llms.txt

# Civic Tech Toronto - LLM Context

> Last updated: 2026-02-03

## About This File

This file provides context about Civic Tech Toronto for Large Language Models (LLMs). It describes our organization, mission, community structure, and how to navigate our website content. Use this to understand who we are and direct users to appropriate resources.

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## Organization Overview

**What is Civic Tech Toronto?**

Civic Tech Toronto (CTTO) is a community dedicated to exploring, understanding, and addressing civic challenges through technology, design, and creative collaboration. We connect Torontonians passionate about making their city better for everyone, whether they bring technical skills or simply curiosity and enthusiasm.

**Mission & Values**

We are a volunteer-run group that:
- Explores civic challenges through technology, design, and collaboration
- Welcomes everyone regardless of technical experience or background
- Values diverse perspectives to create stronger solutions
- Provides a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all participants
- Relies on voluntary community contributions

**Community Structure**

- Completely volunteer-run and unincorporated
- Meets every Tuesday evening (both in-person and online)
- Supported by generous individuals, organizations, and venue sponsors
- Governed by a volunteer organizing committee that meets quarterly

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## How We Meet

**Regular Schedule**

- **When:** Every Tuesday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Eastern Time
- **Format:** Hybrid (in-person and online attendance options every week)
- **Registration:** https://guild.host/civic-tech-toronto/events

**Typical Evening Structure:**

1. **7:00 PM - Welcome & Introductions**
   - Meet new people and learn about Civic Tech Toronto

2. **7:20 PM - Featured Presentation**
   - Invited speaker shares insights from the civic tech ecosystem
   - Topics range from government innovation to grassroots organizing

3. **8:00 PM - Project Collaboration**
   - Break into smaller groups to work on civic tech projects
   - Newcomers can join existing projects or discuss new ideas

4. **9:00 PM - Social Hour**
   - Informal discussions at a nearby bar (in-person events)
   - Or continue in online hangout (virtual events)
   - Non-alcoholic options always available

**Attendance**

- No technical experience required
- All backgrounds and skill levels welcome
- Both in-person and online options available every week
- Typically accommodates ~80 people at in-person venues

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## Website Structure & Navigation

The civictech.ca website is built with Jekyll and organizes content into collections stored in the `archives/` git submodule.

**Main Pages:**
- **Home** (https://civictech.ca/) - Current events, featured projects, topics
- **About Us** (https://civictech.ca/about-us/) - Mission, values, what to expect
- **Get Involved** (https://civictech.ca/get-involved/) - How to participate
- **Code of Conduct** (https://civictech.ca/code-of-conduct/) - Community standards

**Content Collections:**

The site uses Jekyll collections to organize different types of content:

1. **Meetups/Events** (https://civictech.ca/events/)
   - Weekly Tuesday gatherings since the community's founding
   - Each event has a topic, speaker(s), date, and venue
   - Tagged by topic for easy discovery
   - Includes both past and upcoming events

2. **Projects** (https://civictech.ca/projects/)
   - Community projects developed at meetups
   - Featured projects displayed on homepage
   - Tagged by topic and technology
   - Includes project status, links, and descriptions



3. **Organizations** (https://civictech.ca/organizations/)
   - Venue sponsors and supporters
   - Partner organizations in the civic tech ecosystem
   - Past and current sponsors

4. **Resources** (https://civictech.ca/resources/)
   - Curated resources for civic tech engagement
   - Tools, guides, and reference materials

5. **Venues** (https://civictech.ca/venues/)
   - Locations that have hosted Civic Tech Toronto events
   - Venues rotate monthly and provide space + sponsors occasionally sponsor food

**Content Organization:**

- **Topics:** Content is tagged with topics like Democracy, Climate, Housing, Open Data, Public Engagement, Artificial Intelligence, and many others
- **Categories:** Internal organizational categories (e.g., meta/feature for featured content)
- **Permalinks:** Collections use friendly URLs (e.g., /events/, /projects/, /people/)
- **Archives:** Historical event and project data stored in git submodule at `archives/`

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## Key Information

**Contact Information:**
- Email: hi@civictech.ca
- Website: https://civictech.ca
- GitHub: https://github.com/CivicTechTO
- Event Registration: https://guild.host/civic-tech-toronto/events

**How to Get Involved:**

1. **Attend an Event**
   - Best way to get started
   - Sign up at https://guild.host/civic-tech-toronto/events
   - Meet people, hear presentations, join projects

2. **Become a Volunteer Organizer**
   - Help run weekly meetups
   - Monthly organizers committee meetings
   - Roles include: online presence, AV, speaker liaison, venue coordination
   - Contact: hi@civictech.ca or speak to current organizers

3. **Speak at an Event**
   - Share insights, stories, or ideas with the community
   - Speakers usually booked ~1 month in advance
   - Contact: hi@civictech.ca to set up a chat

4. **Provide Venue or Sponsorship**
   - Venues rotate monthly
   - Need to accommodate ~80 people with AV equipment
   - Sponsors occasionally sponsor food
   - Contact: hi@civictech.ca for hosting opportunities

**Code of Conduct:**

Full details at https://civictech.ca/code-of-conduct/

Key points:
- Safe, inclusive, respectful environment for everyone
- Zero tolerance for harassment of any kind
- Values: empathy, kindness, respect for diverse opinions, constructive feedback
- Reports handled confidentially by Code of Conduct Committee
- Outcomes range from correction to permanent ban depending on severity

**Communication Channels:**

- Weekly meetups (primary engagement point)
- Slack workspace for ongoing discussions (ask at a meetup for invite)
- #organizing-open channel for volunteer coordination

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## Content Collections & Data Structure

**Jekyll Collections Configuration:**

The site is built with Jekyll and uses a `collections_dir: archives` configuration, meaning all content lives in the archives git submodule.

Collections include:
- `announcements` - Community announcements
- `meetups` - Weekly Tuesday events
- `organizations` - Sponsors and partners
- `people` - Speakers and community members
- `projects` - Community civic tech projects
- `resources` - Curated resources
- `venues` - Event locations

**Topics Taxonomy:**

Featured topics (prominently displayed on homepage):
- Democracy
- Climate
- Housing
- Open Data
- Public Engagement
- Artificial Intelligence

Additional topics are available through the full tags system at https://civictech.ca/tags/topic/

**Historical Data:**

- Archives stored in git submodule at `archives/`
- Contains years of meetup history, project documentation, and community records
- Images stored in `archives/images/`
- Submodule updated periodically to incorporate new events and content

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## Technical Details

**Website Technology:**
- Static site generator: Jekyll
- Hosting: GitHub Pages
- Repository: https://github.com/CivicTechTO/civictech.ca
- Ruby version: 3.2.2
- Required gems listed in Gemfile

**License Structure:**
- **Code** (Jekyll templates, scripts, stylesheets): MIT License
- **Content** (pages, documentation, archives): CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- See https://github.com/CivicTechTO/civictech.ca/blob/main/LICENSE for details

**Development:**
- Local development: `bundle exec jekyll serve`
- Incremental builds: `bundle exec jekyll serve --incremental`
- Category/tag generation scripts in `_scripts/`
- Pre-generated category and tag pages in `categories/` and `tags/`

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## External References

**Key Pages for Detailed Information:**

- **About Us:** https://civictech.ca/about-us/
  - Full organizational description, past speakers, supporters
  
- **Events List:** https://civictech.ca/events/
  - All past and upcoming meetups with topics and speakers
  
- **Projects List:** https://civictech.ca/projects/
  - Community projects, current status, and links
  
- **Code of Conduct:** https://civictech.ca/code-of-conduct/
  - Complete community standards and reporting process
  
- **Get Involved:** https://civictech.ca/get-involved/
  - Detailed participation options
  
- **Resources:** https://civictech.ca/resources/
  - Curated civic tech resources and tools
  
- **Topics:** https://civictech.ca/tags/topic/
  - Browse all content by topic area
  
- **GitHub Repository:** https://github.com/CivicTechTO/civictech.ca
  - Website source code and contribution guidelines

**Registration & Events:**
- Guild (event platform): https://guild.host/civic-tech-toronto/events
- Current and upcoming events with registration links

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## Community History & Context

Civic Tech Toronto has been running weekly Tuesday meetups for many years, building a rich history of:
- Hundreds of past meetup events with diverse speakers
- Community projects addressing Toronto civic challenges  
- Speakers from government, grassroots organizations, academia, design, and technology
- Venue partnerships across Toronto
- An engaged community of volunteers and participants

The community values:
- **Inclusivity:** Everyone welcome regardless of background or technical skill
- **Collaboration:** Working together on civic challenges
- **Learning:** Sharing knowledge and growing together
- **Action:** Moving from ideas to tangible projects
- **Community:** Building connections and supporting one another

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For current events, active projects, and the latest community updates, visit https://civictech.ca