SoCraTes Day Berlin - FLINTA* and Friends - 2027

What is SoCraTes?

SoCraTes stands for software, crafting and testing, but it is not attended exclusively by people who are developers or "technical". SoCraTes events have taken place for over 15 years and are about the sustainable creation of useful software in a responsible way.

What is FLINTA*

What does FLINTA* stand for?

FLINTA* is a German abbreviation that stands for "Frauen, Lesben, Intergeschlechtliche, nichtbinäre, trans und agender Personen", meaning women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people. The asterisk represents all non-binary gender identities.

What does “Friends” mean in FLINTA* and Friends?

In FLINTA* and Friends, Friends refers to people who are individuals who may not be part of the FLINTA* community themselves, but who actively support and respect the purpose of FLINTA*-centered spaces. This does not mean you must attend with a FLINTA* person to be welcome. Rather, it means that you:

• Understand why FLINTA*-centered spaces are necessary,
• Respect the experiences and voices of FLINTA* people,
• Are committed in creating and supporting safer and more inclusive environments,
• Are invited as a supportive presence, not to take up space, but to contribute to a respectful, empowering atmosphere.

It's about People

It is for anyone who is concerned with coding, testing, code quality, software craft, and its impact on society, individuals, and the environment. It is for you if

• you are passionate about software development and testing
• you have heard of Software Craft or are already part of the growing community
• you want to share your knowledge, experience and expertise

It's about Action

The event is run as a non-profit, low-cost event. SoCraTes Day Berlin is a volunteer-led initiative, but also part of a wider SoCraTes Conference and community, which is a joint-effort by all Softwerkskammer, German-speaking Software Craft groups. Nonetheless, the event is hosted in English bring together all people who reside in Berlin and Germany who want to take part. We will be there to collaborate and share ideas. There will be:

• Highly collaborative interactions
• A self-organised Open Space, with
  • hands-on coding sessions
  • sessions focused on discussion
  • interactive talks
  • relaxed hangouts
  • chill spaces
  • lots more

It's about Fun

There will be lots of opportunities to have fun; starting with simple chit-chat about hiking, to playing board games, dancing and any activity you can think of.

In the spirit of the annual SoCraTes Conference, the conference's language is English. We cordially ask you to keep all conversations in English, even for colloquial discussions.

COVID-19 Policy

Although COVID-19 has now largely disappeared from the news, and statistics are no longer maintained properly, there are still a noticeable number of infections in Germany every day. We intend to keep attendees safe during the conference and have decided to keep in place our COVID measures:

• Attendees are kindly requested to take a provided lateral flow test upon arrival. You will not be allowed on the premise otherwise.
• We recommend attendees bring and wear FFP2 masks indoors, but we will not enforce the wearing of masks.

Thank you for your cooperation!

What about the Environment?

In today's day and age, bringing people together over long distances is always a tough decision: What impact will my travel and consumption have on the environment? Is it really worth it?

We believe that learning, sharing, community, and inclusiveness are valid reasons for spending time and resources. But we should still be mindful - there is a difference between justified investment, and careless waste.

For this reason, SoCraTes Day Berlin 2027 encourages

• travel to the venue using public transportation or other alternatives to private autos (including electric ones, as around 39% of Germany's electricity generation is fossil fuel-based)
• encourage off-setting unavoidable air travel carbon emissions via Atmosfair

I am anxious to go alone!

We are fully aware that an in-person conference can be energy draining.

Traveling to an unknown location and meeting many new people is not automatically a positive experience for everyone.

But our community needs input from participants who are not experienced conference attendees or speakers.

For this reason, some of our participants volunteer as ConferenceBuddies.

They commit to supporting you in attending the conference. They could, for example, meet with you before the conference starts, and explore the conference venue. Or they will be the person you can always walk up to during the conference.

Once you received your Discord invite, head over to the #buddies Discord channel and find your ConferenceBuddy, or offer to be one yourself.

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