Born and raised in west Germany (NRW)
studied Bioscience in Münster (focus on neuroscience, botany and genetics)
went to Bonn for an internship at the UN and decided international diplomatic work isn’t for me
spent 6 months as teaching assistant for a botany course at the University in Münster
moved to Utrecht (NL) for my masters (Neuroscience, Ecology, Behaviour and Science Communication)
lived in Australia for 2 years for fun (hit me up for chats about van life, traveling on a budget and working at a winery)
landed in Freiburg i.Br. in Germany in 2018 and loving it so far
worked in the medical tech field for two years before starting to work for EAD in 2023
cause areas I personally regard important & interesting: global health & development, mental health, reducing extreme suffering, inclusion & equity, peacekeeping & improving democratic governance, improving institutional decision making, biorisks, EA community building
interests/hobbies: nature, bouldering, cooking & eating, mountain biking, hiking, reading, yoga, meditation, self reflection, birds, psychology, art, history, …
Milena Canzler
Sweet! I’m sure we’ll meet sooner or later then :D
Contact Person meetup @ EAG London
Thanks for writing down your thoughts, Severin!
That was cool to read :) And matches with some of the basic (though not easy) things I’ve heard again and again from friends who do consulting for the IT teams in big companies: psychological safety is key for a good and productive work environment. But it’s easier said than done, and requires a lot of investment into stuff that might appear non-essential.
Not a content comment, but just a thank you for writing this intro to your blog and summary. I hadn’t heard of the blog yet, but am super interested in reading it!
Hi Tom, thanks for letting me know!
I’m using the forum from Germany and didn’t pay attention to the time zone that was used in the event. I changed it, since the meeting is supposed to take place after the CB meetup and the CH coordinator introduction led my Megan.
There doesn’t seem to be an official event. Rocky from New York is organizing it together with Megan Nelson (NY).
Here is the Slack message from CBG Slack (you’re not on that one):
The Community Health Coordinator Role in EA Groups, with @Megan Nelson (EA NYC, she/her): We’ll discuss the case for creating this role, recruiting for a community health coordinator for your group, and what a group’s community health coordinator does. Sunday, 10:30 − 11:00 am, right after the Community builders meetup
Meeting place: We will gather in East Mall Square (Upper Level) and either stay there or move to a more convenient location.
I agree, thanks a lot Ezra! This is super interesting to read, and a great summary of my still vague impression of what our national group is able to offer to the many local groups scattered throughout Germany.
Hi Ulrik, if you’re anyplace else than Germany, try to reach out to (ideally) your National organizing team if you have one. I’ve talked to a lot of them in the last weeks, and the question of how to make EA spaces more inclusive and welcoming for people is on most people’s mind. Sometimes they don’t have the time to start a project on that, but maybe you can kickstart something like it in your region, or even internationally :)
Hi Chi, great one, I’m glad you posted this!
Over the last days and at the conference I’ve spoken with a few people who had more 1:1 meetings than their energy levels support, and who went on to parties/pub gatherings afterwards. I think this is one of the reasons why most people find conferences exhausting (especially EA ones).
I think a balanced approach is a great idea, and an awareness of one’s limits (social, energy, input etc). Even if you’re new and don’t know many other people yet, attending talks, meetups and workshops can be so incredibly valuable, since you will also meet people that way, and get an idea what “the community at large” (i.e., the people around you) think. Attending talks also gives you some time to recharge, since it requires a different type of involvement than conversations.
I would also encourage people to try and leave an empty time slot after a 1:1 if they’re not extremely extroverted. This way they can continue a deep and interesting conversation if the other person happens to have time, or they have time to get to their next meeting point, eat something, take a nap, take notes and let things sink in, …
Hi Imma,
so sad that you find yourself struggling after attending a conference, and at the same time very relatable. It reminds me a little with how people struggle in the days after attending a festival.
Not that you need this, but I think your plan to take some days off and decompress is great. Something that helped me was to have some other EAs around in the days after the conference to talk to. I find that it helps me evaluate and integrate what I’ve learned.
A funny/useful term for that is “burn on”—when you really like your work/hobbies/duties, but just don’t give yourself a break and grind yourself to the bone as a consequence.
Thanks for writing this!
The way you approached your situation reminds me of how I approached similar issues in the past, with the help of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy student counselor. Tracking when I was feeling bad helped me so much correlate it to what I was doing or not doing during those times.
One thing that stood out to me here was the phrase “wasting you time”—I think way too often do we feel like that is what is going on, when actually, our brain/body is just resting.
Awesome and valuable work, thanks a lot!
“Lastly, I find sexual abuse to be distinctly disturbing in that it’s a perversion of something that’s supposed to be enjoyable, an act of trust, and a celebration of life.”
THIS. Like looking forward to eating your favorite dessert, and the moment you take a bite, it tastes like vomit.
(Her post … this is Habiba)
as EA moved from global health, to AI safety, the core EA principles remained the same, but the messaging changed.
I think that’s the first time I’ve seen this written as clearly as here, and I don’t really like it or agree. My impression is that there are many people attracted to EA not because of AIS, who also won’t become interested in AIS/aren’t the right fit for that field. If the money for community building comes mainly from an interest to attract more people into AIS (as it sounds here), and is mainly intended for that, why keep funding EA in general? I would welcome more nuanced portrayals what EA community building aims to support, like facilitating other types of longtermist career changes, creating an intellectual community motivated by similar moral goals, and supporting people who have changed their careers to stick with their paths.
On the last, and in line with what Elisabeth pointed to: I also get the impression that you forget to mention the value of community for keeping strong values, and sticking to your plan. Especially if you move in a work culture that incentivizes very different values than what EAs tend to value. Having a community of like-minded people with similar core values is important for those who won’t change careers anymore, but want to stick to the highly impactful ones they have chosen to pursue. The value of community to them comes from helping them stick to their path.
Ah, good to know! :)
Thank you so much for writing this amazing, long, deep post. Thanks you for mustering up the strength to engage with the forum (even though it doesn’t feel like a very safe space), and for speaking to the Times. As another woman, I wish it wasn’t necessary, but it seemed to have been.
I would love to see more of your writing, I think the other posts in your sequence could be super interesting and would hopefully inform many people in this community.
Hi Moya!
Welcome to the forum from another person in southern Germany. I’m curious: Are you connected to the Darmstadt local group? If so, hope to see you at the next event in the area (I live in Freiburg). Would love to connect and hear what your perspective on EA is!
Also, the password manager story is too relatable. ^^
Cheers, Mila