What we’re about
Official freeCodeCamp London Group. Learn to code at https://www.freecodecamp.org/
We are now on discord! Follow this link at https://bit.ly/freecodecamp-london and drop a Hi in the #introductions channel!
For more info about the meetups, read our FAQ here: https://github.com/freeCodeCampLondon/meetup-faq
freeCodeCamp is a free online coding platform and global network of software and web development enthusiasts. It aims to make coding accessible to anyone; all you need is a computer, an Internet connection and a desire to learn. Our meetups are very relaxed and open to people of all abilities, from absolute beginner to professional. Come along to get help with solving a coding challenge (freeCodeCamp curriculum or otherwise - don't forget your laptop!), to get advice on becoming a developer, or to simply meet like-minded coders in London.
freeCodeCamp is also excited to announce that it is also planning to organise cutting edge A.I.-specific workshops and events –watch this space! more details to follow soon
Follow us on Twitter here: https://x.com/freecodelondon
Regular meetups take place in locations around central London. All abilities are welcome, from absolute beginner to professional!
Featured event
freeCodeCamp x Encode | AI Edition - Make Your Own Local-First AI Assistant
Beginners Hands-On Workshop: Make Your Own Local-First A.I. Assistant for Productivity Tasks
Hello code campers!
On Wednesday 5th November (remember, the 5th of November!) we would like to invite you to join us for our third event in our series of local-first, open-source / open-weights AI systems.
We would like to invite other like-minded people that are also into open-source / local A.I. and would like to get creative and share ideas.
** Registration to this event is only valid through the Luma platform:
This workshop is open to all levels, from beginners to experts.
Bring your laptop (charged if possible, if not you will have to sit next to one of the plugs) and your coding gear (whatever that might be, from blue light blocking glasses glasses to hoodies). We will try to run A.I. models on the mobile phone as well so feel free to bring your phone fully charged with a little bit of free storage space.
***
Prerequisite
See slides from the previous event to set up Ollama locally: https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-01/
There is also a second slide deck (you should know how to access it if you've been to the last workshop, if not join the Discord and ask us)
https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-02/
***
Agenda for the evening
18:00 - 18:30 Arrival & Networking
Mingle with fellow developers over refreshments.
18:30 - 18:45 Introductions (What is Local-First?)
Learn about self-hosted, local AI models and why we use them.
18:45 - 19:30 Workshop
Hands-on technical workshop (if you are non-technical it's OK, tag along).
We'll explore a widely used open-source application with RAG, aka retrieval augmented generation and long-term memory, learn what can be done with it: simple chat, agentic web search, talk to your private documents, and context engineering or web scraping with A.I.
If we're brave enough, will cover more advance things like MCP and agentic workflows.
Prerequisite: a local Ollama, LMStudio installation or equivalent (but if you don't have any of that, don't worry, come a bit early and we will help you).
19:30 - 19:40 Fun and games (optional)
Secret ;)
19:40 - 20:15 Q&A
Questions and answers or other announcements
20:15 - 21:00 Networking
Mingle with fellow tech enthusiasts over food and refreshments
21:00 - Closing remarks and follow-up
END: Carry on the fun at a nearby pub which is right around the corner.
***
## Event Venue
We'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Encode Club.
Encode Club has spent over five years fostering a global community of developers, researchers, and founders in Web3, AI, and emerging technologies. The Encode Hub brings everything together under one roof, providing a dedicated environment for collaboration and innovation through meetups, co-working, and in-person events.
Upcoming events
1
freeCodeCamp x Encode | AI Edition - Make Your Own Local-First AI Assistant
Encode Hub, 41 Pitfield St, London, N1 6DA, London, GBBeginners Hands-On Workshop: Make Your Own Local-First A.I. Assistant for Productivity Tasks
Hello code campers!
On Wednesday 5th November (remember, the 5th of November!) we would like to invite you to join us for our third event in our series of local-first, open-source / open-weights AI systems.
We would like to invite other like-minded people that are also into open-source / local A.I. and would like to get creative and share ideas.
** Registration to this event is only valid through the Luma platform:
This workshop is open to all levels, from beginners to experts.
Bring your laptop (charged if possible, if not you will have to sit next to one of the plugs) and your coding gear (whatever that might be, from blue light blocking glasses glasses to hoodies). We will try to run A.I. models on the mobile phone as well so feel free to bring your phone fully charged with a little bit of free storage space.***
Prerequisite
See slides from the previous event to set up Ollama locally: https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-01/There is also a second slide deck (you should know how to access it if you've been to the last workshop, if not join the Discord and ask us)
https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-02/***
Agenda for the evening
18:00 - 18:30 Arrival & Networking
Mingle with fellow developers over refreshments.18:30 - 18:45 Introductions (What is Local-First?)
Learn about self-hosted, local AI models and why we use them.18:45 - 19:30 Workshop
Hands-on technical workshop (if you are non-technical it's OK, tag along).We'll explore a widely used open-source application with RAG, aka retrieval augmented generation and long-term memory, learn what can be done with it: simple chat, agentic web search, talk to your private documents, and context engineering or web scraping with A.I.
If we're brave enough, will cover more advance things like MCP and agentic workflows.Prerequisite: a local Ollama, LMStudio installation or equivalent (but if you don't have any of that, don't worry, come a bit early and we will help you).
19:30 - 19:40 Fun and games (optional)
Secret ;)19:40 - 20:15 Q&A
Questions and answers or other announcements20:15 - 21:00 Networking
Mingle with fellow tech enthusiasts over food and refreshments21:00 - Closing remarks and follow-up
END: Carry on the fun at a nearby pub which is right around the corner.
***
## Event Venue
We'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Encode Club.
Encode Club has spent over five years fostering a global community of developers, researchers, and founders in Web3, AI, and emerging technologies. The Encode Hub brings everything together under one roof, providing a dedicated environment for collaboration and innovation through meetups, co-working, and in-person events.2 attendees
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