Hello friends and curious people. In 2009 I felt something beautiful while living in Cambridge, MA. The beautiful feelings of possibility and creativity, friendship and support, and ultimately of finding my people. And I wanted other people to feel that too. And so I traveled, I explored hackerspaces around the country and together with friends started the All […]
An awesome event happened last month at the Fikra Space hackerspace in Bahgdad. The crew gathered at the Institute of War and Peace Reporting for Ramadan Iftar dinner. It was a challenging time to be in Iraq so soon after a large prison break and a few months of ramped up violence. But joining this […]
So you want to start a hackerspace? Awesome! Here are some inspiring resources, how-to’s, and models from hackerspace-loving folks around the world to get you started: Firstly, Mitch Altman shares the vision of why hackerspaces are so awesome: how they support education, create community, and – most importantly to Mitch – doing what you love. […]
Baghdad, Iraq FEB 2013 Murtadha Al-Tameemi Ever since I first left Iraq in 2007, I’ve been wanting to go back and contribute something to the community. Through the help of GEMSI, a few weeks ago I finally had the chance to make a dedicated trip with the intention of doing some good work in Baghdad. […]
Baghdad – October 29 2012 The GEMSI team split up after Beirut for both safety and visa concerns. Yet a car bomb in Beirut made it clear that neither Baghdad nor Beirut were safe places. We can either ignore the violence and live with it as most others do in these regions, or work through […]
Wow, 7 days of events. What a full week in Baghdad! The hackerspace crew formed quickly and soon after our first meeting in Everyday Cafe where Ali Makhzoomi has his DIY public library we started getting a calendar of events together. This post is a description of some of the events we ran that week. […]
A story from Baghdad Iraq about following your dreams even when it’s difficult. This comes from a wonderful singer Mandy Dhiab, please listen to her rendition of “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone while reading her story. 🙂 My name is Mandy Dhiab, a 23 year old musician. I originally come from Malaysia, but I was […]
Thanks to the wonderful and talented Kate Saturday we have GEMSI’s first story of initiative and service illustrated as a beautiful comic! Check out this amazing comic and remember to submit your story by posting a video to this Facebook event! If you’re interested in reading Murtadha’s full story, you can find it below:
GEMSI works to develop engagement, service and entrepreneurship by fostering and uniting communities of makers around the world, running workshops about accessible technology, and promoting storytelling. Currently, our focus is on the Middle East and North Africa. This fall, we are starting new initiatives in Baghdad, Beirut, and Cairo. Imagine you are a young […]
“Rawaya wa Bidaya” [UPDATE] The challenge is now live on facebook! and we’re happy to showcase our first comic: For the past twenty years, the Arab world has been undergoing major development – sponsored by governments and non-profits alike. Yet, we continuously see a gridlock in the execution of projects: much funding is held up in ever-tangled […]