TL;DR 28th of March - visit a Hackspace near you
Hackspaces are community spaces dedicated to fun, art, politics, and above all social interaction. To experience it yourself, visit a Hackspace in your area on the 28th of March! You can find a list of spaces that are participating and opening their doors to visitors like you https://md.ccc-mannheim.de/s/tdoh-spaces26
What to expect
In addition to checking out the physical space you can get to know the community, learn about the topics they are working on, and above all you can discover the ideas behind Hackspaces and hacking in general. Depending on the space there will be guided tours of the rooms, presentations, workshops, and cold drinks. But no matter which which space you visit, you will get the opporunity to socialize and exchange ideas.
Why are we doing this?
First and foremost we do this out of a sense of conviction. We created these spaces so that we can playfully, artistically, and politically let off steam together. We believe it is very valuable to have these spaces and these opportunities, and we want to share that with others.
Of course, if people who feel comfortable in our social circle and are aligned with our ideology find out about our Hackspaces through this event we are thrilled. We want to give people outside of our “bubble” an insight into us - broadening horizons is rarely a bad thing.
Who is this aimed at?
The Day of Open Hackspaces (TDOH) is aimed at anyone who is curious, and in particular anyone who sees technology as more than just an apolitical means to an end, and who wants to surround themself with like-minded people.
It is very important to us that you do not let gender or other stereotypes hold you back from coming. We must admit we do have various biases in our demographics, as is often the case in IT environments. However, the majority of Hackspaces are explicitly queer friendly and many have their own active FLINTA*\ groups. It is also important to us not to expect any particular IT skill or technical affinity from our Day of Open Hackspace visitors, so if you are curious, come!
All creatures welcome
We strive to be inclusive, and therefore we do not reject any group of people based on their identity. Please note that we do not tolerate any discriminatory behavior such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. or fascist ideologies. For more information, please also read the Satement of Incompatibility of the CCC and, if applicable, the rules of the local space you wish to visit.
Where?
We’re opening our doors here at MuCCC! The other CCC affiliated spaces that are participating can be found in this list.
Preparation
… is certainly not necessary, but if you are intersted you can browse through our blog and other publicly available information beforehand. Perhaps you will find questions you’d like answered, topics for conversation, and maybe even opportunites to get involved. But maybe it’s just more exciting without spoilers.
You can’t make it on that day?
That’s a pity, but no worries - the majority of Hackspaces have regularly scheduled open evenings, though they may not have all the offerings of an event such as this. Alternatively, you can reach out to ask if visits are possible outside of these planned public events.
Image: Basti n00b0ss. License: CC-BY 2.0.