Maybe you’re not up for founding your own group or club. Fine. Take your specialized skillset, go find an existing club or convention or event that needs your help, and volunteer.
Geek clubs and groups and events are usually made up of volunteers – and frankly, not enough volunteers in most people’s experiences. Your average convention needs a lot of good will, a lot of warm bodies, and a lot of volunteer brains to run. These clubs and organizations need people that can help out.
That’s where you come in as a Civic Geek.
Ask yourself what skills you have, what skills you can provide, and go volunteering. If you’re willing people will respond – and if you’ve got a specific skill set you mind find yourself deeply involved right away. Good skills and good volunteering are important combinations.
Don’t know what you’re good at? Doesn’t matter. Gophers, people setting up the snacks, whatever. Start somewhere. You’ll find your niche.
Most conventions, clubs, or events have some kind of contact web page or volunteer form, so it shouldn’t be hard to get access. Some good networking will help as well.
On top of all of this, you might improve your existing skills or develop new ones. Maybe you’re an accountant and you help with a conventions finances. Maybe you want to develop public speaking so you run public auctions for a comics club. Helping out can help you out.
It’s my firm believe that every geek should be involved in some geek group, preferably local. Being involved face-to-face is good for civic geekery.
Resources:
- www.animecons.com – Anime con listings!
- www.conventionscene.com – What it says, a list of conventions and events for geeks!
- www.costume.org/conventions.html – International Costumer’s Guild’s con list – great if you’re a cosplayer.
- www.meetup.com – Still a great place to find groups
- www.upcomingcons.com – Much as the name says, they list upcoming conventions. A great place to find cons to help out at.
(This ongoing series is an attempt to write a free guide to Civic Geekery – one idea at a time)