VOICE St. Louis

VOICE (Volunteer Operated Integrated Communication Exchange) is a peer-developed project that works to provide stable means of communication and timely information to people who face systemic barriers to technological access. It is built and run by volunteers, including people who already do outreach work in the community, and it develops through the experience of the people who use it and contribute to it.

As more of daily life comes to depend on technology, losing access to a phone or the internet can cut a person off from the people upon whom they rely and the information they need. VOICE was developed as community infrastructure to help people stay connected and informed despite those barriers, using free or inexpensive tools that a small group can maintain.

VOICE builds on what people in a community already do for one another and gives that work a shared structure that volunteers can sustain.

Every part of this work is documented openly, and the software behind it is free and open source, so that other communities can build something similar and adapt it to their own needs. These pages are revised by volunteers as our project grows and as practice shows a better way, and corrections and questions are welcome at info@voicestl.org.

Relay a Message

If you need to reach someone who does not have reliable access to a phone or email, you can leave a message for them here, and volunteers will work to deliver it.

Message

Name the intended recipient, and say what you would like them to know, including any date or deadline the message concerns.

Add Details (Optional)

Sender

Your Name

You may use any name you like, including a nickname.

Your Phone Number

Your Email Address

Give a phone number or an email address if you would like a volunteer to tell you once volunteers have worked on your message.

Preferred Language

Choose the language you would like a volunteer to use with you. A volunteer will try to use it.

Which Language

This message is urgent.

Mark a message as urgent when a deadline today depends on it, or when it concerns someone's safety without being an emergency. In an emergency, call 911 instead.