[Events] Advice want in starting a Python Workshop - UK

[Shauna Gordon-McKeon]

Hi Imran,

This is so exciting!  Thank you for reaching out for help/advice.  I don't
live nearby so I can't help in person but I'm happy to give advice from
afar.  I coordinate Open Source Comes to Campus
<http://campus.openhatch.org/> so I'm very familiar with the kinds of
issues you're likely to run into.


> I would like to give something back to the community and to be more
> involved with the Python community. Can someone point me in the right
> direction on how to get started? I am aware that there is course material
> on the Boston Python site. How do I go about organising the event?
>

I'd start by thinking about the basics:

- Where would you host such an event?  If you're having trouble
brainstorming, I'd suggest looking at where meetup groups host large
events, and at schools and companies nearby.  This checklist, which we use
for OSCTC, may be useful:
https://openhatch.org/wiki/Open_Source_Comes_to_Campus/Logistics/Space_Checklist

- What are the costs of the event, and who can cover them?  The majority of
the budget is usually food, which I believe you can apply to the Python
Software Foundation to cover.  You may also need to pay a fee for the room
and travel costs for mentors if the location is out of the way.

- When do you want to host the event?  What's a good weekend, that works
for you, for the venue, for anyone you already know you want to ask to
mentor, and doesn't conflict with holidays, etc?

Once you've got these figured out, you can move on to more details, such as
figuring out where to publicize, how to keep track of sign ups, how to find
and coordinate mentors, and more.


> Do I need to be a super hot coder to be even considering this?
>

Oh my goodness no.  You don't need to be a coder at all.  The only benefit
to being a coder is that you can lead lectures and be a mentor, so that's
one less volunteer for you to find.

You sound conscientious and friendly and that's 90% of the requirements to
an organize a good outreach event right there.  I think you're going to do
an amazing job.

 :)

- Shauna



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