About Us
Our Approach
DoES Liverpool exists to support people to do their best work, grow into the lives they want to lead, and to explore and create ways of working and living for the modern day in a just society; spreading making, tech, and the new possibilities of digital tools throughout Liverpool and beyond.
With a community as varied as DoES Liverpool it’s impossible to capture the culture and ethos in its entirety. However, these are some of the values and guiding principles to which we aspire…
What DoES stands for
Join the Google Group / Mailing List
One of the best ways to get involved with DoES Liverpool in general is to sign up for the Google Group (Sometimes also referred to as the mailing list) where people post notices about upcoming events both at DoES and around Liverpool if they think they’ll be of interest to the community and have discussions on topics such as 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Startup Communities, Trips to look at Traffic Lights, local politics and Beer.
The group is open for anyone to join and you can get the messages sent directly to your email inbox either every time someone posts, or in a digest format.
If you want to take part in the group by email (Which you probably do) then you need to select the email option when you join (Or update that setting later on)
The Google Group can be found at: http://groups.google.com/group/DoES-Liverpool
- Do. Words − action = nothing. We lean towards action rather than talking. Most people write a manifesto first and then see if they can live up to it. We spent some time getting on with making a difference before writing this.
- A tendency towards “yes”. We look for ways that we can enable people to do something rather than find reasons to say “no”. Embracing the “what if…” instead of the “that won’t work because…”
- Diverse. We want more diversity in the community rather than less. Different business types and sizes; ways of funding; all sorts of people; different sorts of life arrangements (such as having to work around caring for kids or elders); professionals; amateurs; freelancers; remote workers; startups; firms…
- Digital. We realise that digital is an ever increasing and pervasive feature of life. Everyone understands that while the food industry has both factories and restaurants, we should all be able to make ourselves a sandwich. Digital is no different – we’ll have people who work in (or own) tech product companies and agencies, but all of us should be able to do a bit of digital.
- Playful. We attract people who enjoy whatever their field of work is so much that they play with it in their spare time, and know that it’s fine to do something even if the only reason is “it’s fun!”
- Ambitious. We’re ambitious, but not just for ourselves. We’re ambitious for others in our community, for the city, and for the world.
- Sharing. We’re a community of equals, who share knowledge and resources to amplify what we do and to introduce new people to new skills and technologies.
- Inter-connected. We have a networked, rather than command-and-control, mindset. We use the Internet and digital tools to work together. Our networks don’t just exist within the community, we link with people and organisations in other networks to achieve more collectively.
Make Things Better
Our main organising hub is “Somebody Should” on GitHub. When anybody notices anything that needs doing, they raise an issue here.
Anyone can view issues – here’s the link.
You’ll need a GitHub account to create your own issues and comment on issues created by other people. Here’s how to create an account.
If you want to help organise the issues by adding labels, close issues that other people have raised, then you’ll need to join the DoES Liverpool organisation on GitHub. Here’s how to do that!
If you’re not sure how to tackle issues, or just want a little bit of extra guidance on what you should do at each step, we’ve got a handy guide.
We’re a community
Community Maker Events
Maker Events are regular meetings organised by DoES Liverpool to provide a space for people to learn, experiment and work on projects related to Physical computing, Laser cutting, Arduino, Electronics, 3D printing…
Boost Membership
Every year DoES Liverpool donates 4,160 hours of free access to makers and creative practitioners by giving away four spaces at DoES for six months. So two people can have use of a desk or a workshop space for that time.
Previous Boost Members
What DoES Stands for
Do.
Words − action = nothing. We lean towards action rather than talking. Most people write a manifesto first and then see if they can live up to it. We spent some time getting on with making a difference before writing this.
A tendency towards “yes”.
We look for ways that we can enable people to do something rather than find reasons to say “no”. Embracing the “what if…” instead of the “that won’t work because…”
Diverse.
We want more diversity in the community rather than less. Different business types and sizes; ways of funding; all sorts of people; different sorts of life arrangements (such as having to work around caring for kids or elders); professionals; amateurs; freelancers; remote workers; startups; firms…
Digital.
We realise that digital is an ever increasing and pervasive feature of life. Everyone understands that while the food industry has both factories and restaurants, we should all be able to make ourselves a sandwich. Digital is no different – we’ll have people who work in (or own) tech product companies and agencies, but all of us should be able to do a bit of digital.
Playful.
We attract people who enjoy whatever their field of work is so much that they play with it in their spare time, and know that it’s fine to do something even if the only reason is “it’s fun!”
Sharing.
We’re a community of equals, who share knowledge and resources to amplify what we do and to introduce new people to new skills and technologies.
Inter-connected.
We have a networked, rather than command-and-control, mindset. We use the Internet and digital tools to work together. Our networks don’t just exist within the community, we link with people and organisations in other networks to achieve more collectively.
Ambitious.
We’re ambitious, but not just for ourselves. We’re ambitious for others in our community, for the city, and for the world.
Become a Member
You do not have to be a DoES Member to use any of our equipment or services, should you wish to support what we do, for £10 a month you can become one.
Other than the warm fuzzy feeling you get from knowing that you are helping to keep the community going, we also offer our Members reduced prices on all of our services, and there are plans afoot for further benefits in the future.
For spaces like DoES that rely entirely on the community that use it to fund it, every little is invaluable, so if you think we're epic, and want us to continue to be so, please consider becoming a DoES Member today.