About nullaufeins e.V.
The nullaufeins e.V. association was founded in 2021 by us, a small group of IT enthusiasts from Leipzig. It forms a necessary institutional framework around our multifaceted, voluntary commitment in the areas of networking, empowerment of underrepresented groups, education and technical support for other associations in the IT sector.
Weekly Meetup: Open TechSchool Leipzig
We are the organizers of the weekly Meetup Open TechSchool Leipzig, where participants can work on projects together, learn, exchange ideas and ask technical questions. The meetings are beginner-friendly and, thanks to a high proportion of female mentors, are also very popular with women. See the article about the Open TechSchool Leipzig.
Hack for Good: Support for local NGOs
Another event organised by nullaufeins is Hack for Good in cooperation with Devhaus Leipzig. This is a hackathon in which we work together with participants for a weekend to solve problems in volunteer projects. The hackathon is about supporting other local non-profit associations in the city that often don’t have the technical knowledge or staff, but need a digital solution to simplify their work. The hackathon is about finding such solutions, demonstrating approaches and implementing ideas. We have found that the cooperation between associations and participants often goes far beyond the hackathon. See the article about Hack for Good Leipzig.
Empowerment & Visibility: FLINTA* in Tech
Furthermore, we have made it our focus to inspire FLINTA* for IT and programming. We want to offer spaces where beginners feel comfortable and can try out and learn together. The aim is to break down stereotypes and prejudices. We want people to experience that programming is something for everyone. Our “Django Girls Coding Workshops” were very well received, with registrations often exceeding our capacity. They have shown us that the target group is interested in the topic and that they want to try out programming and actively participate in solving technical problems.
We also received good feedback for our Creative Coding workshops because the participants liked the creative approach to working with code.
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Another project, hackerinnen.space, aims to create visibility for FLINTA* who are involved in technology and live nearby. We think that role models in the immediate environment play an important role because they are more tangible than abstract, historical personalities. The project also aims to show that the path to IT can be very different and does not have to start with a degree. We want to make it possible to experience that access to technology does not have to be complicated. Being open to new things, curiosity and interest are enough to approach the subject. We also maintain a curated collection of resources where you can find role models, meetups, podcasts, books on technical topics and workshops by and for FLINTA*.
In the future, we would like to expand our network of technology enthusiasts, continue to offer events for networking and exchange, and organize low-threshold workshops that whet people’s appetites for technology and enable them to experience digital technologies in creative ways.
More information on the topic can be found in the article “Empowerment and Visibility: Workshops for FLINTA*.”
Leipzig Helps Ukraine: Support Ukrainian Refugees
In 2022, we helped build and support the project “Leipzig Helps Ukraine” with our technical and design know-how. The association Leipzig helps Ukraine is a Leipzig based network that founded itself on the day of the outbreak of war. It is dedicated to contribute to the creation of aid programs for Ukrainians and to improve the organization of existing ones.
WirVsVirus: Hackathon of the German Government
Among other things, we participated 2020 in the hackathon WirVsVirus of the German Government to develop a technical solution for the challenges in a pandemic. This resulted in a prototype for a game “Heimspiel” that facilitates and brightens up everyday family life during the pandemic-related restrictions.
