Community Infrastructure Clinic: From Dependency to Digital Sovereignty
What does a healthy digital infrastructure look like and how can communities know whether they are truly in control of the technologies they depend on?
In this playful, hands-on workshop, participants become “digital infrastructure doctors” and work in small groups to diagnose fictional community cases: a local archive dependent on a proprietary cloud service, a rural community relying on a single communication platform, or an organisation whose essential services depend on a specific software ecosystem.
Participants first map what their community needs to preserve, share and organise, then identify the hidden dependencies behind its existing digital infrastructure. They consider questions of vendor lock-in, data portability, interoperability, device and software choice, governance and long-term maintenance.
They then develop a “treatment plan”: redesigning the infrastructure using open source, open standards, interoperability, decentralised or self-hosted approaches and cooperative governance. Importantly, groups must also consider what happens after deployment: who maintains the infrastructure, who controls administrative access, what happens when people leave, and whether the community can migrate or change provider.
The workshop concludes with each group creating a digital infrastructure prescription: 5–7 principles for a healthy infrastructure and one concrete initiative that could put one of those principles into practice.
Attendees will leave with a practical framework for assessing digital dependencies and a set of questions they can apply when evaluating or designing open-source and decentralised solutions for their own organisations and communities.
- Meet the patient (Map the community phase)
Participants work in small groups with a fictional community case. They map what the community needs to preserve, share and organise, and identify the digital tools and infrastructures it currently relies on. - Diagnosis (Identify the dependencies phase)
Each community has a “symptom”, such as dependence on a proprietary platform or a lack of interoperability. Groups investigate what lies behind the symptom: who controls the infrastructure, the data and access; what happens when providers change their terms; and whether the community can switch, migrate or maintain the service itself. - Treatment (Design a healthier infrastructure)
Groups redesign the infrastructure using open source, interoperability, decentralisation, self-hosting and community governance as possible approaches. They also consider the less visible challenges of digital sovereignty: who maintains the infrastructure, who has administrative access, what happens when people leave, and how the community can retain the ability to change or migrate.
The workshop concludes with each group creating a “digital infrastructure prescription”: 5–7 principles for a healthy infrastructure and one concrete initiative to put one of those principles into practice. Groups then share their prescriptions and reflect on what makes digital infrastructure genuinely community-controlled and resilient.
Community builder and ecosystem strategist, Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), Freelance
Curious, outgoing, and deeply inspired by nature, I am passionate about bringing people together and building communities that create meaningful impact. My work sits at the intersection of community building, ecosystem strategy, and innovation, helping organizations foster engagement, collaboration, and growth.
With a background in international marketing, design thinking, and facilitation, I enjoy creating spaces where people can connect, learn, and contribute to a shared vision. Whether I'm designing workshops, developing partnerships, or supporting open and collaborative ecosystems, I'm motivated by purpose-driven work and human connection.