When I got a twitter ping from Brightclub asking me if I wanted to participate in a session with them I was sure they had made an error… they were doing a women in tech evening, I was still sure they had confused me with someone… else.
What is Brightclub? The twitter bio: Smarter standup: a research/comedy variety night! Furrow your brow then laugh your head off.
I know them as a comedy club for academics, researchers those doing complex Phd’s, scientist sharing their work through standup comedy as a way to communicate about their work differently. If you know me you’ll understand my confusion it become clear in point number 3 below.
But actually they were asking me. I felt seen.
I was reassured that it did n’t have to be comedy.
After some stressing, I figured out what I wanted to say. For 8 minutes on Wednesday 17 February, I spoke to 70 people via zoom about things I’ve been thinking about for the last year. I also spoke about things I’ve felt and continue to feel vulnerable about in my career.
So here’s the rift:
- I’ve worked in tech & not worked in tech, I’ve worked as an artist and not worked as an artist. I’m currently working on the latest release of myself, in fact I run a continuous iterative testing, prototyping and shipping mode with live patches and upgrades.
- I’m not funny, my work associates thought this important I clarify
- Imposter syndrome still kicks
- What about the diversity of this lineup?
Do we all look really alike… Should I share the opportunity to speak at Brightclub with somebody who doesn’t look like me? Who isn’t included in the space? Isn’t represented in this lineup? Should I give up my seat?
I am acknowledge my privilege and I apologise for not being a better ally.
I think 2020 has taught us a lot of things – finding myself in bright spaces where everyone looks like me and sounds like me… I now question who is n’t included, where are they? Have they been invited to the space I am in?
It’s time to open up our searches and be better allies. - I grew up in the tech sector, being othered is a familiar and uncomfortable space.
At the turn of the century I left tech and swore I’d never work in big tech or start ups again but hey life throws you curve balls.
Brené Browne in her book Daring Greatly speaks about choosing to belong
“I’ve learned resilience, I have chosen to say yes,
Roisin Markham, 2021
I’m experimenting with belonging”
Then I taught everyone how to do a Chat Cascade – I know I’ve no shame, see a great tool, seed it & teach it whereever you go!
- Have you ever done a chat cascade? I learned it from the Scottish Service Designers meetups. Experiential learning…
I asked you a couple of questions- Where are you really dialing in from the kitchen table or in the wardrobe because the people you live with are super loud or obnoxious!
- Are you in a rural or urban environment
- if you want to share your pronouns, that’ll be awesome.
- Whats the weirdest thing for you about living with COVID?
- the weirdness of COVID!
In the world of a Strategic Futurist (that’s my world btw) future scenario setting in late 2019 had a animal pandemic about 5-8 years, a human pandemic 8-15 years out. Yet in 2020 a human global pandemic deleted, fast forwarded at least 8 years of preparing for it.
Speeding up YET stripping everything back to simple basic necessity.
COVID has demanded humanity disrupt itself, and it’s not done yet. We’ll move from living with COVID to living with climate chaos. We already are. Roisin Markham @BrightclubIRL
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Early reckoning with COVID of who we relied on the shelf stacker in the supermarket, the nurses, the receptionist at our GP, the lorry driver the postman the farmer the food producer the baker. The guards and teachers and doctors
All revealed themselves as required front-line workers.
We pay them crap salaries and ignore them.
COVID has demanded humanity disrupt itself, and it’s not done yet.
We’ll move from living with COVID to living with climate chaos. We already are.
- Then I spoke about how Four new questions emerged for me:
- how can we make Covid the opportunity for societal change?
- what if we could re-imagine our society?
- how can we engage all society to co-create values for Ireland in this next century?
- what would a future worth living into look like?
The fourth question has shifted the focus of my research, learning, our business and my energy.
How we can create a future that’s fair and just for humanity where nature thrives in the places we live, work. learn and play in.
Roisin Markham very much inspired by Doughnut Economics in 2020
- COVID shrinks our lives, our connections, we are in a crisis of imagination,
but we are also in a crisis of our values.
What is important? How do we as technologists address that? - What’s thriving in your life right now? look around
I believe we need to demand more from the technology.
What are we building, selling, marketing and consuming?
- I spoke about how I began my own Fridays for the future action each week in 2020. Simply begin by reaching out to connect with some like minded people I knew locally, which lead to other types of conversations and cuppas.
- In the fine weather of early COVID lockdowns I read all the SDGS’s:
looking at how they are being measured, asking how was it relevant to SMEs, to operations, what were the return of investments, how could small businesses and medium enterprises, technologists relate to them? - Measuring my own carbon, actively looked for ways to reduce it
(I use the app Earthhero) - I’m exploring different frameworks for change, I really resonated with a New Zealand Innovation Lab
- I joined digital adventures & experiences researching excellence in zoom
- I asked business owners could we use their market research model to discover what Irish Mum’s thought about climate emergency. And what were their attitudes to action. This is an ongoing design project currently unfunded.
- I created six impossible things to address the crisis of our imaginations.
- I’ve learned that Doughnut Economics and the action lab DEAL might be how we bridge from where we are in the crisis of disruption to where we need to go into the future. This is how we get to the future.
As part of my Friday’s for the future action in 2020 I hosted an Irish open cuppa conversation weakly from September to December, whoever showed up, got to talk listen and connect with others. I hadn’t intended to begin a network but in this case, lots of people are seeking answers of how we create a future for nature and humans to thrive. So IDEN is. - What if our roles in technology, as leaders, business owners, managers, team leaders, outsiders really created an environment where nature and humans thrived together and created a future worth living into for all.
- I finished by asking the room if they were a business owner or lead a team
- how are you minding your team during COVID it’s shrinking of humanity?
- do you have Friday for the futures action?
- How are you addressing the SDGs?
- are you demanding more from technology?
I packed a lot into the 8 minutes. It got a positive response.
Thanks Kate the Brightclub Ireland producer. They have a podcast called You’re up next you might like it!
Thanks to the comedian and MC on the night with her own significant reveal Jessamyn.
Sarah for an electrifying insight into bugs, personifying computing, all gamer mentalities and haptic suits.
Kate for her unassuming story of adventure, plastic, her funky imagined beetroot skins and ground recycled new materials new product, the hilarious red pepper speaker for reals!
The incredible Brenda Romero, CEO and amazing speaker bringing to life #motherTechhers hope to see it as a book some day!
Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket.
Thanks to everyone who showed up.
Thanks to everyone that reached out in support.
Thanks to anyone who told me they enjoyed my set.
Thank you to anyone who’s thinking into their own actions because of something I’ve said or written.
Let me know how you go, what are you claiming for change?
Let me know if I can help you, your team and your business have a Friday for the Future action and stretch into the SDG goals.
Roisin Markham 
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