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Barnraising

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Upcoming Barnraisings

Open Science Lab Barnraising, Guangzhou, China

Visit this page in Chinese here

Dates: October 14th and 15th 2018

Theme: Land and Community - Global Vision, Local Perspective

Venue: Open Science Laboratory, Huashi Junior High School, Changzhou Island, Guangzhou

On this page:

Basic Logistics:

Date: October 14th and 15th, 2018, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (Foreign participant accommodation is available from the evening of the 13th)

Accommodation: 4 student residence halls, each with 2 showers and toilets. Local participants are strongly advised to stay on the island as well.

Meals: This event will coveer 3 meals on the first day (14th) and brunch on the second day. Based on Chinese cuisine, it offers vegetarian and special diets.

Transportation: It is convenient to reach Cheung Chau Island by public transportation. Those in need, we will greet at the dock.

Language: Chinese and English. The number of Chinese participants is currently expected to be more than English, with 5-10 volunteer translators on site.

Registration Costs: Registration fees help us to put on this event. The $62USD registration covers housing for two nights (14th and 15th) and meals at the event. You are also welcome to join on for just a day (14th or 15th) with a registration fee of $32USD. We are also offering an extra night of housing before the event starts (13th) for $12 for those coming in from out of town. The costs for putting on the event exceeds what we ask for in registration, we appreciate donations for those who can help to support the event! Discount codes for registration are available for those who require reduced registration to attend email shanh0510@gmail.com to enquire.

Registration: For those traveling in to China from out of country, you can use:

Eventbrite Registration

If you're from China, please feel free to use:

准备好了吗?请点击这里报名

About this event

What is a Barnraising?

Barnraisings (or in Chinese "Barn Parties") are open to the public and with an emphasis on "doing stuff together." At these events, people come together to exchange field-tested technical knowledge and and share stories in person. There have been 13 Barnraisings in the United States since 2012, this will be the first Barnraising in China!

The event does not have an established agenda. On the first morning of the event, we make our own schedule using an "Open Space Technology" approach; this ensures that the agenda speaks directly to the interests of the people present. There are usually several activities happening at the same time at Barnraisings, some are discussions, some are hands-on, and some go into the field to practice. Wherever you are, participants follow the Code of Conduct in order to exercise respect and maintain a safe space for everyone to participate.

Generally, in a Barnraising, participants work to:

  • Learn about issues and share with others from different places,
  • Make friends and strengthen the relationship through face-to-face work and exchanges,
  • Better understand the local environment and health through hands on exploration,
  • Produce or modify scientific equipment and gather data,
  • Learn how to collaborate with the global community.

Who will come

At Barnraising events, everyone comes with the opportunity to share and learn from others, and the event provides a space to share and collaborate in many ways. We anticipate participants will come from the Public Lab community, the Gathering for Open Science Hardware, the local ecological and agricultural community of Cheung Chau Island, the Guangzhou Open Source Technology Community, and makers in the Pearl River Delta and more. Based on the limitations of venue and organizational capabilities, the ideal number of participants is around 40.

About the Theme: Land and Community

What is the connection between us and the land we live on? Do we have the power to decide on local development and planning? Do we still have "in-place technology"? Is there any way to help us better understand and respond to local environmental questions? How do we communicate technology in the face of the next generation? What are the characteristics of the community based on different geographical relationships, and what are the common demands? How does technology developed and shared in the local community? Can the community define the problem itself through data and research? How can technology directly help the community solve problems?

In today's globalized technology, it is difficult to see technological exploration from local needs and perspectives. Although there are some traces in food and architecture, ranging from everyday items to industrial manufacturing, we are increasingly relying on unified theories and practices. While enjoying great convenience, we are also experiencing the disappearance of the community, the alienation of the land, and environmental crisis. All this allows us to reflect on whether there is a better path for scientific and technological development.

The reason for choosing this theme is because the meeting place is on Cheung Chau Island. This is not far from the urban area of ​​Guangzhou, the land is collectively owned, and many islanders still make a living from farming. Such rural attributes have attracted many friends from Guangzhou who are engaged in environmental protection, sustainable living, and alternative education. Sham Tseng has a strong community atmosphere and hopes that all friends from other places will feel this during the meeting.

Get Involved with event support

While this event is hosted by the Open Science Lab, there is no one manager of a Barnraising. The event's planning and support depend on the efforts of everyone. Please sign up to participate in the the support committees to help make this event possible!

  • Meal prep and cleanup: help statistics participants' dietary needs, food preparation, kitchen coordination, tea break purchase, etc.
  • Logistics support: help coordinate the venue, daily cleaning,
  • Social media: Helping photography, video, social media publishing, media risk control, etc.
  • Event documentation and facilitation: Helps record meeting discussions and make a daily newsletter, Barnraiser
  • Organizing off-time fun activities: Prepare for board games, beer, music, outdoor activities, etc., so that everyone can participate easily.
  • Tool Equipment support: Helps to count the various tools and equipment carried by participants which may be used for environmental investigation, scientific analysis, teaching, workshops, etc.

History of Barnraisings

Every Fall since 2012, a Gulf Coast Barnraising has been held, also referred to as the Annual Barnraising. Additionally, since 2014, we host a Regional Barnraising every summer through partnerships with local groups working on place-specific issues such as restoring wetlands on depleted farmland, monitoring the largest landfill in LA County, assessing petcoke pollution in Southeast Chicago, and timelapse imaging mountain top removal explosions in West Virginia.

Browse more about Barnraisings here: https://publiclab.org/tag/barnraising


Host your own barnraising

Thinking about hosting a Barnraising? Check out the resources on this page


Past Barnraisings:

The_Barnraiser_--_Regional_Special_Issue_2016.jpg