Chaos Mentors on 35C3

It’s that time again – the Chaos Communication Congress is coming! It may be the second time in Leipzig, but this will be many people’s first visit the Congress – perhaps even your own! Maybe you need a little help to get off to a good start.

Who are the Chaos Mentors for?

You’ve always wanted to go to the Chaos Communication Congress and are interested in topics such as privacy, security, hardware hacking or network policies, but have so far had little-to-no connection to the community? Perhaps, you’ve visited Congress, but you have the impression that you are not one of these “hackers” and the feeling that you do not fit in just right? Are you a non-male hacker or member of another under-represented group and unsure if you will feel comfortable? Do you have specific needs that make your participation difficult?

Then we would like to welcome you to Congress and make it easier for you to get started! Feel welcome at the Chaos Communication Congress with the Chaos mentors!

You’ve come to the right place and we would like to help you to have an exciting and beautiful stay. As a “Chaospatenkind” you get a godparent assigned and a group that suits you. Before Congress, the godparents are available for your questions, will welcome you on the first day and explore Congress with you. Together we will find out where there are interesting workshops and talks for you, and we are there for you as contact point if you need us. Before Congress we also act as the contact person for your questions, concerns, needs or wishes.

How does it work?

You have until December 8th to register, you can do this here. Please register as soon as possible as we will begin to create the groups before the 8th of December. Tell us a bit about yourself, for example what attracted you to Congress, why you turned to the chaos mentors, what you are interested in and if you have specific needs. This way, we can find a suitable godparent for you and put together a group with similar interests. Your chaos mentor will contact you and your group before the congress so you can get to know each other. At the congress you are an affinity group and can explore the Congress together.

Why are we doing this?

We ourselves have had a great time at the Congress for 1, 2, 10 or 30 years. But we know from our own experience how difficult the first step can be. Thoughts like “A big hacker conference, do I even belong here?” are not foreign to us. But do not worry – once the first step is done, great people and the opportunity to learn a lot about yourself await. But exchange is not a one-way street: the community at the congress can learn a lot from you as well and thrives from the diversity of the participants. That’s why we want to encourage those who would otherwise hesitate to come without the Chaospatinnen. We focus on people who are not part of the mainly represented group cis, male and white. Of course, we will not exclude anyone.

For chaos mentors

Of course, we are again looking for enthusiastic support from nice, experienced and reliable mentors this year. If you feel like taking on a group of newbies and looking after them, please register here.

Tell us something about yourself, your interests, and what you know a lot about, so that we can find suitable godchildren for you. Thank you in advance for your support.

Please note:

Running the Chaospatinnen is great, but also a lot of work. Therefore two requests:

• Sign up until December 8th. Sadly, we cannot accommodate registrations after this date.
• Please refrain from spontaneously referring people to us. We do not offer guided tours (Persistent Fake News!) and the program is for those who have registered in advance. If you meet people at Congress who are looking for orientation and connection, please support them! Any hacker can become a Chaos Mentor!

Looking forward
the Chaospatinnen

Twitter: @chaospatinnen
Mastodon: @chaospatinnen@chaos.social