#volunteering — Public Fediverse posts

Northeast Iowa Food Bank invites community to take action during Hunger Action Month | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/3750/ #food #FoodBank #FoodSecurity #FoodTruck #hunger #Iowa #IowaDining #IowaFood #IowaGroceryStores #IowaRestaurants #malnutrition #Nutrition #poverty #prevention #volunteering #waterloo

Northeast Iowa Food Bank invites community to take action during Hunger Action Month | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/3750/ #food #FoodBank #FoodSecurity #FoodTruck #hunger #Iowa #IowaDining #IowaFood #IowaGroceryStores #IowaRestaurants #malnutrition #Nutrition #poverty #prevention #volunteering #waterloo

Northeast Iowa Food Bank invites community to take action during Hunger Action Month | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/3750/ #food #FoodBank #FoodSecurity #FoodTruck #hunger #Iowa #IowaDining #IowaFood #IowaGroceryStores #IowaRestaurants #malnutrition #Nutrition #poverty #prevention #volunteering #waterloo

Northeast Iowa Food Bank invites community to take action during Hunger Action Month | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/3750/ #food #FoodBank #FoodSecurity #FoodTruck #hunger #Iowa #IowaDining #IowaFood #IowaGroceryStores #IowaRestaurants #malnutrition #Nutrition #poverty #prevention #volunteering #waterloo

Pa. food bank highlights hunger relief during Hunger Action Month https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/2003/ #27CountyServiceArea #advocacy #CentralPennsylvania #CentralPennsylvaniaFoodBank #CentreCounty #ChildrenFoodInsecurity #ColumbiaCounty #donating #FoodBank #FoodInsecurity #FoodPantries #HungerActionMonth #HungerRelief #HungerReliefPartners #Lancaster #LebanonCounty #NourishingNeighborsTogether #pennsylvania #PennsylvaniaFood #volunteering #Williamsport #YorkCounty

Pa. food bank highlights hunger relief during Hunger Action Month https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/2003/ #27CountyServiceArea #advocacy #CentralPennsylvania #CentralPennsylvaniaFoodBank #CentreCounty #ChildrenFoodInsecurity #ColumbiaCounty #donating #FoodBank #FoodInsecurity #FoodPantries #HungerActionMonth #HungerRelief #HungerReliefPartners #Lancaster #LebanonCounty #NourishingNeighborsTogether #pennsylvania #PennsylvaniaFood #volunteering #Williamsport #YorkCounty

Pa. food bank highlights hunger relief during Hunger Action Month https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/2003/ #27CountyServiceArea #advocacy #CentralPennsylvania #CentralPennsylvaniaFoodBank #CentreCounty #ChildrenFoodInsecurity #ColumbiaCounty #donating #FoodBank #FoodInsecurity #FoodPantries #HungerActionMonth #HungerRelief #HungerReliefPartners #Lancaster #LebanonCounty #NourishingNeighborsTogether #pennsylvania #PennsylvaniaFood #volunteering #Williamsport #YorkCounty

Pa. food bank highlights hunger relief during Hunger Action Month https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/2003/ #27CountyServiceArea #advocacy #CentralPennsylvania #CentralPennsylvaniaFoodBank #CentreCounty #ChildrenFoodInsecurity #ColumbiaCounty #donating #FoodBank #FoodInsecurity #FoodPantries #HungerActionMonth #HungerRelief #HungerReliefPartners #Lancaster #LebanonCounty #NourishingNeighborsTogether #pennsylvania #PennsylvaniaFood #volunteering #Williamsport #YorkCounty

Country Women's Association celebrates 90 years in outback town
By Charles Geary

Founded when there were fewer than 50 women in Tennant Creek, the town's CWA branch is celebrating 90 years of service.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-12/cwa-tennant-creek-90th-anniversary/107136280

#RuralandRemoteCommunities #Women #Agriculture #Volunteering #CharlesGeary

Θέλεις να συνεισφέρεις στις tech κοινότητες αλλά νομίζεις ότι πρέπει να γράφεις μόνο τέλειο κώδικα; Στην πραγματικότητα, χρειαζόμαστε άτομα για content, οργάνωση events, design και documentation! Ο εθελοντισμός χτίζει γνώσεις, ομαδικότητα και δυναμώνει τα communities μας.

Δες γιατί αξίζει να ξεκινήσεις σήμερα και πώς μπορείς να βοηθήσεις: https://eiosifidis.blogspot.com/2026/08/ethelontismos-omades-pliroforikis.html
🐧🚀

#FOSS #OpenSource #TechCommunity #Volunteering #CommunityBuilding #Tech

Θέλεις να συνεισφέρεις στις tech κοινότητες αλλά νομίζεις ότι πρέπει να γράφεις μόνο τέλειο κώδικα; Στην πραγματικότητα, χρειαζόμαστε άτομα για content, οργάνωση events, design και documentation! Ο εθελοντισμός χτίζει γνώσεις, ομαδικότητα και δυναμώνει τα communities μας.

Δες γιατί αξίζει να ξεκινήσεις σήμερα και πώς μπορείς να βοηθήσεις: https://eiosifidis.blogspot.com/2026/08/ethelontismos-omades-pliroforikis.html
🐧🚀

#FOSS #OpenSource #TechCommunity #Volunteering #CommunityBuilding #Tech

Θέλεις να συνεισφέρεις στις tech κοινότητες αλλά νομίζεις ότι πρέπει να γράφεις μόνο τέλειο κώδικα; Στην πραγματικότητα, χρειαζόμαστε άτομα για content, οργάνωση events, design και documentation! Ο εθελοντισμός χτίζει γνώσεις, ομαδικότητα και δυναμώνει τα communities μας.

Δες γιατί αξίζει να ξεκινήσεις σήμερα και πώς μπορείς να βοηθήσεις: https://eiosifidis.blogspot.com/2026/08/ethelontismos-omades-pliroforikis.html
🐧🚀

#FOSS #OpenSource #TechCommunity #Volunteering #CommunityBuilding #Tech

Θέλεις να συνεισφέρεις στις tech κοινότητες αλλά νομίζεις ότι πρέπει να γράφεις μόνο τέλειο κώδικα; Στην πραγματικότητα, χρειαζόμαστε άτομα για content, οργάνωση events, design και documentation! Ο εθελοντισμός χτίζει γνώσεις, ομαδικότητα και δυναμώνει τα communities μας.

Δες γιατί αξίζει να ξεκινήσεις σήμερα και πώς μπορείς να βοηθήσεις: https://eiosifidis.blogspot.com/2026/08/ethelontismos-omades-pliroforikis.html
🐧🚀

#FOSS #OpenSource #TechCommunity #Volunteering #CommunityBuilding #Tech

Θέλεις να συνεισφέρεις στις tech κοινότητες αλλά νομίζεις ότι πρέπει να γράφεις μόνο τέλειο κώδικα; Στην πραγματικότητα, χρειαζόμαστε άτομα για content, οργάνωση events, design και documentation! Ο εθελοντισμός χτίζει γνώσεις, ομαδικότητα και δυναμώνει τα communities μας.

Δες γιατί αξίζει να ξεκινήσεις σήμερα και πώς μπορείς να βοηθήσεις: https://eiosifidis.blogspot.com/2026/08/ethelontismos-omades-pliroforikis.html
🐧🚀

#FOSS #OpenSource #TechCommunity #Volunteering #CommunityBuilding #Tech

🎉 Our Mapper of the Month for September is Fortunatus Ogwachi from Kenya 🇰🇪

Fortunatus was one of participants of the Youth Climate Mapping Externship* initiative in Kenya, and the top mapper of the cohort group.

We asked Fortunatus about his experience in the externship, his goals to strengthen his open mapping skills, and advice for new mappers to grow in the community.

Read 👉 https://maps.un.org/news/un-mapper-month-september-2026

#UNMaps #UNMappers #OpenStreetMap #UNMapperoftheMonth #volunteering #opendata #community

🎉 Our Mapper of the Month for September is Fortunatus Ogwachi from Kenya 🇰🇪

Fortunatus was one of participants of the Youth Climate Mapping Externship* initiative in Kenya, and the top mapper of the cohort group.

We asked Fortunatus about his experience in the externship, his goals to strengthen his open mapping skills, and advice for new mappers to grow in the community.

Read 👉 https://maps.un.org/news/un-mapper-month-september-2026

#UNMaps #UNMappers #OpenStreetMap #UNMapperoftheMonth #volunteering #opendata #community

🎉 Our Mapper of the Month for September is Fortunatus Ogwachi from Kenya 🇰🇪

Fortunatus was one of participants of the Youth Climate Mapping Externship* initiative in Kenya, and the top mapper of the cohort group.

We asked Fortunatus about his experience in the externship, his goals to strengthen his open mapping skills, and advice for new mappers to grow in the community.

Read 👉 https://maps.un.org/news/un-mapper-month-september-2026

#UNMaps #UNMappers #OpenStreetMap #UNMapperoftheMonth #volunteering #opendata #community

🎉 Our Mapper of the Month for September is Fortunatus Ogwachi from Kenya 🇰🇪

Fortunatus was one of participants of the Youth Climate Mapping Externship* initiative in Kenya, and the top mapper of the cohort group.

We asked Fortunatus about his experience in the externship, his goals to strengthen his open mapping skills, and advice for new mappers to grow in the community.

Read 👉 https://maps.un.org/news/un-mapper-month-september-2026

#UNMaps #UNMappers #OpenStreetMap #UNMapperoftheMonth #volunteering #opendata #community

🎉 Our Mapper of the Month for September is Fortunatus Ogwachi from Kenya 🇰🇪

Fortunatus was one of participants of the Youth Climate Mapping Externship* initiative in Kenya, and the top mapper of the cohort group.

We asked Fortunatus about his experience in the externship, his goals to strengthen his open mapping skills, and advice for new mappers to grow in the community.

Read 👉 https://maps.un.org/news/un-mapper-month-september-2026

#UNMaps #UNMappers #OpenStreetMap #UNMapperoftheMonth #volunteering #opendata #community

Miller, other garden clubs plant beauty and community https://www.allforgardening.com/1939537/miller-other-garden-clubs-plant-beauty-and-community/ #botany #garden #gardening #GardeningIndiana #horticulture #Indiana #NativeSpecies #NorthwestIndiana #plant #PlantAgriculture #plants #Volunteering

The Reason Many People Don’t Volunteer (It’s Not Time)

Last week I was sat in a room filled with a load of really passionate people who had come together to discuss creating a Community Newspaper. The ideas were flowing. The questions were flying about and the enthusiasm was there. But when it came to the crunch; “Hands up who wants to be part of the initial steering committee?” all that momentum came crashing to a halt. The hands did not come up.

It’s easy to think “Nobody has the time” and that’s the problem, but there is a bigger issue that holds people back. People don’t like to let other people down. Not wanting to let people down is perhaps a bigger barrier to getting people to volunteer than time.

This morning I got a very similar response talking to a gentleman about a regeneration project in my local park. He was initially reluctant to sign up because he just didn’t know if he could commit the time needed to the project. When I explained that he wasn’t obligated to come to every event and he could pick the ones that suited him, he was happy to sign up.

This is not a new observation to anyone working in this field. It’s called “commitment anxiety” or “anticipatory guilt.”: the fear that saying yes means taking responsibility for others’ expectations. When people worry about letting down their neighbours, friends, or community members who are counting on them, the social cost of failing outweighs the benefit of contributing.

On top of this there are a few other dimensions to this problem.

Social Risk vs. Practical Constraint: The “no time” explanation is socially safer. It’s concrete and feels less personal. Admitting fear of disappointing others would mean admitting vulnerability. So “time” becomes the convenient public reason while the real barrier sits beneath the surface.

Diffused Responsibility Paradox: Ironically, the stronger the group enthusiasm, the harder it can be for individuals to commit. When everyone seems passionate and capable, each person may think “someone else will take this lead.” The momentum of collective excitement can actually suppress individual action because nobody wants to stand out or fail publicly. This feels very much like what I experienced in the Community Newspaper meeting.

Perfectionism in Community Projects: Community initiatives carry emotional weight beyond transactional tasks. People worry they’ll damage relationships if the project struggles, not just that a deadline might be missed. That stakes-raising makes the ask more daunting than a typical volunteer opportunity.

So, is there anything we can learn from this? Are there any tips or tricks to get people to volunteer that sidestep these issues?

Small, time-bound trial commitments: EG “It’s just for 6 weeks, then we reassess” This lowers the perceived risk and gives people a really clear escape route, after 6 weeks. And then they can say “I don’t have time…” Instead of “join the steering committee,” try “come to one planning session next Thursday.” Each micro-commitment builds identity alignment and people start seeing themselves as someone who shows up. Once that self-image forms, larger commitments feel like a natural extension rather than a leap.

Making roles modular rather than monolithic: Let’s people contribute pieces without owning outcomes. Let’s people decide what they do, and when, so they feel like they are in control. Instead of giving people a task, ask them “What do you want to do?” and invite them to commit on their own terms. Also in an established organisation you can create a Shadowing Option so people can understand the scope before committing, offering a “shadow” role first.

Explicitly naming the fear: “I know saying yes feels daunting right now but…” This can reduce its power. Make it clear that quitting in 12 weeks is better than contributing nothing at all. Normalise exit on-ramps. Make leaving frictionless and guilt-free from the outset. Something like: “Anyone who joins the steering committee can step back at any point, no explanation needed.” When people know the door swings open both ways, commitment feels less like a trap. The irony is that making it easy to leave often makes people stay longer.

So that’s it. I wish I had all that in my head last week! For my Regen project simply getting people onto a mailing list is the big thing. Allowing people to passively sit in the background as potential volunteers until the day comes when they are in a position to volunteer pays off.

Target: $4000 this week!

The #Vulpibus folks are looking to raise a more significant quantity of currency this next week, to catch up with needs that are piling up fast.

Things from hardware and tools, to paying off loans and bureaucracy, to fuel to keep the Vulpibus moving!

It's expensive being poor in a capitalist society.

Let's put everyone in a better position to survive and thrive! Every donation to the Vulpibus increases the ability for it to be used for:

Living
Developing awesome gene editing tech
Rescuing and helping out fellow homeless, trans, LGBTQ+ and Otherkin and Therian folks in this horrible time
Sharing skills in hackerspace-style workshops and projects.

Please gather monies and donate to:
https://ko-fi.com/athakitsune
https://paypal.me/athamanatha
Cashapp $Athamanatha
Wise (please ask)
Bank transfer in the UK or ACH in the USA or via IBAN (please ask)
Other payment methods may need some arranging due to our current situation.

If you wish to stipulate a specific use for the money and see that use play out, let us know.

#Trans
#Transrights
#Transcrowdfund
#Crowdfund
#Mutualaid
#Mutualaidrequest
#LGBTQ
#LGBTQIA
#Transmutualaid
#fundraiser
#Solarpunk
#helpfolkslive2026
#Helpfolkssurive2026
#Queer
#Queermutualaid
#Moneyhelp
#Fedihelp
#help
#fucktrump
#Fuckmusk
#fuckcapitalism
#fuckproject2025
#hackerspace
#Makerspace
#homeless
#homelessness
#volunteering
#volunteers
#science
#guerillascience
#systemsdesign
#geneediting
#currencyhelp
#repairs
#learning
#skills
#sharing
#donate
#donateandshare
#share
#boost
#boostok
#boost4reach

Looking for service learning lessons and community service projects? We’ve rounded up some of our best service activities in our recent film guides for classrooms, workplaces, and service clubs.

These resources show that positive change is possible and that we all have the power to make an impact on the world around us.

These service activities are great for Volunteer Month in April and Volunteer Week April 19-25. 💕

Several of these lessons and activities have an environmental theme that also makes them great choices for Earth Month. 🌍

📢 We've updated this collection with our newest 2026 community service materials.

Check out the link to learn more about these resources and boost student engagement with service learning! 👇

https://journeysinfilm.org/get-students-excited-about-service-learning-with-film/?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=social+media&utm_campaign=volunteer+month&utm_id=April+26&utm_term=service+learning&utm_content=link

#NationalVolunteerMonth #VolunteerMonth #Volunteering #NationalVolunteerWeek #VolunteerWeek #CommunityService #ServiceLearning #Education #Edutooters #Homeschooling #EarthMonth #EarthWeek #EarthDay

Just got disconnected from a Be My Eyes call with Jack, and it reminded me how special those moments are.

You don’t get calls very often as there are a lot of volunteers, so when your phone actually rings it’s always a small surprise. (I still get that good kind of nervous every time.) I was the second person helping Jack fill out a form today, and now he probably needs a third. I really hope he managed to finish it.

That’s kind of the beauty of it though: more volunteers means nobody has to feel like a burden for asking for help. Someone new can just pick up where you left off.

I signed up thinking I’d be helping others, but honestly I always walk away feeling like I got more out of it. A few minutes of real human teamwork in the middle of a normal day.

Please don’t be discouraged by “there are already lots of volunteers.” Join the cause. Join the pool of goodwill. And honestly — if you could use the service yourself, sign up for that too. We’re here for you!

https://www.bemyeyes.com/

#BeMyEyes #Accessibility #Volunteering

A few weeks ago, we had our second experience of the wonderful community that is the Electromagnetic Field festival.

Electromagnetic Field [background here] is also known as EMF or #emfcamp – a festival initiated by Jonty Wareing and Russ Garrett over a decade ago. It is entirely, and wonderfully, volunteer-run and community-oriented.

We first went to EMF two years ago, and that time, took a car filled up with a lot of camping gear, and as many gadgets as I could cram in alongside. For some reason, the only place I wrote much about that trip was in my newsletter… which I have been neglecting a lot, much like this blog. On that trip, we camped near to the Guild of Makers, had no particular expectations, and just had a fantastic time exploring and learning. I built an RC2014 Micro in one of the workshops, and went to some great talks.

A Plan

This year, with our Forge & Craft studio becoming more established, we wanted to do something more. I submitted two talks, one of which was accepted; we applied to be a part of the Null Sector Night Market; and, with all of the maker stuff we wanted to take along, we decided to hire a camper van and set up an area for drop-in workshops around our craft (pen plotting, vinyl cutting, heat pressing, sublimation et al… I didn’t take a 3D printer as well, but did seriously consider it!).

We even made a sign. Previous tenants of our studio had left a giant empty frame in the storage area, which we repurposed with some plywood and paint (a future upgrade will probably include some LEDs, but I didn’t have the time before the event to make those happen this time around).

About ten days before we were due to set off, the owner of the camper we’d booked let us know that the boiler was leaking and that we’d have no hot water, but on balance, that was a compromise we were OK with… The van (named Louna, and hired through Quirky Campers) was lovely, beautifully kitted out, straightforward to drive, and it worked really well for us, even when we had some mud-related challenges getting parked up at the top north east corner of the EMF site, and getting back off that spot on the morning that we left (our wonderful neighbours were good enough to give us a quick push off to get us on our way).

The Experience

There are a number of other write-ups of how folks experienced EMF 2024, and pretty much all of them have different content and highlight different things, many of which are miscellany that I missed around the site. That is to say – EMF has a lot of diverse and interesting stuff to discover.

This time I felt like an experienced hand, even as someone that had only been along once before. It turned out that several of my friends were going to be there for the first time, and had already sought advice and made connection with me about travel, planned location etc. We ended up parked at the far top corner of the site, opposite Null Sector, but also close to the Guild of Makers village that we were again loosely affiliated with (also, we’re thrilled about the MBE awarded to our brilliant GoM friend Dr Lucy Rogers!). It turns out that having a surrounding sheet of steel to sleep inside was reasonably sound-insulating compared to a tent, so we did mostly manage to get some sleep, despite the proximity to the loud late-night music generation zone!

There are far Too Many Things to write about in detail, here is but a small flavour.

Talks

I went to a handful of talks; there were too many on my planned schedule across the 4 days, but realised I would never see everything, so I sniped at some key ones and resolved to catch up on recordings of others when possible.

• I finally saw Ellie Huxtable talk about shell history with Atuin (I missed this talk at FOSDEM although did get to meet Ellie there, and she was unable to join State of Open Con, so I’m glad to have seen this!). I’m now gradually installing and learning Atuin on each device and system I regularly use.
• Love love loved Shan Sun‘s talk about becoming a maker! So interesting, and a reminder that folks from all kinds of backgrounds can find joy in creating things. Shan’s lighthouses installation in Null Sector was also really cool.
• The talk about Tiny Toolkits was really good, and has caused me to add an array of small and handy tools to my “wanted” lists…!
• There was a fun talk about connecting Arduino boards to the web, which had some great demos inside it.
• Lucy gave an inspiring talk about looking Up, and the science above our heads. Looking forward to her book on this subject.
• After my experience (and illegal treatment) by the company that used to be Twitter UK as directed by the new owner, I found the discussion about Why Tech Needs Unions very interesting. A topic about which I now, in middle age, have a lot of Thoughts, which I may share at some point.
• Martin Hamilton‘s fabulous rewind to the 1990s session about the origins of web search and how AI and capitalism have largely ruined things, was great. After briefly flirting with some other options, I’m now mostly using SearXNG for my search needs where I can. Be More Goat! 🐐

For my own time on stage, it was exciting to be able to deliver a new version of a talk I’d previously given as a 45 minute closing keynote, in a more focused 20 minute slot. I talked about the history of computer art and pen plotters – computer-driven drawing machines – and how I’ve now built several of them. There was, however, an A/V bump in the road, so I definitely lost a bit of momentum and content along the way when I had to reboot halfway though 😬 video to follow, on this one. You can find the related links and notes here.

Sights

As with the talks, so very many things I could mention here, and still more we didn’t even get to encounter. Let’s summarise a few.

• the on-site (wired) phone system was, once more, a delight – it made me a bit sad that I didn’t bring anything to plug into it, again.
  
• a man played a Theremin to drive the output of a Tesla coil.
  
• there was a series of murder mystery games involving the death of our beloved Clippy. I did not play these, but loved the idea and execution and heard that a lot of people did get really engaged in solving the crime!
  
• A physical version of Flappy Bird! Just brilliantly executed, I loved it.
  
  This was in the main bar; the whole of the Arcade (a separate space) was also fantastic, although I did not have a lot of time to explore. I was excited to see some games there built using Downpour, which I recently talked about on our weekly podcast.
• The most engaging and intriguing installation for me was Shadowplay (inside Null Sector), from Joseph Lindley, Roger Whitham, and Jesse Benjamin. An absolutely fascinating live demonstration of image diffusion [aka generative AI] effects applied to video capture. No particular reason, except that it was cool. I could have played in there for ages!

Hacks

On to the physical “making” I got involved with…

• in 2022 I missed a workshop I was interested in on Building a Tiny Satellite Ground Station; this time, I successfully made it in. I enjoyed the experience of building a small 1⁄4-wave ground plane antenna and hooking it up to TinyGS running on a LilyGo LoRA board.
  • When I got home, I excitedly started to poke around in the TinyGS project, but it seems a bit tricky to get involved with – only parts of it are open source / source-available, and the community discussion is largely on Telegram. I’m finding myself more frustrated than I’d like – I definitely would love to contribute to documentation and so forth, but have not really found a way to do so. It is fun to set up, but (my impression is that it is) not so easy to take it further. Back burner, and I may give up on it if I can’t figure out how to help and get helped.
• The Tildagon badge is great! I really enjoyed following it from announcement, through pre-event discussion, to collecting mine at the event and continuing to figure out what is possible afterwards.
  • Before EMF I tentatively created up a few 3D printed addon Hexpansions, and some folks were able to confirm that they should fit, so I made a set of simple spirit level pieces, which other attendees seemed to enjoy. I’ll be making more, and you can find the designs on Printables as well. I like the concept that a hexpansion can be anything from a piece of card, through to a fully-functional electronic peripheral which contributes software to the main badge, and that we can continue to iterate on this design in the future.
    
  • I ported my previous 2022 badge Duck Facts app as an app on the Tildagon, for all your vital Duck Facts – @emfducks, you’re welcome, QUACK! 🦆

The Magic

On Friday, we had a spot in the Night Market. We loved the experience of being there, talking to people about pen plotters and our art (and also, encouraging folks to come to see us at the pop-up by our camper, or to my talk), and making some sales. This was our first time selling as Forge & Craft outside of our own open studios, and a very different audience.

The response was really wonderful, and it felt like a great place to be.

The only tiny piece of feedback I had was that the Night Market space itself was relatively small for the amount of footfall and traffic that came through – we could easily have used a full table, and having a bit more space for visitors may have made it feel a little less crammed in – nonetheless, Thank You so much to the organisers for having us, it was an absolutely great experience and we barely noticed the time rush by up until the 1am (!) close!

One more magical thing, was that this was an event at which Mastodon and the Fediverse came into their own!

• Ahead of the event, I put together a Fediwall to track associated hashtags and accounts across a range of popular and related Mastodon servers. As EMF approached, the chatter became more noticeable, and I began to follow a lot of interesting folks I had not previously been aware of.
  (also, you can follow hashtags on Mastodon, which can help to build a network around your areas of interest, particularly if you are on a larger server).
• My old friend James Smith proposed a Fediverse Friends meetup – which unfortunately overlapped with our Night Market time, but there were two of us to man our stall, so I was able to pop out and put some faces to Fediverse handles. I even brought Mastodon stickers and (for the fortunate few who got one) some magnets as well. Even if you were not at the meetup, hopefully you may have found a cheeky Mastodon logo sticker waiting to be collected somewhere else on the site 🦣 😉
  
• A key element was that every organising team at the event was on the Fediverse (specifically, GoToSocial, which is what their server uses, but easily followable on Mastodon, thank you ActivityPub), and attendees could use that to keep up with announcements and news. And, in the end, the wonderful @DrLucyRogers joined in the fun! I also managed to persuade the TinyGS project to set up their account.
• There were installations that connected to the Fediverse! Fabulous! This really felt like the early days of Web 2.0 platforms again, to some extent – it could easily have been 2010 all over again, with a dot matrix printer that sat in the main bar printing out Mastodon posts with the specific hashtag (thank you Matt Gray!), and a fax machine in the Null Sector bar that took in physically doodled images and posted them on Mastodon.

The Feeling

This.

I came back feeling energised and enriched, having reconnected with my communities. We had a great time.

Roll on 2026. Thank you to everyone involved.

Postscript: I did some babbling about EMF on the podcast a couple of weeks ago, as well, just at the start. Why not take a listen?

Like it? Share it -

• Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/06/20/energized-mood-flux/

#art #camping #community #emf2024 #emfcamp #forgeAndCraft #making #penplotter #publicSpeaking #Technology #volunteering