Ready.
Set...
Orientation to Village Hubs
The first step for new Hub Volunteers or anyone curious about the Hubs system.
Thurs. Feb. 13, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
at the San Jose Fire Museum
This in-person workshop provides an overview of the Village Hub systems. It is a prerequisite to serving on a Hub Volunteer team running one of our Practice Events.
For folks in San Jose, it's also an opportunity to meet neighbors who are organizing Hubs in different parts of the city. We are all learning from each other -- join us!
Disaster Practice Event [Haywired Scenario]
At our Practice Events volunteers set up and run a Hub based on a mock disaster situation. There are different ways for volunteers and the general public to participate depending on their time availability and prior experience.
The March 2025 event will be our biggest and most elaborate,
and will be based on the Haywired Scenario (video here).
Saturday morning, March 15th
outdoor location in San Jose TBA
Participate at a level that is right for you:
Hub Volunteers work as a team to run the Hub. They practice interacting with the public, tracking issues, and making connections that help resolve imaginary problems facing the community. Attend one of our Orientations like the one listed above (2/13) before signing up.
Hub Volunteers are part of a team and must attend from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on March 15th (including pre- and post-event discussions). Spots are limited -- sign up now if you are interested.
"Walk-Ups" are provided with cards describing a situation which they then pretend to be bringing to the Hub. For example, "My elderly neighbor depends on medical equipment. She only has three hours of battery remaining and her caregivers are unreachable. What should we do?".
"Walk-Ups" simply stop-by for about 30 minutes (or longer if you want) anytime between 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. on March 15th. It's fun and educational and no prior experience or workshops are required -- all are welcome!
“WOW! A remarkable real-life exercise.”
– Jeff L.
“Even better than anticipated. I was totally impressed.”
–Nancy R.
Want to start learning right now? Our "Online Quick Course" is a self-paced set of slides with embedded audio and video features. It typically takes about 1 to 2 hours to complete and provides an introduction to Hub concepts and practical operations. Registration is via this form. A link to access the course will be emailed to you immediately upon registration.
Advanced Course
Core Group Foundations is a workshop for folks already familiar with Hub basics and who intend to establish a Village Hub location in their neighborhood. The focus is on organizational issues such as:
developing a Core Group that acts like a steering committee for the local Hub,
evaluating possible locations for a local Hub meet-up spot,
attracting new volunteers into the project, and
creating a healthy culture that supports shared leadership, is fun and rewarding for volunteers at all levels of involvement, and is sustainable as participation in the Core Group evolves overtime.
Sat. Feb. 22, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
In-Person. Location in San Jose TBA
We are developing a Santa Clara County Hubs Core Leaders Network so that alumni of the "Foundations" workshop who are building local Hubs can continue to support one another and share lessons learned from their neighborhoods across the county.