We want to make it inviting for others to join us in coordinating the OSCEdays globally, and to make it clear that any reliable person with motivation and commitment to the cause is very welcome to be part of this organizing team.
However, a simple ‘join us’ may not be enough - people might have preconceptions of what help or what type of people we need - they might think ‘oh, my skills aren’t relevant’. I doubt many people would be able to guess what skills we need, so let’s tell them!
These are some of the areas we need help, and some of the tasks which need doing. These might be larger, ongoing roles, some might be one-off tasks, some may be simple small things (low-hanging fruit).
I’ll start, but feel free to add - this post is a wiki, you can edit it by clicking on the pencil icon at the bottom of the post.
Please note that for almost all of these tasks there is generally a very easy first step: creating a topic in this community forum which outlines potential solutions for these issues, links to or gathers related materials. You can then link to your new topic from this page.
Software/Web development
- automating tasks which we have to repeat all the time, eg setting up wordpress sub-pages, owncloud folders, forum categories and logins for each city
- setting up an improved, flexible web infrastructure for OSCEdays
- setting up an embedded OSM-based map showing where all the events are happening
Community Managers/Moderators/helpers
- people who can be a point of contact for new community members, help people out with the platform, direct people to the right place or the right person, You don’t have to be super-familiar with OSCEdays yet, we’ll get you up to speed and support you in this role!
Design
- basically all areas of our website could do with a critical eye and a skilled hand in UX and/or UI.
- we produce A LOT of information and documentation. Can you help us present it in a better format than our scattered web pages and forum posts?
- we also want to communicate to the press, to potential partners and sponsors, and we created brochures etc for this, but nobody from the current team really has a design background.
- we would like to create a modular design tool kit which local teams can use to adapt OSCE material and design elements for their events and projects. Any ideas?
Fundraising
-helping identify sponsorship/fundraising opportunities at local or global levels, and helping local organizers with questions or strategies to help cover costs of their events.
Presenting OSCEdays
- We want to reflect the diverse & distributed nature of the OSCEdays when we communicate. Are you an engaged member of the OSCEdays community? are you interested in presenting OSCE at conferences etc? We have existing slides and can help you to plan a talk if you like.
Global Reporters
- last year during the event we ran a series of Hangouts between cities, mostly led from Berlin & Cape Town - but we would love this to be more decentralized.
Communication
Can you suggest any blogs, journalists, or others who we should approach to spread the word about OSCEdays? plase help the communication team to create a list.
Writing
- Copywriting: can you improve any of the text in our communication? can you come up with snappy, memorable statements or calls to action? We need you!
- Blog posts: we would love to have a diverse group of people writing about open source & circular economy topics. Got an idea for a blogpost? just start a topic in the OSCEdays Blog Category. Start with a few bullet points - even if it’s just a rough idea, we can help you refine it.
- Newsletters: how about writing up a monthly newsletter for the OSCEdays community and anyone else interested in what we’re doing? You don’t have to take on all the responsibility - if you’re interested in giving it a try, we can show you some of the topics that could be covered. You can work together with us on an initial newsletter, and see how you like it.
- Press releases: do you know how journalists tick? do you know what makes a good press release? great! This year we would like to send out a press release for the global OSCEdays, but also create an adaptable template that local organisers can use.
-The above writing tasks are likely to happen in English, but if you feel more comfortable writing in your own language, go ahead, we will find a way to translate things for the rest of the community. On that note…
Translation:
-we would love to have our core materials translated into multiple laguages… our Mission Statement, for example, exists only in English and German. But when it comes to understanding new and complex topics, it’s always more comfortable reading reading something in your native tongue! Can you help us make the OSCE idea accessible for a wider range of people?
actually, now that I’ve brought that up…
Accessibility:
Do you have experience making websites or events more welcoming to people with reduced mobility, sight, hearing or other disabilities? Can you offer us any insight into how we can improve OSCEdays so that everybody can take part? Please start a topic on the forum with some suggestions to get this discussion started.
If you’re interested in any of these tasks or roles, reply in this thread or join us in our next Board of Stewardship call.
