Skill Sharing 2016

Text copied from the Hackpad.

Skillsharing and mutual support between co-ops

• Facilitator: Ellie
• Minutes: Tanc

Mechanisms

• People exchange scheme
• Dissemination to wider orgs/people
• More regular local gatherings (smaller)
• National gatherings (larger)
• Cobudgeting (understanding/equalising costs)
• Digital plaform
  • Tech skills needed/offered
  • Co-op/business skills
  • Tech skills needed/offered
  • Opportunities/needs - selling work
  • Tools we use
  • In kind support on offer
  • Office space
  • Contact details
  • Up for
• Shout outs about meetups (e.g. come to an AI event with me)

Profile

• Clear mission and vision statement so we can include people
• Small groups and trust

Practical outcomes

People exchange scheme

• Anyone in the network. Whatever level of involvment people want to have.
• A need that someone has or an organisation has
• Time and cost involved. Co-op budgeting could help fund exchanges between co-ops
• Decision making structures. An agreement between participating co-ops
• Ad hoc on project level but maybe megazord level
• Social contract so you know what the expectations are.

Local meetups

• A network of cells that has to be organised geographically
• Bi-monthly meetings (quarterly not enough, monthly too frequent)
• Founding member in each cell - rotates
• Not just about work, also about fun
• Need mentor/champ to help co-ordinate local groups
• Have a steering group to advise
• Clear on outcomes, aims and benefits

Digital platform

• A platform to connect people based on people's needs and what people have to offer
• Call out at Megazord for info to share (Google speadsheet or survey)
• First version to be simple and quick
• Profiles for co-ops and individual members
• Start simple and see what happens
• It could go stale so good to get involved with Principle 6 and meetups and try to keep it updated. Need to make sure people use it
• Early version no need for decision making body - ask for volunteers - just do it

Questions or points

• The digital platform sounds interesting but I'm concerned about the staleness of information
• What is the connection between here (Megazord) and the local meetups? How do we make sure they are kept alive? Thats why we need the champion from the big meetings
• People exchange sounds interesting but I'm concerned it might be hard for smaller co-ops. How do we support people geographically far away from each other?
• The network has principles and connections and you can have interactions between any co-op and I like that