Get involved

Welcome! The Open Knowledge Foundation global network is made up of people who want to deepen their knowledge, experience and professional networks in the open knowledge movement. There are countless ways that you can get involved: From joining discussions on mailing lists and in hangouts to attending open data meet-ups and international conferences to coding on technical projects, contributing to widely used global standards and principles and advocating for more data from governments, institutions and corporations.

We welcome everyone to join the ever-expanding Open Knowledge network! This page is dedicated to laying out the many ways you can get involved.

I am new to 'open' - where should I begin?
Welcome!! Here are some great places to start to learn about the basics:


 * The Open Definition is the foundation of all our work.
 * Here is an introduction that explains the why, what and how of open data. You can also learn even more in the Open Data Handbook
 * Sign up to our discuss list and introduce yourself.
 * Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Quick & easy ways to get involved

 * Take a Course at our School of Data: Learning modules can be taken in any order at your own pace.
 * Sign the petition to Stop Secret Contracts
 * Attend an Open Data Meet-Up or Makers Night Near You Meet people face to face and start collaborating.

Contribute to a community project
These projects are actively seeking volunteers and would welcome your help.


 * School of Data needs mentors and data expedition leaders.
 * Contribute to your country's Open Data Census.
 * Contribute to the Local Open Data Census in your city or region or start one yourself to get open data on the map where you live.
 * Open Spending needs data wranglers, coders, mappers, translators, and outreach support.
 * Any of our community projects will welcome your help, check out the full project listing and get in touch.

I am passionate about a specific topic...
We have over 20 Working Groups that bring together change makers from around the world to open up data, knowledge and content in various fields.
 * Join civic hackers, civil servants and civil society to Open Government and Democracy
 * Build tools, share and advocate for Open Culture
 * Unlock, share and support Open Research and Education
 * Meet the Working Groups online: Working Group Calls Calendar

I want to code & build innovative tools...

 * Join OKFN Labs, our community for those excited by the possibilities of combining technology and information for good.
 * Get right into the code on Github.
 * Check out the list of Labs projects.


 * CKAN: CKAN is a powerful data management system that makes data accessible by providing tools to streamline publishing, sharing, finding and using data.
 * Check out the CKAN Roadmap on Trello
 * Talk to CKAN developers team on the Developer mailing list
 * CKAN discussion mailing list
 * Code repo

I want to get involved where I live

 * Find a Local Group near you and join it.
 * If there is no Local Group in your area, you can apply to become an Ambassador and start one.
 * You can also join one of the hundreds of events happening, or organise your own! (for instance, an Open Data Makers Night).
 * You can learn more about the [# structure of our Local Groups global network] and find answers to the most common questions in our [# Local Groups FAQ]. We also have a set of resources available to use freely.

I want to advocate for change...

 * Sign on and join our campaigns:
 * We're holding decision-makers to account for the use of public money through Follow the Money:
 * We're fighting fraud, corruption, and profiteering in public contracts by insisting governments Stop Secret Contracts