Details
While we are saddened not to be able to hold this year’s conference in person due to Covid-19, we are going to experiment with holding it via Discord, which is a super-cool online platform with multiple, topic-based channels that allow you to hang out and chat via text, voice, and video, as well as to move between channels at will. Some channels, such as those for Rings, can also be made private. We are hoping that this platform will allow greater flexibility as well as the opportunity for unstructured hangout time, which was one of the most consistent requests we got from last year’s survey. (New to Discord? See below for more information.)
After registration closes, a link and more information will be sent to all registered attendees via email, so once you have registered, please keep an eye out for further communication. Don’t forget to check your spam box! Attendance at every event is neither assumed nor expected, though of course we hope to see as much of you as we can!
Reminder: As with all our events, this year’s conference will be sober, at least during the times that we are together online. So, even though you might be at home, please don’t kick back with a beer or glass of wine during your Ring (for instance). Thank you!
Schedule
We are planning to hold Sputnik from Wednesday, February 16th - Saturday, February 19th, 2022, with events being held in the evenings of the 16th and 17th, and all day during the 18th and 19th. All attendees are strongly encouraged to attend Orientation on February 16th at 7 pm. (All times given are in Eastern Standard Time.) If you are not able to attend orientation, please email teamsputnik@gmail.com.
This year we will once again be doing "a la carte" style. The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday (2/16) evening
7:00 – 9:30pm
7:00 - 8:00pm — Orientation
8:15 - 9:30pm — Rings
9:30pm - whenever — Unstructured hangout/DIY games, etc. in the lounge
Thursday (2/17) evening
7:00 – 9:30pm
7:00 - 8:15pm — Rings
8:30 - 9:30pm — Group Activity
9:30pm - whenever — Unstructured hangout/DIY games, etc. in the lounge
Friday (2/18)
10:00am – 10:00pm
morning starting whenever until 10:00am — Breakfast/hangout in the lounge
10am - 12:00pm — Morning workshop
12:00 - 1:30pm — Unstructured lunch and hangout in the lounge
1:30 - 3:00pm — One-shot afternoon workshops
3:00 - 7:00pm — Afternoon unstructured afternoon hangout and dinner in the lounge
7:00 - 8:15pm — Rings
8:30 - 10:00pm — Beverage Haus
10pm - whenever — Hangout in lounge after Beverage Haus
Please note that many of these activities will include at least some time off-line, to try to avoid screen fatigue.
Saturday (2/19)
10:00am – 4:30pm
morning starting whenever until 10:00am — Breakfast/hangout in the lounge
10am - 12:00pm — Morning workshop
12:00 - 1:30pm — Unstructured lunch and hangout in the lounge
1:30 - 3:00pm — One-shot afternoon workshops
3:15 - 4:30pm — Closing circle
Please note that many of these activities will include at least some time off-line, to try to avoid screen fatigue.
Note: The hangout channel (“lounge”) will be open more or less all the time. Please do not hang out in the lounge during Orientation or Rings, to avoid distracting others. Otherwise, hang out to your heart's content!
Workshops
If you have an idea about a workshop you might run, tell us about it! It could be a discussion you'd like to lead, an activity you could preside over, a game you could run, an asynchronous craft or activity, etc. Some examples from previous years include social justice discussions, arts and crafts workshops, meeting each other's pets online, scavenger hunting, etc. Heck, you could even take a virtual walk together, through the woods or around your neighborhood! Or ask everyone build a snowperson (if there's any snow) and assemble a virtual snow community.
Remember that workshops can be asynchronous (meaning people can go off and do their own thing for a while, so participants don’t need to be staring at a screen the whole time). Also, because of the online platform workshops are opportunities to share aspects of your life that we don't normally get to see - where you live, that cool project you are working on, or your favorite coffee shop, for instance. If you want to organize a game. there are also a ton of online boardgame platforms (such as Secret Hitler, Among Us, Dominion, Codenames, Spendee, and Board Game Arena (platform with many boardgames)). Be creative - we'd love to see what you come up with!
Please email us at your idea(s) at teamsputnik@gmail.com, along with which days/night(s) you are interested in hosting. Please design your workshop to accommodate a flexible number of people and to last for approximately an hour and fifteen minutes. Most workshops will be probably be one-offs but if you have an idea for a longer-running workshop, please let us know and we will be happy to try to figure something out.
Rings
Rings are confidential small-group check-ins which provide an opportunity for community members to connect more deeply with one another about anything that is going on in their lives. They are an opportunity to process, decompress, and have fun together in a small-group setting. During “in person” years, Rings also do chores together, such as meal set-up or clean-up.
Beverage Haus (Coffee House)
If you want to perform at Beverage Haus, now is also a good time to start planning. Please sign up by emailing your name(s), performance idea, and technical questions/needs (if any) to teamsputnik@gmail.com. Please limit your act 5 minutes or fewer so that we will have time for everyone. We also encourage you to consider pre-recording your act to reduce problems with sound quality and connection – please email the above address with any questions. Interested in being the MC? Let us know!
About Discord
We plan on using a Discord server and video channels for this event. Discord is an online platform with multiple, topic-based channels that allow you to hang out and chat via text, voice, and video, as well as to move between channels at will. It was originally designed by online video gamers to create multiple, flexible methods of communication to help build and support online communities – more or less exactly what we are trying to do now. If you are not already familiar with Discord, we encourage you to download the app ahead of time and play around with it.
If you have questions or need help, the Discord help center is here: https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us. We will also be happy to provide additional training upon request – just email teamsputnik@gmail.com or request additional training on your registration form.