It's no secret that Urban Ambassadors members take pride in being 'doers.' If you're like us, you've got plenty of good ideas for community projects, but maybe you've found yourself up against the barriers of getting your idea off the ground. Who can help? What related ideas are out there? Where can I find advice on this?
This summer, Urban Ambassadors participated in the inaugural DSMhack event to build a tool to reduce those barriers for people in our community who want to launch their idea. Blending together UA's unique Seed Project Framework for community events with the tech-savvy, entrepreneurial spirit that runs through our organization, we were fortunate to gather a team of expert developers to build the tool we previewed online in June:
Our all-volunteer developer team did incredible work that weekend, and built a tool that succeeded in a live proof-of-concept test. Since that time, the team has continued to show incredible generosity, giving their time to complete the tool to bring it to Des Moines.
Recently, several members of the team came together again, brining us even closer to launch. We can now share screen-shots of this tool in testing again this weekend and feel we're very close to bringing it to you.
But although our team has graciously given us countless hours of development time, some gaps do remain we are looking to fill. The project is in need of a specialist in JavaScript who can help review the code to make sure all the parts of the project will work seamlessly on launch. If you or someone you know can be of service in this area, please contact info@urbanambassadors.org right away.
This tool has a great many capabilities, first and foremost allowing members of the UA community to instantly publicize and gather support for their idea in the community, free of charge, to anyone with an internet connection. You can share and discuss your idea, seek support, and find out what's going on in the community, all with one simple, easy to use online tool.
We're continuing to strategize in order to bring this tool to the community early next year and can't wait to put it in your hands. We think the hard work of our development team is just another example of how anyone in our community can use their unique talents to make an important contribution.
Whether you're a coder, an artist, a gardener, or just someone who likes to help out, we invite you to attend the next UA meet-up to find out how you can get involved in our community and move sustainability forward in Greater Des Moines.