If you're looking for information on hosting ProtoSchool workshops in your community, you're in the right place! Read on to learn more about ProtoSchool's community event model and how you can contribute. It's easier than ever to get started!
Quick links for local event leaders:
Not ready to host events quite yet? We'd love your help building new tutorials, improving existing ones, answering technical questions, or making our documentation more clear. Learn more about the many ways to contribute.
ProtoSchool workshops are run independently by groups and inviduals around the world who are excited about introducing others to decentralized web concepts and protocols. ProtoSchool is a community-driven effort and is 100% open source. This means that anyone can use the ProtoSchool materials and/or host an event, so long as they adhere to our Code of Conduct and the following event guidelines.
To be defined as ProtoSchool workshop and promoted on our website, an event must:
- Offer learners the chance to work through one of the ProtoSchool tutorials in person with support from mentors
- Create a welcoming and inclusive environment, supported by a local Code of Conduct aligned with the global ProtoSchool Code of Conduct
- Be educational (not commercial or promotional)
- Be not-for-profit (free or low-cost to attendees)
The ProtoSchool name applies to events that meet these guidelines, not to the groups that host them. If you attend an event labelled as ProtoSchool workshop, you can expect to explore our tutorials there.
Most of the community groups that host ProtoSchool workshops (as defined above) also host other educational events that aren't ProtoSchool workshops, from talks on IPFS to hackathons focused on decentralized web apps. While neither those events nor the groups themselves should be labelled with the ProtoSchool name or logo, they both play an important role in the decentralized web ecosystem that we're honored to be a part of. Our ProtoSchool event listings are a great way to discover community groups or dweb conferences near you, and those community groups are a great way for folks around the world to discover our content.
Learn more about our move from a chapter-based community model to an event-based model.
Whether you want to lead a single workshop at a conference or incorporate our curriculum into the content of a longstanding meetup, we're eager to have you share ProtoSchool's content with your local community. If you're hosting a workshop that meets the qualifications listed above, we'll be happy to list it on our website, send you ProtoSchool stickers for your attendees, and share template slide decks and other resources. We'll also connect you with a community of local leaders who can share their experiences hosting ProtoSchool workshops in a variety of groups and settings.
If your members are interested in the decentralized web, consider mixing ProtoSchool workshops into your existing content. If you normally bring in speakers to present on IPFS to an audience of developers, try changing the format for your next event by offering a hands-on ProtoSchool workshop. There's no need to present ProtoSchool content at every event hosted by your group, but when you do schedule a ProtoSchool workshop, fill out a quick form to have that event added to our website. We'll help our online community find your local group at an event focused on ProtoSchool, and from there they'll learn about the other great content you offer. Meanwhile, you'll be introducing your local community to ProtoSchool so they can discover the rest of our online content.
Work with the conference organizers to schedule a ProtoSchool workshop as part of the offerings, or schedule an evening events outside of conference hours. Mention the conference when you submit the ProtoSchool workshop for inclusion on our website and we'll be sure our audience knows the events are co-located.
Take a break from lectures one week and let your students explore a ProtoSchool tutorial with hands-on coding challenge, or schedule a ProtoSchool workshop as part of a student or faculty gathering. If your workshop is open to the public, be sure to submit it for our event listings!
Please explore our resources document to find helpful tips for event organizers, including:
- Advice and guidance on creating welcoming communities, crafting your Code of Conduct, and benefitting from the experiences of other ProtoSchool community leaders
- Presentation materials and digital assets like slide templates and logo files
- Instructions for ordering ProtoSchool stickers to give out at your events
We also have an issue tracker specifically for local organizers, which is a great place to start discussions about best practices for leading local events. Watch this organizing repo to be notified of these conversations.
The new ProtoSchool newsletter offers updates for two audiences. Most subscribers to the newsletter will only receive updates on new ProtoSchool tutorials or features, and we'd love for you to encourage your event attendees to sign up for this news. However, subscribers may optionally sign up for local leadership updates, where we'll share tips and resources for hosting events, like those mentioned above.
We'll automatically sign you up for local leadership updates when you submit a workshop for inclusion on our website. However, if you don't have an event coming up in the near future, you can subscribe now via our newsletter signup form. (Be sure to check the "Local Leadership Updates" box.)
We recently switched from a chapter-based community model to an event-based model to create a more scalable system that encourages ProtoSchool content to be presented either one-off or embedded in a variety of existing educational groups, with a lower barrier to entry for event leaders. If you previously attended events through a ProtoSchool chapter, you'll now find their upcoming ProtoSchool workshops listed on our events page, including links to learn about other content the group might offer. (You'll be able to access our archived chapter listings through the end of April.)
If you're looking to host ProtoSchool workshops, you no longer need to apply to start a chapter. Simply review the event guidelines above and submit your qualifying event for inclusion on our website.
With this move away from the chapter model, the ProtoSchool name now refers only to events that meet our event guidelines and teach our tutorial content, regardless of who hosts them. It will no longer be used to apply to the groups hosting those events (formerly known as ProtoSchool chapters).
If you previously led a ProtoSchool chapter, you can find more context on the change here.
If you have questions on the community event model or what qualifies as a ProtoSchool workshop, please feel free to email the project maintainers.
ProtoSchool is licensed under the Apache-2.0 and MIT licenses. See LICENSE.md for further detail.