Thank you for bringing up the issue with the survey data. I’ll review it to determine if it’s a translation or interpretation problem.
Regarding your criticisms of the program, I’m surprised because much of this information was shared with participants during the program, and some of it is also explained in this same post. The reason for canceling all planned community activities in CDMX was due to the cancellation of all effective altruism outreach activities in much of the world because of the FTX scandal. This was completely beyond the team’s control, and it’s explained in the post. Since the outreach activities were canceled, we opened the option to conduct activities within the fellowship to improve them, and we had several volunteers.
However, the program’s objective was never solely focused on the Mexican community. It was designed to strengthen the relationship between the Latin American and international communities. This information was provided in the application, and fortunately, this did happen with valuable connections, especially for individuals from mid and low-income countries who couldn’t easily make these connections elsewhere.
Regarding vegan food, it was also explained during the program that some participants requested other options, and we accommodated them because we didn’t want to force a specific diet on people who didn’t prefer it. I want to emphasize that there were always vegan options available for those who preferred them.
As for the improvements, I agree that communication from the organizing team could have been better, but I believe it’s also the responsibility of participants to read the provided information or ask the organizers for clarification.
An yes, it was an expensive program, and we made the cost public to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of similar initiatives in the future and to compare with them. However, comparing it to using the money to pay for full-time jobs doesn’t seem fair. At the time we received the grant and paid the contractors, it wasn’t a choice between one or the other; funding was available for both. In fact, several individuals involved in effective altruism had grants at that time.
Thank you for bringing up the issue with the survey data. I’ll review it to determine if it’s a translation or interpretation problem.
Regarding your criticisms of the program, I’m surprised because much of this information was shared with participants during the program, and some of it is also explained in this same post. The reason for canceling all planned community activities in CDMX was due to the cancellation of all effective altruism outreach activities in much of the world because of the FTX scandal. This was completely beyond the team’s control, and it’s explained in the post. Since the outreach activities were canceled, we opened the option to conduct activities within the fellowship to improve them, and we had several volunteers.
However, the program’s objective was never solely focused on the Mexican community. It was designed to strengthen the relationship between the Latin American and international communities. This information was provided in the application, and fortunately, this did happen with valuable connections, especially for individuals from mid and low-income countries who couldn’t easily make these connections elsewhere.
Regarding vegan food, it was also explained during the program that some participants requested other options, and we accommodated them because we didn’t want to force a specific diet on people who didn’t prefer it. I want to emphasize that there were always vegan options available for those who preferred them.
As for the improvements, I agree that communication from the organizing team could have been better, but I believe it’s also the responsibility of participants to read the provided information or ask the organizers for clarification.
An yes, it was an expensive program, and we made the cost public to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of similar initiatives in the future and to compare with them. However, comparing it to using the money to pay for full-time jobs doesn’t seem fair. At the time we received the grant and paid the contractors, it wasn’t a choice between one or the other; funding was available for both. In fact, several individuals involved in effective altruism had grants at that time.