What is it?
Joining a Brainhack for the first time can be a daunting experience, but don’t worry, we’ve got your back! The OHBM Brainhack Buddy system pairs experienced Brainhackers with new attendees in order to help them get up to speed. Buddies can meet up virtually before the event to get to know each other and share information about what to expect and shared interests. We also encourage buddies to spend time together during the event, whether in person or online, for further guidance.
Requirements
We don’t have any requirements for registering as a Buddy System first-timer other than being registered to attend the Brainhack. For registering as an experienced Brainhacker, we require you to have attended a Brainhack before.
What to expect
Once we’ve matched you as part of the Buddy system, you will receive an email with the contact details of your Buddy. We expect Buddies to contact each other and organize an introductory chat within about two weeks of being matched. This is to get to know each other and discuss plans and expectations before the Brainhack event. We’d also like Buddies to meet up at least once during the actual event, and for the mentor to be responsive to text chat messages from the mentee related to OHBM Brainhack. After the event, we’ll ask you to answer a few questions about your experiences with the Buddy System. In general, the role of the mentor is to guide the mentee through any challenges they might experience at their first OHBM Brainhack. We encourage Buddies to make contact as frequently as they prefer, and to respect the boundaries that they communicate to each other.
Questions?
If you have any further questions about the buddy system, feel free to send us an email.