Welcome to the new and more concise EA DC Newsletter! Check our Resource Hub for more detailed posts and join the conversation on our slack! If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to contact us!

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Announcements

Creating and Maintaining a Community of Care

On February 4, Time Magazine published a piece on sexual harassment in the broader EA community and its failures to respond to it.

Effective Altruism DC (EA DC) is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and inclusive community for all of its members. We do not tolerate any behaviors that contribute to others feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, including but not limited to: harassment, the use of derogatory terms or hate speech, assault, or unwanted contact (verbal, physical, or otherwise). EA DC will respond swiftly and take decisive, proportionate action in support of the injured person or persons.

If you are made to feel uncomfortable or are otherwise harmed at an EA DC event or by a member of the community, you do not need to go through this alone!

Reporting:

• If you are unsure if your experience warrants intervention, we encourage you to err on the side of disclosing.
• All complaints made to EA DC organizers will be kept confidential by default.
• If you would like to report the incident, you are in control and have options:
  • You can contact Kyle (Kyle@EffectiveAltruismDC.org) and/or Andy (Andy@EffectiveAltruismDC.org). If you feel comfortable doing so, you can set up a call with one or both of them to discuss your concern. All complaints will be kept confidential by default.
  • You can also contact Megan Nelson (Megan@EffectiveAltruism.nyc). Megan is the Community Health Coordinator for EA NYC, and she is available if you would like to confidentially discuss your concerns about the EA DC community.
  • If you prefer to remain anonymous you can fill in our anonymous feedback form and any information you share will be read by the EA DC directors. Please be aware that because this is an anonymous form, we won’t be able to respond personally to these submissions.
  • You can also contact the Community Health team at the Centre for Effective Altruism by using this form.

Support:

If you need support – whether around a specific incident or just to cope with difficult feelings or challenges in your life – please know that help is available. We’ve included some resources below that may be useful to you.

Throughout the USA:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 is the new three-digit code that will route all US calls to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a 24/7 staffed helpline that you can use to connect with trained counselors for support and local resources. You can call or text 988.
• RAINN (National Sexual Assault Helpline): Call 800-656-4673 to speak with a trained RAINN staff member for confidential crisis support. This is also a 24/7 staffed helpline. You can also visit https://hotline.rainn.org/online to chat live with a RAINN staff member.
• The Trevor Project: Especially for LGBTQ+ young people between 18 – 24. If you are thinking about harming yourself — get immediate support. Connect to a crisis counselor 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the U.S. It is 100% confidential, and 100% free. You can chat with counselors online, call them at 866-488-7386, or text them at 678678. For more information and support, visit The Trevor Project website.

In Washington DC:

• Access HelpLine: Call 1(888)7WE-HELP or 1-888-793-4357 for local, 24/7 support. A trained staff member can listen, provide support, and help you find out more about local services and supports.
• DC Victim Hotline: Call or text 1-884-4HELPDC (443-5732) or chat with a counselor online. The DC Victim Hotline provides free, confidential, around-the-clock information, support, and referrals for victims of ALL CRIME in the District of Columbia. Victim Assistance Specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information on the services provided by the DC Victim Hotline, please visit their website.

EA DC Events:

For more detail check our website events page!

• Mar 4 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM: Get to Know Longview Philanthropy: A Presentation by Co-CEO Simran Dhaliwal
• Mar 5 | 1:00 – 2:30 PM: Parents & Future Parents Group Meetup
• If you’re interested in joining this group, fill out this form. Direct any questions to Ben.
• Mar 5 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM: International Security and Foreign Policy Cause Area Event
• Mar 16 | 7:00 – 8:30 PM: Discussion of EA DC community norms in light of broader EA community issues
• Mar 18 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM: EA DC Professional Networking Event
• Mar 25 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Global Health and Development Meetup – UnlockAid

For information about each cause area event, please add your name to the cause area email list here. You can subscribe to EA DC’s events calendar on our website to have EA DC events auto-populate on your calendar app!

March’s Highlighted Event:

Get to Know Longview Philanthropy: A Presentation by Co-CEO Simran Dhaliwal

Join Simran Dhaliwal, Co-CEO of Longview Philanthropy, for a discussion about Longview Philanthropy’s work, including how they identify high-impact opportunities to tackle the world’s most pressing problems and protect future generations, and how Longview leverages this research to design and execute bespoke giving strategies for major donors. There will also be time for Q&A.

This event will be useful for anyone considering working in longtermist fields in general, grantmaking, or who’s just curious about how EA grantmakers think about funding work and projects!

Date: Saturday, March 4
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Location: 1638 R St NW, Suite 301, Washington, DC 20009

Reasons and Persons Reading Group

EA DC is running a reading group for Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit. The first meetings will happen at the following dates and times, sign up for either the virtual or in-person meeting if you’d like to join! No background in philosophy is required to participate.

• Mar 22 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Virtual Meeting 1 for Reasons and Persons Reading Group
• Mar 25 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM: In-Person Meeting 1 for Reasons and Persons Reading Group

Tech x Policy Community Launch Event

• Date: March 25
• Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
• Location: Workshop House, Washington, DC (Sign up for the exact address.)

EA DC Community members Nicole, Avantika and Hugh are hosting an event for founders, technologists, policy folks, and academics who are thinking about and/or working at the intersection of emerging technology and policy.

Attendees’ interests span AGI, digital culture, platform governance, alternative protein innovation, and climate tech.

Long-term goal: To create a community of technologists and scholars who are passionate about the medium- and long-term future.

SIGN UP FOR THE TECH x POLICY LAUNCH EVENT

JOIN THE NETWORK ON EMERGING THREATS

Applications are now open to join NET!

The Network on Emerging Threats (NET) envisions a U.S. national security community that takes appropriate action against the most dangerous emerging threats. If you work in national security and are focused on reducing existential risk, consider joining the network!

More information is available here.

Connect with the EA DC Community!

There are lots of ways to get connected to the EA DC community:

• Fill out the Welcome Form if you’re a new member!
• Join the Intros.AI group to be regularly connected by email to a new EA DC member with similar interests.
  
• Explore resources on our website, including our events calendar which you can subscribe to to have events auto-populate on your calendar
• Chat with an EA DC organizer. We’re always excited to hear from members!
• Volunteer with EA DC
• Housing spreadsheet – live with EAs in DC!
• Co-working spreadsheet – find EAs in DC to co-work online or in-person
• Join our social media channels:
  • Slack
  • Facebook group and page
  • LinkedIn group and page