Harry Harrold

... there were a number of folk with gov.uk email addresses in that session saying "I cannot say anything about that right now", but yeah..

Critical national infrastructure should be owned publicly might be an idea whose time has come.

Again.

GovCamp 2026 Session 4 _ Room Committee Room 3&4 Session: 4Room: Committee Room 3&4 Session title : How do we Take Back Control from tech giants Digital Sovereignty Session leader : John & Alaric Volunteer to continue conversation after : Notes ta...

The session notes are here:

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

I *think* the closest emerging answer was "Join the European efforts", but tbh quite a lot of the session was pretty downbeat.

A picture of me in front of a session grid.

...if you fell in love with the format of an un-conference today, but wanted more folk from the third sector, and more conversations of a charitable focus.

May I interest you in UKCharityCamp, same city, same deal, but the other end of the year. (It's a Nov. thing.)

#ukgc26

www.ukcharitycamp.com

And here we go... Pitching. #ukgc26

The enduring popularity of the pecan plait demonstrated yet again, alongside a strong showing by the apple crown. #ukgovcamp26

...but who'll start the dancing?

You'll find me and an interesting conversation or two at @ukcharitycamp.bsky.social

I must go down to the camp again, to the lovely folk and the buzz,
And all I ask is a clear grid and ideas to fill her with;

#ukgovcamp26

share.google/mriPqDTwbxgx...

...in my defense, I'm a Harrold. And we've only got a Place.

I'm admitting nothing.

#npcignites today I *think* l learned there's an award for "best charity annual report." Arguably - the best impact reporting is from the best Comms teams, as opposed from the charities with the most impact... The many purposes reporting is used for makes it harder to write one doc to fit all needs.

#npcignites impact reporting done once, for the Commission, used by all funders. Reducing duplication. Bravo, David Holdsworth

(one of two David Hs on the panel...)

Folk at #npcignites mightike this by CAST, a self-service AI course buff.ly/1KSivpU

#npcignites ...is there a tension between valuing our own knowledge, and the openness we believe is right? "We can't collaborate in every single way". The system makes us compete and maybe that's ok? But there's things big charities can do: not compete with small grassroots orgs for example.

#nocignites ...listen to civil society, value co-production, be prepared to the speaking of truth to power.

#npcignites I think the reflection here is that a danger to the impact economy is how larger and/or commercial orgs might take control of grassroots organisations. "Be careful how you scale and fund." But the opportunity is for Money to trust civil society and recognise it's entrepreneurial touch.

#npcignites "It's hard to be equal, when all the money is on the other side of the table." Our value is in knowledge of practice and lived experience, we need to influence *before* we're called on to implement. That's too late. And be conscious of commercial orgs monetising the ideas we developed.

#npcignites openness isn't just about sharing what works. And Chayn shows that.

#npcignites "We live in a deeply competitive funding landscape, and there's no evidence that competition is helping innovative and impact." which really resonates.

Chayn – Free Tools and resources for Healing from Abuse and Trauma Chayn offers free, trauma-informed resources for survivors, focusing on mental health, safety, and empowerment. Access a range of tools, from self-care guides to tech safety tips, all designed to help...

#npcignites Openness in the impact economy. @trishml + legend Hera Hussain from www.chayn.co who's forgotten more about trauma-informed practice than I'll ever know. Sharing what you know; particularly critical now, when AI might/is changing everything and theres no time for all to learn everything.

Homepage - 360Giving We are a charity that helps organizations publish and use open grants data, enabling informed decisions and effective community support.

#npcignites mapping work across a geography... 360giving, I think? Shows what funding has been targeted where...

www.360giving.org

#npcignites "Let's put the privacy to one side"...

Can we not do that, actually?

And can we be sure what it produces are editable, so we can keep our tone of voice and identity front and centre?

"AIs going to happen". That really does sound like a threat.

"Built for our sector" is gold, mind.

#npcignites Turn2us giving the "what's worked well", "what's not" retro. I applaud. (Special praise for "... sometimes "we" don't even go back and tell folk what's been done as a result." I must remember that.) But... It's better to start somewhere; don't make perfection the enemy of starting.

#npcignites Co-production next... Interesting note on shifting from a "paternalistic" model to shifting power to the beneficiary. "Nothing about us without us." Systems not built with humans in mind, let alone members of the marginalised communities they're meant to be for.

#npcignites "Progress moves at the speed of trust."

Well, that's a cracking precept.

#npcignites "A rising tide lifts all boats"

Chris Ashworth's wisdom cited here :+)

/c @trisml ^ Please and thank you.

#npcignites (Everyone seems to have five tips: please share those slides...)

#npcignites Theory of change... Starts with postit notes (ofc!) links differentiators to outcomes to the impact of those outcomes deliver it *alongside* strategy in an iterative, messy, process - you might call it an 'impact model" - and don't leave it as a .pdf sdgs.un.org/goals

Why Africa's girls will engineer the future The Giants we are searching for are the brilliant young female scientists hidden away amongst the billion people on the African continent.

#npcignites wrt to AI move the conversation to *what* impacts, and to what degree. AIs bias intersects with gender bias, qv Toms TedX here www.ted.com/talks/tom_il...