From the beginning, IN2IT has been a project built by the community for the community. We started off with just a few of us, wanting to figure out how to help people get more involved in their communities. It was important to us that we explore what issues might be causing this lack of involvement, so we could find the right solutions to address them. We found that all of us had looked for ways to get involved in the past, and finding the right opportunities could be pretty time-consuming and frustrating. So many opportunities were available, but they were scattered across hundreds of sites. Some of those sites were difficult to navigate or hadn't been updated in weeks, months, or maybe even longer. And some had great opportunities, but were buried several pages in on the search results. It was difficult to figure out where to start and how to find the right fit for our skills and interests. We wanted to see if this was a problem for others as well.
After conducting some surveys to see what people across Chicagoland experienced, we found we weren't alone. Many people had the same problems we were running into, and some additional ones that we hadn't even thought of. These problems were creating some frustrating barriers for a lot of people. It became much clearer what we needed to do to help, and it became our mission to create a website that addresses some of the key barriers people face. This has been a constant evolution and lengthy process to bring this to life, but it has been a beautiful experience along the way as well. We've seen firsthand how great and powerful having a strong community behind you can be. Through our involvement with Chi Hack Night, we've had numerous volunteers involved and pushing the project along as we go. So many people have lent their skills, expertise, opinions, time and energy making this website what it is today. And we continue to experience that same community spirit as we move forward and grow. It's inspiring and constantly reminds us of why we're doing this. Our city needs more of this. We're doing it for people like you, for communities that are active and supporting one another, and for a better Chicago.
To make community engagement easier and more accessible.
To provide a quality resource that increases community involvement across the chicagoland area.
IN2IT got started at Chi Hack Night where we continue to develop through their weekly meetings. We are not alone either. Many other amazing community centered projects have grown there as well. Transforming an idea into a fully-functioning solution, actively serving the community.
Chi Hack Night is a free, weekly event in Chicago dedicated to creating a space for people to build, share and learn about tools that create, support, and serve the public good. Their mission is to inspire and promote civic engagement through the use of technology and collaboration.
They are a group of thousands of designers, academic researchers, data journalists, activists, policy wonks, web developers and curious citizens who want to make our city more just, equitable, transparent and delightful to live in through data, design and technology.
Find out more about Chi Hack Night here: https://chihacknight.org/about