Is anyone else here from a small town or rural area? Also, did anyone else graduate from a lesser-known, more rural college?
I’m trying to get more involved in the EA community (beyond just the Forum) but it seems like everyone lives in a big city on one of the coasts, or in urban areas in other parts of the world. What do you recommend for someone like me, who lives in what’s effectively ‘the middle of nowhere?’ I’m more than willing to travel to bigger places to go to events and so on (Boston is the closest major metro to me). Moving to a big city really isn’t an option.
I know Effective Altruism as a philosophy originated at Oxford and caught on in Silicon Valley, but as an EA I affirm that it’s relevant for all people regardless of where we live. We can apply evidence-based practices to do the most good in rural areas and at smaller colleges, too.
See if there are any online groups that interest you—in particular, I would check out EA Anywhere.
I’ve done both the introductory and in-depth EA Virtual Programs and I found them really helpful for me to learn and engage with EA ideas. The readings were great and I had some interesting discussions with my cohorts, plus kept in touch with some of them afterward! :)
Since you are near Boston, I suggest you join the Boston Effective Altruism Facebook group. In particular, I know people have come from other nearby states to join the “Dinner and discussion” events, and you’ll meet a pretty good mix of people there.
Thanks so much, Sarah! This is a big help for me in getting started with the community.
A quick question—is there any way to connect with the Boston EA group other than Facebook? I deleted all social media years ago and would rather not get back into it.
Glad it was helpful! :) Unfortunately the Facebook group is the most active Boston EA space. The group website looks quite outdated, but I think you can still get notified of events via the email list, so I would recommend joining that.
Is anyone else here from a small town or rural area? Also, did anyone else graduate from a lesser-known, more rural college?
I’m trying to get more involved in the EA community (beyond just the Forum) but it seems like everyone lives in a big city on one of the coasts, or in urban areas in other parts of the world. What do you recommend for someone like me, who lives in what’s effectively ‘the middle of nowhere?’ I’m more than willing to travel to bigger places to go to events and so on (Boston is the closest major metro to me). Moving to a big city really isn’t an option.
I know Effective Altruism as a philosophy originated at Oxford and caught on in Silicon Valley, but as an EA I affirm that it’s relevant for all people regardless of where we live. We can apply evidence-based practices to do the most good in rural areas and at smaller colleges, too.
A few quick things I would recommend (if you haven’t already done them):
Check out the map of community members to see if there are any people near you.
See if there are any online groups that interest you—in particular, I would check out EA Anywhere.
I’ve done both the introductory and in-depth EA Virtual Programs and I found them really helpful for me to learn and engage with EA ideas. The readings were great and I had some interesting discussions with my cohorts, plus kept in touch with some of them afterward! :)
Since you are near Boston, I suggest you join the Boston Effective Altruism Facebook group. In particular, I know people have come from other nearby states to join the “Dinner and discussion” events, and you’ll meet a pretty good mix of people there.
Thanks so much, Sarah! This is a big help for me in getting started with the community.
A quick question—is there any way to connect with the Boston EA group other than Facebook? I deleted all social media years ago and would rather not get back into it.
Glad it was helpful! :) Unfortunately the Facebook group is the most active Boston EA space. The group website looks quite outdated, but I think you can still get notified of events via the email list, so I would recommend joining that.
Thanks so much! I’ve joined the email list, and might create an account for the FB group. Social media can just be so toxic, though.