Thanks for your perspective Conor! Looking into these activities in more detail, I have some notes:
UGAP—I don’t know much about this program, unfortunately. The reports I’ve seen seem to maybe encourage more member-first but I’m not sure. Regarding their KPIs for university groups, it seems like they used HEAs but write that they don’t like it and want to use other metrics. I’d be interested in what comes up with that.
I am also not that familiar with OpenPhil’s university program, which I imagine to be mostly hands-off. I guess that they are thinking of community building in a more cause-oriented way, but I don’t know.
City & National Groups—I’d be interested in understanding the considerations involving which groups to fund and which activities seem most important.
Introductory EA program (follows the Handbook, which is arguably cause-first)
In-Depth EA Program (mostly methodological, member-first)
How to (actually) change the world (member-first, even though it’s hosted by Non-Trivial which seems strongly cause-first)
Past programs
cause-specific (alt. proteins, animal advocacy, ML safety and AGI safety)
career-specific: US policy (very practical, seems member-first, even though likely motivated by x-risk concerns), Law (cause-first, maybe due to good pedagogical reasons).
Events—definitely a mix of the two. Helping members coordinate is done both for intra-cause reasons and to broadly support EAs in their EA endeavors.
Forum—also definitely a platform for both cause-first and member-first discussions, but I think its goals are leaning more member-first.
Thanks for your perspective Conor! Looking into these activities in more detail, I have some notes:
UGAP—I don’t know much about this program, unfortunately. The reports I’ve seen seem to maybe encourage more member-first but I’m not sure. Regarding their KPIs for university groups, it seems like they used HEAs but write that they don’t like it and want to use other metrics. I’d be interested in what comes up with that.
I am also not that familiar with OpenPhil’s university program, which I imagine to be mostly hands-off. I guess that they are thinking of community building in a more cause-oriented way, but I don’t know.
City & National Groups—I’d be interested in understanding the considerations involving which groups to fund and which activities seem most important.
Virtual programs -
Open programs
The Precipice reading group (cause-first)
Introductory EA program (follows the Handbook, which is arguably cause-first)
In-Depth EA Program (mostly methodological, member-first)
How to (actually) change the world (member-first, even though it’s hosted by Non-Trivial which seems strongly cause-first)
Past programs
cause-specific (alt. proteins, animal advocacy, ML safety and AGI safety)
career-specific: US policy (very practical, seems member-first, even though likely motivated by x-risk concerns), Law (cause-first, maybe due to good pedagogical reasons).
Events—definitely a mix of the two. Helping members coordinate is done both for intra-cause reasons and to broadly support EAs in their EA endeavors.
Forum—also definitely a platform for both cause-first and member-first discussions, but I think its goals are leaning more member-first.