Hi Everyone, 

I'm Hannah and I'm on a quest to contribute to Effective Altruism. One avenue I've been exploring is starting a local Effective Altruism Group for the region where I live - the East Midlands UK. I'm looking for anyone who may be interested in joining or helping start up this group. 

The idea currently is for the group to meet monthly, alternating between the cities of Nottingham and Derby, providing both students and professionals opportunities to network, learn about EA and contribute to action.   

My driving motivation is that I'm passionate about engaging more people with EA and making EA equally accessible to all. Within the UK, the vast majority of larger charitable and not-for-profit organisations are based in London, in part because the capital hosts the seat of government and the UK's biggest financial centre. This means there's a lot more opportunities - networking, events, jobs or volunteering options - available to those living in and around London than there are to people living in the rest of the UK. 

Here's my 'impact data' rational for why a local group will open up access to EA. From Derby (where I live) a peak time return ticket on the train costs £197 and the cheapest off-peak combination is £88. It's a lot when you consider that the weekly job seekers allowance in the UK is £72 - £92 depending on your age. Buses while cheaper (~£45 return) operate awkward timetables (2:38am departure anyone?)  and stop at so many places on route they take over 4 hours in each direction. If you want to attend an evening event that finishes after the last bus/train home, a bed in a youth hostel shared dormitory is £25 - £80/night dependant on the day of the week. An average trip to London can thus easily cost £100 - £150 which strongly limits how often most people can afford to go and get involved. 

While it's wonderful that in the era we live in there are increasing numbers of online events that anyone anywhere can attend, many people still value and want opportunities to connect and interact in person. I certainly do. As Mahatma Gandhi said "be the change you want to see in the world". So since I'd like to see a local group near me, I'm setting out to make it happen.