Citizens without Borders

This storytelling exhibition showcased powerful aerial photographs created by citizens using kites, balloons, and point-and-shoot cameras. We told the stories of how people around the world are harnessing the power of Do-It-Yourself techniques to address local environmental, social and political matters. Using props and storyboards in four specially curated settings we shared the stories of unsung heroes … Continue reading →

After a long day at work what better way to unwind than having some DIY science fun? Our workshop/science café format aims to create a space to engage hands on with an DIY tool or technique while also engaging in a relaxed discussion around it – it’s meaning and the data it produces as well … Continue reading →

DITOs stands for Doing It Together science. It also stands for a project started earlier this year to combine efforts for Do-It-Yourself (DIY), grassroots and community-based science efforts to grow and flourish [more on my previous blog post]. One way we accomplish this is by talking about science-related issues that are little known or mystified and by … Continue reading →

The other day I went to Harwich (approx. 1.5 hour train ride from London) in Essex where Leave vote was in majority to join the listening project. We asked people on the street questions; what does the result mean to you? What is your vision for the UK’s future? What is the message to the new … Continue reading →

Last Thursday saw the opening of the Science Museum’s Beyond the Lab exhibition, part of the Horizon 2020 SPARKS project that brings together 33 partner organisations across Europe around the goal of public engagement around DIY Science. Today’s preview opening started with positive messages in the opening speeches from both the Science Museum and ecsite emphasising the … Continue reading →

Dear All, We cannot at the moment know what the full consequences of the separation between the UK and the EU will be. The emotions and desires on the issue on both sides cannot be dismissed. Either way, whatever the result of the referendum, a big group of the voting population would have been unhappy … Continue reading →

Invitations to contribute to crowdfunding campaigns have become increasingly more commonplace over recent years. From established players like Kickstarter and Just Giving to those newer to the scene such as Spacehive and Hubbub, great causes that might otherwise never have happened are finding the necessary support by reaching out to the many rather than relying … Continue reading →

Citizens without Borders is honoured to take part in an exciting endeavour for the next three years: ‘Doing It Together science’ or DITOs. But what is DITOs, who is involved, how, and why? In the following weeks we will be posting more news about CwB’s and our partner’s engagement in DITOs and answer these crucial … Continue reading →

Looking at a colour-wheel-emotion (http://davidmcgettigan.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/colour-wheel-emotion.jpg), I have realised that I also used Playshops as a way to bring my positive emotions in deeper and more shade colours, that is, to hold and enjoy them more. Base on my experience working with autism and the colour-wheel-emotion, I will try to clarify the main point in this … Continue reading →

Earlier this month we screened “No Man’s Land” a 2001 film by Danis Tanović. The synopsis: Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1993 at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides. Plot: Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict, Nino and Ciki, become trapped in no man’s land, whilst a third soldier becomes a … Continue reading →

The focus of the Explorer of the World playshops is on creating intentional relationships with our surrounding environment – that is, development of meaningful understanding brought about through experiential learning in people’s own terms. Conceptually, these playshops are about connecting with and understanding the world around us by bringing together artistic and investigative perspectives. The methodology of the … Continue reading →

The Explorer of the World playshop series is part of a set of projects developing tools and methods that enable individuals, regardless of background or geographic location, to (re)build relations with their environment, collaboratively and creatively devising solutions to the real problems they face. What is the purpose of the playshops? The playshops create spontaneous … Continue reading →

I think the old adage that “when you’ve travelled around the world, only then will you know what home is” is well illustrated by the experiences I’ve had in the playshops. It could be said that what we are doing is ‘childish’ or plain silly, but I think it is exactly the experience of playing … Continue reading →

Our first ever public event – Citizens without Borders Public Expo – was such an amazing and learning experience for all of us involved. We want to share with you our reflection and experiences of the event – what worked, what presently surprised us, what we enjoyed and learnt from our mini-Expo. Thanks! Asako & … Continue reading →

On the 21st of September, we had our first public event in Russell Square park in London. The event was to introduce Citizens without Borders to the public. Using posters, interactive display and installation art, this mini-expo presented various CwB themes and past activities we’ve so far explored since our kick-off in December 2011. This also created … Continue reading →

In addition to the previous post by my friend, this brief story tells my personal experience of the visit to Harwich and the wonderful community-driven event – the Secret Gardens. * I got on a train from London Liverpool Street station to visit my friends in Harwich for a weekend in mid-July. The town stands … Continue reading →

They say a picture speaks more than a thousand words… I say a garden speaks more than a picture and a thousand words combined. Let me briefly share with you why. The Harwich Secret Gardens is a fabulous community-driven event in which local historic Harwich residents open up the doors and fences to their gardens … Continue reading →

The following is not a discussion about rurality nor a celebration of small is beautiful. Rather, it represents the reflections on my observations of life as it unfolds in a small coastal town in east England. I cannot explain it nor wish to begin making conjectures about why it is the way it is but … Continue reading →

I thought hacking was illegal access into computer or internet site to make unauthorised modifications. I did’t know we could do it with any other kinds of objects or physical space. It opened up new space for me (metaphorically and physically) to gash out PCs, take out parts, turn them into props and characters and make … Continue reading →

In the end of this 4th playshop we chatted about what these playshops were to us and why we explored. The heart of being an explorer for me is having fun – that is creating stories and being in them. The stories are what sets me off and leads me into exploration. And I often … Continue reading →

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Re: Sharing your thoughts on “Explorer of the world” From: Robert To: Cindy Since I’ve had so much fun during the last few sessions, I’ll be happy to share a few of my thoughts on the playshops and journal extracts. “In becoming an explorer of the world, I’ve learnt that imagination is less about what … Continue reading →

Can we expect the unexpected if we look and sense our surroundings in familiar, taken for granted ways? It’s wonderful to welcome the unexpected into one’s experience and adds to the rich texture of life, the “magic”. For me, an attitude of “what’s new?” is essential  to elicit “magic” from everyday observations. The introduction and facilitation … Continue reading →

I went to the Explorer of the World playshops. It was the 2nd one of the four. As was the first one, it was an inspiring and fun experience. The highlight of the first part was to do an improvisational theatre. In the dark room with the lights out, we had a short meditation and … Continue reading →

Subject: I had an Arduino evening From: Asako To: Cindy Cindy! Hooray, my Arduino did the blinking!! and the light turned on when button is pressed! and it turned on when the button is NOT pressed! and it blinked very rapidly and then slowly when the button is pressed! I’m very impressed about this and proud! It was … Continue reading →

‘Science has no borders: real life DIY sensing and mapping techniques for environmental monitoring in London‘  is the title for a proposal put forth for the Inclusion Awards at UCL. We are happy to have been granted the funds to begin an Extreme Citizen Science project with a Civic Science twist by engaging communities who are usually … Continue reading →

How critical are you? In some way or another you might have heard about Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA in Central Africa and who is #1 in the ICC list of most wanted for crimes against humanity. An organisation called Invisible Children was born with the purpose of making Kony famous so as to … Continue reading →

How do you get from “Madonna had a baby with a monkey, who became a karaoke star” to ” The alien magician made the poor man put his rabbit into the magic hat”? At our Citizens without Borders event, Rapida Lingvo Interŝanĝo, one of our members suggested a very interesting and truly funny game, which I call … Continue reading →

Tuesday 14th February at the 2nd London Citizen Cyberscience Summit. The live blog entries for the summit can be found at the Extreme Citizen Science blog. The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (PLOTS) is a community which develops and applies open-source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. By democratizing inexpensive and accessible “Do-It-Yourself” techniques, Public Laboratory creates … Continue reading →

Thursday 16th February at the 2nd London Citizen Cyberscience Summit. The live blog entries for the summit can be found at the Extreme Citizen Science blog. Speaker: Simon Tokumine | website   Theme: Spectrum of Citizen Science Website: vizzuality.com Without Citizens you don’t get the Science – Lessons from projects with 60 to 6 million contributions Vizzuality is about the power … Continue reading →

A “citizen without borders” just like a “global citizen” is a fluffy concept that has multiple meanings for different people in different contexts. In our website and in a workshop, we gathered people’s responses to “why do you want to be a citizen without borders” and “who is a citizen without borders?” The results are … Continue reading →

Do you think of yourself as a global citizen and do you like to think about and act across cultures, disciplines, and other boundaries? Then you are probably a citizen without borders. This blog is for you to raise any thoughts that can help us, citizens without borders, to… Explore our boundless potential to tackle issues that hinder … Continue reading →