As the digital sector continues its exponential growth, the tech-for-good movement is gaining ground. What is “Tech for Good,” and what do we mean by "freelancing for good?” Discover the answers to your questions in this dedicated interview with Charlotte, co-founder of Social Declik!
Social Declik helps IT freelancers build a stable business in the impact sector
Hi Charlotte! Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
You bet—it’s my pleasure! My name’s Charlotte Lischer. I'm 37 and have two children. Parenthood is what has really shaken me up and made me want to do something for the common good. After more than 10 years in digital consulting in Paris, we moved to Aix-en-Provence. From there, I met my partner, Coline Didier, and together we co-founded Social Declik.
So, what’s Social Declik?
At Social Declik, our goal is to help IT freelancers establish a sustainable business model that includes the impact sector.
We propose training to help them land that first mission with a socially responsible company—whether you’ve been a freelancer for a long time or are just setting sail.
We also have our community in which we help freelancers grow intellectually thanks to masterclasses on themes closely or distantly related to the tech-for-good concept (eco-design, Internet accessibility, circular economies, Internet inclusiveness, and more). We also hold weekly online meetings on issues freelancers run into:
- how to seize a long-term job or role as a freelancer
- how to propose the right rates for work in the impact sector
- which eco-gestures to adopt as a freelancer in the IT field
We also propose a weekly newsletter on what we’re following, and on the business side, we regularly share opportunities. Finally, we of course build communities, support one another, and even organize happy hours (with frequent help from Slack for regular interactions). ;-)
What is your role within Social Declik? What are your values?
Like most entrepreneurs, Coline and I have become masters of versatility, but we also capitalize on each of our respective strengths! As for me, I enjoy the areas of training, content, and marketing.
Our values are commitment, sharing, compassion, universalism, and trust. It may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s really what drives us in all our daily actions and the positions we adopt.
Social Declik and the challenges of Tech for Good
What exactly is the “Tech for Good” movement, and what do you think are its greatest challenges?
In my opinion, Tech for Good refers to technology at the service of the common good of all living beings. It’s all about the construction and use of sober, inclusive, and accessible technologies for virtuous applications. To speak specifically about the web for example, upon its creation, the main goal was to make knowledge more accessible to all. We have to come back to this, so that everyone finds their place as both users and doers—by anticipating our impacts on the environment.
Social Declik helps entrepreneurs build a stable business as a digital "freelancer for good." What do you mean by "freelancer for good?"
Freelancing for good is a movement of freelancers who seek to serve social and environmental causes rather than shareholders. They include people who are sensitive to current social issues, and they’re often already personally involved in them and working for ethical organizations to build a more responsible and sustainable digital world.
How does Social Declik follow a tech-for-good approach?
For Coline and me, the freelance-for-good movement is all part of Tech for Good. It includes a certain category of people who’ve chosen the status of freelancer and can participate in the construction of a sustainable digital world. Remember that in 2019, there were already nearly 1 million freelancers in France alone—and a good number of those in IT, and this status drew many new followers during COVID. Also, we know that 51% of executives esteem that having a meaningful job is "very important." With both freelancing and the desire to make an impact becoming more and more popular across the entire workforce, freelancing for the greater good will only grow more popular!
In your opinion, how does Tech for Good fit into today's technological and societal challenges?
People use digital services in an ever-accelerating number of ways. That said, if today they account for only 4% of greenhouse gases, that portion will cover much more tomorrow. Each digital initiative today should be thought out through consideration of its impact on all stakeholders. This needs to become a reflex. We shouldn’t demonize technology: as long as we consider the impacts first, it can help us meet important challenges.
Why do you think training more people in IT these days is so crucial?
The new talents being trained at present are those who will be able to raise awareness in companies through concrete actions, like eco-design and making digital services and products more accessible and inclusive. The new generation is particularly committed to social and environmental causes. This commitment must be a driving force for action!
Final words
Why did you choose to partner with Wild Code School?
Wild Code School trains these new talents through inclusive programs, and this is what has permitted such diversity among its graduates. For me, these are the future actors of the tech-for-good movement!
What plans do you have for the future?
To build the freelance-for-good movement, to have more freelancers in our collective while remaining on a human scale!
Thank you for all your insights! Any last words for our Wilders reading today?
Great work!!! Congratulations on choosing IT training that will allow you to join a sector that never stops its quest for new talent! Your future role will require creativity, rigor, and team spirit—but also a never-ending dynamic of continuous learning... You’re bound to have a blast! :-)
Working in the impact sector has never been more possible! Virtuous actors need your know-how, so don't hesitate! Don't listen to those who say that IT is incompatible with impact... Prove to them that you can make one work for the other!
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