Call for Applications! Research Sprint: Exploring Digital Safe Spaces
Join our research sprint to contribute to urgent conversations on digital safe spaces!
Join our research sprint to contribute to urgent conversations on digital safe spaces. You will be able to connect with a global network of scholars and creators united by a shared mission to reimagine digital inclusion. It's an opportunity to gain mentorship and exposure to leading experts, and collaborate in a co-creation space designed to produce impactful research and practical toolkits.
Also, you'll have the chance to showcase your work through the Edgelands Institute website, and potentially in a dedicated exhibitions or special publications. This is an invitation to grow, create, and influence the future of inclusive digital practices.
The purpose behind this Research Sprint
Since 2021, Edgelands has 'popped up' in five very different cities: Medellín, Cúcuta, Geneva, Nairobi and Houston. In each location, we curated and hosted spaces for conversations with residents of various ages, backgrounds, and life situations. We invited them to share their perceptions of safety and insecurity and to reflect on the role of technology in these experiences.
Despite the variety of urban realities, each shaped by its own history, power structures and cultural understanding, we observed a common narrative: digital technology is presented as the inevitable solution to security problems. This narrative is often used to justify increased surveillance and policing, frequently at the expense of civil liberties and fundamental rights.
However, along the way, we also met dozens of local initiatives and heard alternative perspectives that challenged that narrative. These stories remind us that living safely together does not have to be a zero-sum game in which rights are sacrificed for security. Rather, security is deeply social, deeply local, and deeply human. Technology can be a useful tool, but it is not a solution in itself; it must be embedded within a broader understanding of community, context, and care.
Building on these insights, the Edgelands Institute will host an international research sprint as part of its 'Pop-Down and Beyond' phase. Rather than focusing on the impact of digital technologies on our ability to live together in cities, the sprint will explore how communities use digital platforms to create safe spaces that facilitate connection, organisation, mutual support, and sometimes collective change. By shifting the focus from cities to digital spaces, the Sprint aims to explore how digital spaces function, what brings people together and how participants experience a sense of security and belonging, even when they are physically apart.
Who we are looking for
We invite anyone interested in the topic to apply, whether you have extensive experience in digital community work or are just beginning to explore these ideas. What matters most is your curiosity, perspective and willingness to engage.
To ensure the sprint remains highly interactive and supportive, we will only select 10–12 participants. Early applications are encouraged!
We especially welcome voices from—or closely allied with—LGBTQ+ communities, migrants & refugees, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, women & non‑binary persons, and young people.
Your lived experience is the engine that will drive fresh insight.
All candidates should:
- Want to join an international network and engage in ongoing dialogue with a global community of researchers and technologists.
- Be eager to critically engage with the intersection of security, digital technologies, and collective living.
- Commit to collaborative group work, contributing to a small interdisciplinary team that will produce a concise document and/or a practical toolkit within the eight‑week sprint timeframe.
Sprint structure
Why join us
- Global connections: participate on a global network of scholars and creators united by a shared mission to reimagine digital inclusion.
- Guidance and inspiration: get mentorship and exposure to leading experts and inspiring keynote speakers.
- Collaborative creation: join the group to develop publishable research and actionable toolkits that can influence policy and design.
- Develop your skills: Working as part of an interdisciplinary research team within an accelerated timeframe will enable you to enhance and expand your research and collaboration skills.
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Ready to join the sprint?
Please fill out the following application form by 24 September 2025, 23:59 CEST (UTC+2)
👉 https://noteforms.com/forms/exploring-digital-safespaces-eeb8tj
All selected participants will be notified by 30 September 2025.
Whether you’re a veteran of digital community work or a newcomer eager to learn, we can’t wait to explore the future of digital safe spaces together!
If you have any question reach out to Laura Garcia Laura.edgelands@pm.me
