CRASH Space

A Los Angeles hackerspace

Getting Involved

CRASH Space is not only a place for you to work on your own projects, but an opportunity to create projects around the CRASH community and have an impact on the space. We’ve created the FAQ below on how we can help you execute both your own projects and those for the broader community. As a member-owned organization, we want to help you make your mark on CRASH!

I Want To Do Something With…

Facilities

  • Request the purchase of a tool, supply, or organizer for tools/supplies
  • Donate a tool, supply, or organizer for tools/supplies
    • Please email facilities@crashspace.org to ask if it’s needed and if CRASH has space for it. Tools/supplies/organizers should not be left in CRASH Space without notifying the CRASH facilities manager. Also feel free to email the Google Group or post in the Discord #for-free-or-sale channel to see if the community would like it.
  • Donate old electronics to be hacked
    • Unfortunately a lot of this ends up as e-waste that clutters up the space and is cumbersome for CRASH to dispose of. 
    • Email the Google Group or post in the Discord #for-free-or-sale channel and see if anyone’s interested, otherwise you can dispose of e-waste for free at an LA S.A.F.E. Center.
    • E-waste should not be left at CRASH!
  • Request to be trained on a tool
  • Manage a CRASH Space project (fix the little library, paint the bathroom, etc)
    • Email facilities@crashspace.org and we can help set you up with the supplies and tools you need, but you will be responsible for organizing the volunteer manpower by either asking friends, emailing the Google Group or posting in the Discord. In your request please link through any supplies needed so the facilities manager can purchase.
  • Check if we (or someone else) have a specific tool/supply
  • Request the space be open at a specific time
    • The space is always open for use during any meetups on the calendar regardless of whether you are participating in the meetup, but feel free to email alicen@crashspace.org if you would like off-hours time and she can check her calendar.

Events

  • Host a weekly meetup (circuit social, coding social, etc)
    • Email events@crashspace.org with the type of meetup you’d like to have and what day/time, and we can help put it on the calendar! If you are not a keyed member we can give you a code to get in.
  • Host a one-off field trip, class, or social event
    • Email events@crashspace.org with the details of the event and we can help get it on the calendar and walk you through any CRASH logistics (getting you a code to open the space, requesting budget/reimbursement, promotion on the socials, etc). 
    • If you would like additional help (setup/teardown, Partiful or Eventbrite creation, graphic creation, etc) let us know in the request and we can see what we can do to support.
    • If this is a paid event, please note it will need to go through the CRASH Eventbrite and CRASH will require a percent for facilities usage.
  • Host tabling at an event (maker faire, zine fest, etc)
    • Email events@crashspace.org with the event, what type of tabling you’d like to do, and the type of support you’d need (ex finding volunteers to staff, CRASH giveaways for the table, decorations, etc) and we can see what we can do to support.
  • Other Events Project

Content

  • Write a blog post for the CRASH Blog
    • Email content@crashspace.org and we will make you an author account for blog.crashspace.org. Feel free to post anything maker-related, it does not need to be approved.
    • If you would like a post directing to your blog post to go up on CRASH social media, email content@crashspace.org and we can help you make a post using one of our templates, or feel free to send us the photo/caption you would like us to use.
  • Have your project or event included as a post on the CRASH Space Blog
    • Email content@crashspace.org with the details and photos from the project/event and depending on bandwidth we may be able to write it for you.
  • Post on CRASH social media
    • Email any photos and captions to content@crashspace.org as well as preferred dates/times and we will post it for you!
    • Also, feel free to post it on your own socials and either add CRASH Space as a collaborator or tag us at @crashspacela to be reposted.
  • Other Content Project (start a newsletter, update or add pages to the site, post on the YouTube, etc)
    • Email content@crashspace.org with your idea and goals and we’ll give you the access you need to make it happen.

Other

  • Request help on an individual project
  • Make friends
    • We have regular events ranging from weekly to monthly, as well as one-off social events and field trips if you’d like to make friends in person. The Google Group and Discord are also great for making friends if you can’t make it to the space immediately. 
    • Coding Socials (Mondays) and Tuesday Show & Tell Meetings are great first hangouts if you don’t know where to start.
  • Join the board or become an officer
    • Elections are held once a year in spring, we highly encourage members to attend the monthly board meeting if they’d like to see what goes on behind the scenes at CRASH Space.
    • Email secretary@crashspace.org for any questions about the roles available or process for elections.
  • Propose an initiative (programming leading up to a zine fest, marketing outreach program, citizen research program, etc)
  • Other/Additional Questions

Have an idea but don’t have the bandwidth to execute? Email board@crashspace.org to make general suggestions or fill out our survey on what classes we should provide.