"This summer, let's seize the opportunity to welcome them into new networks! Their diverse skill sets (diplomacy, policy impact, project management, etc.) could be invaluable to artists, programmers, and other creatives who wouldn't normally cross paths with them.
We should offer free or subsidized access to: Writing retreats, Hackathons, Conferences"
I recently found an interesting conference I'd like to attend this winter, but the thought of self-financing a plane ticket to East Africa, 3 nights in a hotel, and a $700 conference registration fee is hard to swallow.
Great post and well received, speaking as a terminated USAID health foreign service officer!
I wrote a related note on this back in June: https://substack.com/@apothek/note/c-130162916
"This summer, let's seize the opportunity to welcome them into new networks! Their diverse skill sets (diplomacy, policy impact, project management, etc.) could be invaluable to artists, programmers, and other creatives who wouldn't normally cross paths with them.
We should offer free or subsidized access to: Writing retreats, Hackathons, Conferences"
I recently found an interesting conference I'd like to attend this winter, but the thought of self-financing a plane ticket to East Africa, 3 nights in a hotel, and a $700 conference registration fee is hard to swallow.