hello world

We've been running 1RG for a little over two years. We don't have a sign. We've been working on updating our website for several months. We barely have socials. We are the speakeasy of co-working.

A few days ago, someone new came by our space in the Junction. We talked about what we've been up to, and where we're trying to go. When he started talking about the Opium Wars in relationship to the Canadian tech industry, we knew he belonged here. Before leaving he said he would never have heard about us, had his friend not invited him, and then, with an encouraging smile, he told us to get out there - do things, tell people.

If you've never heard about us, this is for you.

1RG was born out of a simple conviction: that computers are cool and can make a real difference in our communities, and that others feel the same.

On paper, 1RG is a co-working and event space, but its real essence is its people. We're a group of technologists, dreamers, and explorers. Together we learn, we play, and we take care of each other.

Most of us work in tech, but we're not just about code. The things we do together are a reflection of our beliefs and a manifestation of the world we want to live in.

We like bikes and are not afraid to tell the provincial government to keep their hands off our lanes (literally, on video). We hold collective presencing circles, where we wonder why using our phones doesn't feel like walking in the forest. We grow a small community garden on our patio, and always have fresh jalapeños. We cook for each other and share food. We participate in the Meshtastic network, sending radio messages to each other from across the city. We have a shared library that includes literature, programming books, a three ring binder packed with research about protocols, and many board games. There's a group of dedicated Open Street Map contributors, and, sometimes, they make pen plots of their mapping efforts.

1RG is building a world where the relationship between people, technology and community is empowering and humane. If you think (or suspect!) there is more to computers than mainstream internet culture, 1RG is for you.