AFK meeting minutes (July 21st 2014 @ CUTing edge)

[Panayiotis]

Hi everyone,

So after only 8 days' time here's an update from the AFK meeting held last week :)

About 25 people showed up in the first AFK meeting, which should be considered quite the success. Have a look at the pictures here.

Thanks go to Loucas and Francesca for making the arrangements for the venue (CUTing edge space)

Here are some minutes from the meeting:

1. We could gather enough people that have projects they want to work on, but perhaps no workshop of their own. They could be the ones to kick-start the hackerspace, thus the kind/type of the very first equipment brought to the space will be based on those people's needs.
2. Make a list with expenses and needed income along with a 6 or 12 month sustainability plan [Eftychia and Stelios are already looking into this. Feel free to get in touch with them if you think you can help]
3. A questionnaire should be posted where people can say whether they are willing to contribute in advance for kickstarting the hackerspace, and how much they are willing to pay. Their contributions will be returned to them in the form of a subscription. They could also get to choose the name and logo of the hackerspace and have their name on display as the hackerspace founders. In a similar way to Cambridge Makespace - look here.
   
4. We could have a beach party as one of the next social events :) Something simple, nothing too fancy – just meet at the beach with a few beers/drinks and hang out.
   
5. Get in touch with organizations like ETEK (Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber), CCS (Cyprus Computer Society) for support and getting the word out.
6. Spreading the word: advertise the hackerspace in websites/blogs popular to Cypriot visitors
7. Get in touch with keen professors from CUT ("ΤΕΠΑΚ") (Dr Sotos Voskarides was mentioned in the AFK)
8. We should get the community started working on projects (e.g. in member's garages until we can get a space of our own). Teams could be formed by posting a new topic in the forum, and also in the social media pages. The finished projects could be shown off in an "open-day" style event.
9. Fund raising suggestions: Donations in the website + online crowdfunding (on platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo)
10. Potential sponsor suggestions: CYTA, MTN, Cablenet, PrimeTel. A telecommunications provider could also sponsor us by providing an internet connection once we secure a place. Also: DIY/hardware stores for equipment.
    

If you think I forgot to mention something, you have any comments on the above or you want to take initiative with one of the items, make sure to reply or start a new topic! :)

Panayiotis