Started almost 9 months ago¹ as an access path to TMSR, my Young Hands Club project has to change moving forwards to carve its place in the new context that includes only the inheritance of a closed down TMSR rather than an active entity of that essence. And so change it will, in some aspects, but note that the core remains exactly as it was, since it's just as valid now as it was at the start and as it will always be: the focus remains on self improvement (and that *means* change) of participants, on doing rather than talking and on growing one's own ability and knowledge at a *sustainable pace* so that the benefits of everything you do *accumulate* over time. In other words and to state it plainly, the focus remains on playing a winner game instead of that other, all too common nowadays loser game.

As to what changes specifically in practice - I'm opening it up more widely at the very basic entry level (e.g. that Hopefuls new category). While I appreciate the DCU coinage, the stark reality is that the entry level is likely to be way more diverse and generally lower than what would warrant such lofty names. Combined with all those bitter past lessons², this means that there's as yet overall very little point to (and indeed very little capacity to use or actual request for) the sort of very close and personally tailored feedback and support I've been providing so far to all those involved.

I'll maintain such provision and support only for the top level, full members³ and open up that "Hopefuls" category to provide newcomers with more limited access & feedback that still gives them nevertheless the opportunity to get involved, get to know the people and benefit -as much as they can figure out how to- from the support of the existing infrastructure and overall environment (meaning, specifically: #ossasepia as a real-time communications and interactions channel, the WoT as support for building up one's own history and reputation, younghands.club as easy access to blogging, V for code versioning and effective collaboration, the various V trees as code library, the full library of related blogs).

Those two layers - full members and hopefuls - are not meant to be rigid in practice. Full members can choose to leave of course and to the extent that newcomers do figure out how to make use of what is available and build up their own personal reputation and history of interaction, they can certainly become full members if they are offered the option and if they see any benefit in taking it.

As before, #ossasepia is open for all productive and useful discussions really, whether you are simply in my WoT or a friend of someone in my WoT or even entirely new to everything. Everyone involved is quite welcome to invite friends⁴ and to use #ossasepia to communicate and keep in touch with one another, to ask questions or to discuss otherwise any of their own work that they have *published* (on their own blog or on younghands.club, as it may be the case) and note that this is *not* limited to code! Indeed, do note that there are some minimal requirements for any code published to be considered or even discussed at all and note also that you will need an identity in the WoT (a registered key with deedbot) before you can suggest topics of discussion, with code being the most likely to require first some acquired reputation before being given more than a cursory glance. There is already such an abundance of code that nobody really needs *more* of it and especially not from an unknown and unrelated source.

If you want to figure out what things are, how they work and why the difference between those two aspects even matters, if you want to work with others and to build up on existing infrastructure that can support you to get further than if you keep reinventing the wheel every time or if you are looking for meaningful feedback, clarity, effectiveness and confidence based on actual competence and experience, come in and ask for voice, it's as simple as that.

Just mind your step, realise that it's all likely quite different from anything else you've met and known so far and take your time -even better: ask your questions- to understand how it all works, as it all goes deeper than you probably realise at a first glance. It's that depth that can help you too, if you only choose to build on it as the solid foundation that it is and to work together with others instead of isolating yourself on your own and aiming to solve problems that have been solved already. The trouble of course is to know about those solutions - so come to #ossasepia and ask!

1. How time passes and how this fits yet again exactly the 9 months gestation period and all those obvious and trite observations that one can easily make here. More to the point though: how much did this passing time force wider changes all around you and how prepared are you now for the new context? Did you change yourself quickly enough to find you are adapting easily now or did you hang on to the familiar for its comfort such as it was? And sure, don't even think of answering those questions when you can instead just be angry with me for asking them so plainly, thus being yet again so "aggressive" and "violent" - isn't that the perfect excuse to not change direction, after all? It's fine though either way - those are the type of questions that answer themselves anyway, whether anyone cared enough about you to ask them or not. ↩

2. To list a few: what's offered and made available is disregarded, undervalued and unused or barely used; asking for something (or even just... helping/clarifying questions, at times!) is taken as an imposition and/or a request for "free work" rather than the opportunity and opening it represents; exam-taking and superficial form-fitting without regards to the essence of what was specified/required renders any attempt to specify tasks an exercise in wasted effort. ↩

3. The current list reads: Aaron Rogier, Eric Benevides, Jacob Welsh, Robinson Dorion and Will Haack. So please let me know either in #ossasepia or in the comments below, if you'd rather move out of it now, there's no problem from my point of view either way, at this juncture. ↩

4. I'll give one chance to speak to anybody who asks for it; for how long they retain the priviledge to speak in chan depends on how and for what they use that chance, of course. ↩

Category: Dark Modern Ages, Outreach

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