Reflecting on some highlights from 2021

Happy new year! We hope that you got a bit of a break over the holiday period. Before we outline what’s coming up at CSCCE in 2022, we wanted first to reflect on 2021 and another busy 12 months for the CSCCE team. 

While this post summarizes a few of CSCCE’s “greatest hits,” from the year, it has also been an emotionally and logistically challenging year, with many of us operating under conditions of radical uncertainty and yet always trying to show one another care. As we continue to operate in the midst of a global pandemic, we want to acknowledge that while it’s important to celebrate our successes, 2021 has been difficult too.

Before we dig in, a heartfelt thank you to everyone we’ve worked with over the past year; members of our community of practice, learners in our online trainings, and clients and colleagues. We appreciate every joyful opportunity to learn and grow alongside you as we work to professionalize and institutionalize the role of the community manager in STEM. 

We’d also like to thank our major funder, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, for their continued support, guidance, and commitment to the importance of building communities in STEM. 

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Happy holidays from CSCCE! A community potluck to wrap up 2021

Our December community call is traditionally a community potluck, with everyone contributing a little something to the call. We hold space for reflection, make time for intention setting for the new year, and have a little fun! This post shares a short recap of what we did this year, as well as best wishes for the holiday season from the staff team here at CSCCE.

This year we took a group photo, with optional festive props! Thanks to everyone who attended for playing along. Image credit: The CSCCE
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December’s Community Call: Annual community potluck!

Every year (OK, this is only the third time, but still…) we host a virtual community potluck for our community of practice. Much like a traditional potluck, where guests bring an item to share in a multi-course meal, we’ll have a variety of activities (courses) and ways for you to “share your dish.” 

Read on for more information, or if you’re just here for the key details, we hope to see you on Wednesday, 15 December at 4pm UTC / 11am EST. You can join the Zoom room here.

Join us for our annual community potluck, a social gathering for members of our community or anyone interested in connecting with community managers in STEM. Image credit: CSCCE
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November’s community call recap: Exploring community governance models

Over the last few months, the topic of community governance has come up multiple times in our community of practice Slack workspace. So, we decided to dedicate our November community call to discussing the pros and cons of various governance models. In this blog post, we share a brief recap of the call, along with some additional resources to help you go deeper on this topic on your own or with your team. 

The discussion during the last 30 minutes of the call felt like the beginning of what could be a much larger conversation, and so if you are interested in a follow-up call or other means of keeping the conversation going, please reach out to us at info@www.cscce.org

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November’s Community Call: A conversation about community governance

For our November community call (17 November, 4pm UTC / 11am EST | join here) we’re hosting a conversation on community governance. This topic has come up several times this year in our community of practice, and so we wanted to create an opportunity to explore it in more detail through a set of activities, resource-sharing, and discussion.

The call will include a short primer on community governance models, as well as opportunities to discuss governance structures currently in place in the ecosystem of STEM communities. In order to make this a safer space for sharing and learning, this month’s call WILL NOT BE RECORDED. And, to ensure that you get the most out of the experience, we encourage you to stay for the full 90 minutes. 

On our November call, we’ll offer a primer on different models of governance in communities, with a focus on the STEM ecosystem. Image credit: CSCCE
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October’s community call recap – Supporting community champions and running champions programs

Our October call focused on the role of community champions in creating engaged, welcoming, and productive communities. This post includes a summary of the call, as well as video clips of presentations from Vanessa Fairhurst (Crossref Ambassadors program), Iratxe Puebla (ASAPbio Fellows program), and Ailís O’Carroll (eLife Community Ambassadors program). 

Our next call will take place on 17 November 2021 at 4pm UTC / 11am EST (note: upcoming daylight savings time changes may affect the time of this call in your region). We’ll be focusing on community governance models. iCal | Google Calendar

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Inclusive language in community building: A recap of our Inclusive Sci Comm Symposium session and an opportunity to help refine a new glossary

Last week we took part in the 2021 Inclusive Sci Comm Symposium (ISCS21), and Katie and Lou hosted a session focused on using inclusive language in STEM community building. In this post, we offer a short recap of that session, and also highlight a new effort we’d like your help with: A glossary to help support community managers as they work to build inclusive, accessible, and engaging communities in STEM. 

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

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October’s community call: Community champions programs

This month, we’re considering the role of community champions (also known as community ambassadors or, sometimes, fellows) in successful community management, and how community champions programs can intentionally work with emergent leaders to meet the needs of a community or organization. 

Join us for our monthly community call on Wednesday, 20 October at 3pm UTC / 11am EDT to learn more about champions and some of the programs that already exist – or are being planned –  within the STEM ecosystem. [Add to iCal or Google Calendar]

Our October call will focus on the role of community champions and how community managers can support and empower them through intentional programming. Image credit: CSCCE

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We’re hiring! Part-time communications assistant: Learn about community-centric communications with us as you start a new career

Are you interested in a career in STEM communications and/or community management? Then read on, because we’d love to hear from you! 

We’re looking to hire a temporary, part-time communications assistant to help us as we enhance our member engagement infrastructure. This is a great position for someone who is looking to transition out of academia, or would benefit from flexible working hours. And while this is an entry-level role, we’re definitely open to applicants with more advanced qualifications but who see value in learning new skills in community-centric communications. 

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Coming up over the next few months – CSCCE Community of Practice programming update

We’re really looking forward to some new programming offerings we’ve put together for the rest of the year! Read on to find out what’s coming up and how to get involved. If you’re not already a member of our community of practice for community builders in STEM, you can request to join our Slack workspace here

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