Edgeryders, that is, the small company set up by a few of us here, is in business for over a year now. After having been able to offer paid work to an increasing number of people, it’s now in a position to give more back to its community. Many souls and talents are contributing on a regular basis to making Edgeryders into something valuable for many more, and into a home for change makers sacrificing a lot (but their ideas!), often at the expense of living precariously.
What better way to reward this than supporting the work and collaboration?
We have a limited number of travel grants available (approx. a dozen) and will be offering them on a rolling basis to Edgeryders actively shaping Living On The Edge.
Active is hard to quantify, but what is meant by that is: taking time to come online and check where help is needed, show up at community calls, do write-ups, especially get involved in Lote4 content production and taking on coordination roles; in addition to this, we are also prioritizing Edgeryders traveling from outside Italy, assuming it is a bigger effort for them. Grants are only offered to those who have earned a conference ticket - the ticket being the first recognition of collaboration work.
First conference tickets have already been earned and delivered to 10 Edgeryders who completed enough tasks amounting to a ticket value. Among those who got their ticket, @mariabyck, @Hazem and @Kei have been offered (and accepted?) a grant, which will cover at least part of their expenses. Congrats guys!
There is still room and opportunity to work yourself a ticket, claim a grant and join this unusual event where a lot of the engagement happens before we meet, while we prepare it. The encouragement is to take some time, read the info on our LOTE4 minisite, and get involved in the areas you see as important or missing, anywhere you feel like you can make a contribution. This way you earn your ticket and possibly a travel grant worth 500 Euros USD and payable upon attendance in Matera.
Where does the money come from? You see, we chose to make our company a nonprofit in the service of the community. Well, here is what that means: trying to keep costs under revenues… and then reinvest any surplus in the community. We are still really really small, with no one on a salary: but we intend to grow, and offer more support. Hope to work together…!