| layout | 2015_layout |
|---|---|
| title | Sessions |
| subtitle | Our peer-led sessions combine skill-sharing, discussion, and collaboration. |
| section | sessions |
| sub-section | interior |
| background | stickerdots |
| byline | Erik Westra |
| permalink | /sessions/about/index.html |
Our proposal period has now closed, and we are reviewing this year's amazing list of proposed sessions now to build the 2016 program.
Session proposals closed on April 20. We're now spending a couple of weeks reviewing proposals within the SRCCON team, with additional reviews and perspectives from across our community as we assemble a final list of sessions.
- May 11, notification of accepted proposals
- May 18, SRCCON 2016 ticket lottery opens
In reviewing proposals, we look for:
- topics that are relevant to code, design, and data folks in newsrooms (and allied fields).
- evidence that you've thought through your proposed session topic and format, and what you'd like participants to take away from it.
- sessions that probably wouldn't work as well at another conference.
We make it a priority to build a program that is balanced and that reflects the makeup of our communities. We actively welcome session proposals from members of communities underrepresented in journalism and technology, and from non-coastal and small-market news organizations.
We created SRCCON with a few principles in mind that lay the groundwork for our program as a whole:
- SRCCON is built around participation, discussion, and collaborative problem-solving.
- SRCCON exists to respond to the needs and interests of our community, and we must be intentional in including perspectives from throughout the field.
- Every attendee is a peer—no lecturers, no special status, no outsiders.
Many of our sessions work as structured discussions and problem-solving groups; others function as peer-to-peer skillshares; still others incorporate games, drawing, field trips, and more—we avoid traditional lecture/conference talk formats and classroom-style trainings, but we welcome a wide range of hands-on and collaborative session styles.
Check out our guide to pitching and running a great SRCCON session for examples from last year's schedule and tons of practical advice on what works for our attendees.
We reserve tickets for the facilitators of all accepted sessions, and all facilitators will be given an opportunity to buy a ticket before the ticket lottery opens on May 18. However, instead of providing free tickets for session facilitators, we offer need-based scholarships that anyone—facilitator or otherwise—can apply for if they need help covering the costs of attending. (Scholarship applications will open May 5.)
Why do we do it this way? Mostly because SRCCON is a collaborative, peer-to-peer event, and we consider all attendees to be active participants, rather than either speakers or passive audience members. This approach also helps us keep ticket prices low enough to be affordable for most news organizations.
In addition to the daytime sessions that form the core of SRCCON, we'll also host a series of informal evening sessions on non-work topics, open up space for small-group collaboration, run a hands-on tea- and coffee-hacking station, and bring back SRCCON lightning talks. Stay tuned for more information about additional program items and related events.