Face-to-Face Connections That Strengthen Community
While much of our collaboration happens online—in the Community Forum, Slack Community, Discord Community, and Facebook Group—local meetups bring it into the real world. These gatherings are grassroots, organized by members for members, and often linked to broader Events or Training Sessions. They give you the chance to connect with peers in your city, share experiences, and collaborate on projects face-to-face.
Meetups are intentionally flexible. Some are small coffee chats where members review updates from Web Security Trends and Cybersecurity Resources. Others are larger sessions with demos pulled from the GitHub Repo, or watch parties for talks listed on the Conference Schedule. No matter the format, the goal is the same: create relationships and learning loops that outlast the meetup itself.
What Happens at a Meetup?
- Knowledge sharing: Members present lessons from recent Events, Trainings, or conference sessions.
- Hands-on practice: Groups work through repo examples or checklists from Cybersecurity Resources.
- Networking: Informal conversations often spark collaborations that continue in Slack or Discord.
- Showcases: Local demos get highlighted later in the Forum or promoted in Twitter and LinkedIn.
How to Start or Join
We maintain a directory of meetups here. If your city has one, join the next gathering and introduce yourself. If it doesn’t, you can start one: pick a venue, propose a topic in the forum, and share details across Slack, Discord, and the Facebook Group. We’ll amplify announcements via Twitter Updates and LinkedIn Updates so others in your region can find you.
Organizers receive guidance on safety, inclusivity, and logistics. We provide templates for agendas, check-in processes, and recap formats. Afterward, we encourage you to post notes in the forum and slides or code in the repo so the wider community benefits.
Why Meetups Matter
Local meetups create a sense of belonging that digital-only channels can’t always replicate. They build trust faster, strengthen accountability, and encourage long-term collaboration. Many repo contributions and conference talks began as casual discussions at a meetup. These face-to-face interactions also provide a safe space to ask questions that might feel too small for a formal forum post.
Meetups also expand access. Not everyone can attend global conferences, but a local gathering can provide similar value at lower cost. With support from donations and sponsors, we help organizers cover venue fees, accessibility, and refreshments so everyone feels welcome.
Supporting Local Meetups
Want to give back? You can host, present, or help with logistics. Share your slides in the repo, write a recap for the forum, or post photos in the Facebook Group. Amplify events on social channels and encourage peers to join. If you have resources to spare, donations and sponsorships keep meetups inclusive and sustainable.
The cycle is simple: meet locally, share globally. A meetup sparks a repo example, which becomes a training session, which evolves into a conference talk. Each step multiplies the impact of the initial gathering.
From Local to Global
Local meetups are entry points into the larger ecosystem. They help new members feel welcome and give seasoned contributors a platform to share. By anchoring discussions in real-world connections, meetups ensure that our online spaces—Slack, Discord, the forum, and social channels—stay grounded in human relationships.
After each meetup, keep the loop alive. Post notes in the forum, upload code to the repo, and share highlights on Twitter and LinkedIn. These steps connect your local conversation to the global one. Over time, this network of meetups forms the backbone of our community, ensuring knowledge flows freely from city to city and across borders.