Over the last couple of years several of my colleagues have been
organizing code jam events where developers
get together to write software for charitable causes. A good
example is a regular code-jam in New York that works on RapidFTR. Chris George, a ThoughtWorker
based in New York, helped organize a one-off event in New York in
August 2010. The group didn't get as much done on the day as they
had hoped, but in a bar afterwards decided to try to get together
more regularly. Since then they've been meeting every week. It's a
small group, still mostly ThoughtWorkers and friends, with a core
of 3-4 people rising to a dozen when we've had a big project in
town.. (Chris is happy to have more people
join the group, so if you are interested drop him an email.)
Many people have found these events to an enjoyable way to use
our skills for purposes that we find rather more fulfilling than
many day jobs, and a way both to learn new skills and learn from a
different group of people. So I thought I should share our thoughts
on how to set one up.
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