I have believed for some time that we all need to get more involved in our communities.  I don't mean working in a soup kitchen or putting the nextdoor app on your phone.  I mean meeting up and getting to know the people in our area.  One thing I have always valued was learning new skills or gaining better understanding of something.  I am throwing this out there to see if there is any interest but what if we held some sort of training or educational type event where someone led an introductory explanation or demonstration on a specific topic and then opened it up to a Q&A at the end.  I know some of these classes already exist and everything is on youtube but I think this will help our community develop stronger ties and the network alone will help us in ways I don't think are apparent yet.  The digital age has brought many things to us but it has robbed quite a bit from us too.  I see this as something we need to correct.

Topics could range from:
How to start a business and tax basics
Welding (How to get started, decent entry setups, etc)
Basic AC and DC electrical systems (residential wiring, electronics, etc)
Introduction to machining
Intro to Wireless Communication (4G/5G, Baofeng setup, etc)
Programming
Forging (blades, tools, etc)

The list can and should be expanded however I think the idea is there.

This would require folks knowledgeable in a field or topic donate some time and it is far more effective if more people show up but I want to get the feel for what people think.  

We could set it up as a grill and learn or something along those lines.  I could start with a wireless communication intro class.  Let me know what yall think and if there is some interest I will work on coordinating a schedule and locking down a location.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  
 

Sounds like a great idea. I’m in Dallas so I can’t help in the Houston area.

Meetups have happened in the past.

The COVID thing has really thrown a wrench into the works for meetings.

We had a Houston Home Town Meet Up Group restart last year with great turn out, but the COVID thing hit Houston hard & shuttered most of the bars / restaurants that we used to meet at.  We still have a 'group', but just not really a green light to "get the band back together" (yet).

Hosted a AR15 Build Party in early December (when the weather was still nice), with all the Tools (vises, action wrenches, punches, hammers, torque wrenches, & such along) with lots of parts for folks to learn to build / modify / work on a AR from the Ground Up. Had the grill set up & cooked some hot dogs. Met some other ARFCOM members Face to Face. Great time overall. Another member who attended taught me how to do the 80% receiver thing.  Pretty cool to learn so much on a subject (80%) that I knew existed, but not a clue how to actually do it & do it well.  I'll be glad to host another ARFCOM Build Party in the spring when the weather is better for such an outdoor event.

With the COVID situation in Houston, it may be more difficult to set up person to person training meetings regularly until the Spring - Summer (when hopefully the COVID situation improves - Crossed Fingers), but having a series of "Practical Knowledge" classes on various useful subjects is overall a great idea!  

Count me in as "Definitely Interested"

BIGGER_HAMMER

Can you teach me to migrate my shit from an old iPhone to a newer iPhone?


I just funnin wit ya!

I like the idea and know Bigger_Hammer is a great guy so I’m in whenever things get rolling. Living in NW Houston.

I own a welding/fab shop but can't lay a bead for shit. I can sharpen a knife blade like nobody's business to the point I impress my jackass dad.

In! Northwest side of the county.

Weapons Expertise here. Have a library of manuals and books, military and otherwise. Maintenance, repair, rebuild.
Some basic milling, lathe operation
General mechanics, rough carpentry
Fixing house hold stuff.