's time to introduce some of the incredible folks involved in Civic Makers to the world! In this get to know you blog post, we'll be chatting to:
- Sean Hua, Product Lead
- Zara Sadat, UX Designer
- Mohamed Jemai, UX Designer
- Han-Qing Tan, Development Lead
Sean Hua, Product Lead
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for Civic Makers.
I am the "Product Lead", which sounds cool but feels like being the chief cat herder... Kidding! Our team is getting really great at working both independently and collaboratively, I'm just here as bumper lanes for the bowling ball 😊.
What do you enjoy about Civic Makers?
Getting to build genuinely purposeful things with a like-minded community.
What’s some good advice for people interested in getting into tech?
You can do it! Both Civic Makers and Code for Australia have helped me learn so much about the tech world, and how it could be *better* and serve people.
What’s a thing you wish you made or invented?
Milanote - a tool to organise your ideas and projects into visual boards, because I'd been complaining about not having something like this for a long time.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since being involved in Civic Makers?
I'm gonna get it wrong more often than I get it right, but ultimately that teaches me a lot!
Anything else you'd like to share?
Civic Makers has a bunch of up-and-coming devs and designers that you, our Code for Australia community, should pay attention to. There's some great work and camaraderie building here, come be part of the fun; or if you're in a position to recruit, keep an eye on our work 😉
Zara Sadat, UX Designer
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for Civic Makers.
I'm an end-to-end UX Designer at Civic Makers and I'm working on result page at the moment. The next coming project that I'll work at is designing the website.
What do you enjoy about Civic Makers?
The teamwork, the culture and the support from leadership
What’s some good advice for people interested in getting into tech?
If you'd like to have a change in your career, re-examine and apply your past experience to the IT Industry, because there's always an opportunity that exists in tech.
What's a video worth watching?
I love watching documentary videos about people from different countries, regions and cultures. It helps to know and understand people better when you're working as a UX designer.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since being involved in Civic Makers?
I'm gonna get it wrong more often than I get it right, but ultimately that teaches me a lot!
Anything else you'd like to share?
Mohamed Jemai, UX Designer
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for Civic Makers.
I am a user experience and user interface designer. Currently, I am part of a Civic Makers design team responsible for the UX and UI design of an employees travel emissions calculator destined for immediate use by Bendigo City Council, with a positive prospect for product and client scalability.
What do you enjoy about Civic Makers?
Designing experiences that directly address current human challenges.
What’s some good advice for people interested in getting into tech?
Getting into tech is great for people who are naturally curious and like discussing big or small ideas and enjoy meaningful problem solving.
What’s a thing you wish you made or invented?
Chocolate.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since being involved in Civic Makers?
How to work in an Agile multidisciplinary teams.
Han-Qing Tan, Development Lead
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for Civic Makers.
I am a co-lead for the Dev team in Civic Makers. We are currently partnering with a local council to build an app that collects data and calculates emissions from their employees' work commute.
What do you enjoy about Civic Makers?
Working together with amazing people from all walks of life, learning what it's like to help teams work together to reach a common goal - all while building something that makes a difference to our community.
What’s some good advice for people interested in getting into tech?
'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step'. Don't get bogged down by the thought of how long it will take to reach your goal. Let your curiosity and sense of purpose guide you, and you will always enjoy the journey to your goal.
What’s a thing you wish you made or invented?
I wish I made a thing that could give me more time 😂.
Any side hustles you'd like to mention?
I recently joined the ranks of Victorian State Emergency Service. It's like joining a guild in one of those popular MMORPGs, where you can spend endless hours levelling up your skills. You don't get to kill dragons or go raiding, but you get to do other cool stuff like rescue kittens or police bitten by possums. Oh, and you get to suit up in a bright orange onesie too!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since being involved in Civic Makers?
The projects currently undertaken by Civic Makers aren't like hackerthons.So I feel that it's better to think of them like marathon relays (is that a thing?), where it is better to commit small consistent effort over a long period of time, and to be really open and collaborative about the changes made, and also to be open to learning and asking lots of questions. And when you've had your fill, or the demands/joys of life takes you elsewhere and you no longer have the time to contribute, you move on; and the baton will pass on to another keen and eager contributor.
But we'll always welcome you back! The door is always open to you!
Keen to get involved in Civic Makers?
We'd love to have you! Civic Makers is open to anyone who wants to use help create better outcomes for communities through civic tech.
How to get involved:
- Jump on Code for Australia’s Slack Channel and join the #civic-makers-climatechange channel. That’s where we post about all out meetings and goings-on.
- Once you’re in the Slack channel, introduce yourself and we'll tell you where to go and what to read.
- Come to our weekly online meetings. They happen on Wednesdays at 6:30pm AEST/AEDT. The meeting link will always be provided the day of the meeting.
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