Civic Engagement
Meet other local people interested in Civic Engagement: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Civic Engagement group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out civic engagement events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the civic engagement events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find civic engagement events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Civic Engagement Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
WordPress 7.0 and the Future of the Open Web
Join us for an exciting meetup exploring the next era of the open web and what it means for developers, designers, creators, and businesses building with WordPress.
**Event Agenda**
* 9:30 AM – Arrival & Networking
* 10:00 AM – Welcome & Opening
* 10:15 AM – Main Session: WordPress & AI in the Modern Web
* 11:15 AM – Guest Speaker Session I
* 12:00 PM – Guest Speaker Session II
* 12:45 PM – Community Demos / Open Discussion / AMA
* 1:30 PM – Closing Remarks
* 1:40 PM – Networking & Photos
Build Agentic Systems with Spring AI (and Securing Them)
The Java ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental architectural shift. Large language models, multi-step autonomous workflows, and tool-calling abstractions are no longer experimental weekend projects—they are real production concerns.
This first in-person JUG Ghana meetup is a builder-focused gathering for engineers who want to cut through the hype. We are looking at what it concretely means to build the agentic enterprise with the Spring framework, from MCP-based agent composition to prompt injection vulnerabilities.
The goal is simple: learn from people who are actively building, shipping, and securing AI systems in the enterprise Java stack.
Who Should Attend?
* Backend & Java Engineers
* Anyone curious about how production-grade AI systems are actually built and secured
What to Expect
This is a space for practical insights and hard engineering. We are running a lean, straightforward event focused entirely on the code and the architecture. Just the deep technical sessions, real-world trust boundaries, and meaningful conversations with other developers in the local ecosystem.
Free Guided Meditation
For help call: Koby: 246573797 or 026 417 6261, 024 657 3797
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Sahaja Yoga is a unique and natural way to attain Self - Realization which leads to inner enlightenment. Through that inner enlightenment we become our own masters and start to master all kinds of things around us as well. Please take time to learn this technique and grow in reality.
These classes are meant to come together and meditate and learn little by little, so please plan to join them every week for continuous growth. Sahaja Yoga is always free.
Meeting Plan :
Introduction to Sahaja Yoga
Experience of being in Meditation and Learning to Meditate.
How to meditate at home.
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Join us for more resources at.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeMeditateGroup/
Civic Engagement Events Near You
Connect with your local Civic Engagement community
CMG Gives Back: Serve Dinner at FAITH MISSION GRANT KITCHEN!
Join us as we get together to get together to help those in need at this CMG Gives Back event! We have a great little community of Movie Group friends so rather than see a movie this time, we’ll help “Create a better world” by helping serve those in need. NOTE: We’re switching it up this time and going with a DINNER shift on Mon, 7/6. Here are complete details and our plan for this event:
FAITH MISSION – GRANT KITCHEN: The Faith Mission kitchen and dining room serves residents 3 meals a day, every day of the year. For this event, our group will help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents in the dining room, wash dishes, and clean surfaces.
PLAN: We will be preparing / serving / cleaning for DINNER from 4:30 to 6:30pm and have space for a total of 7 volunteers. Please arrive at 4:20pm and wear closed-toe shoes and long pants.
LOCATION: Faith Mission – Grant Kitchen is located at 245 N. Grant Ave. Enter the kitchen at Dock 1 (in the back of the building), indicated in the attached map. On-site parking in the adjacent lot and street parking are available in the surrounding area. Below are some links / attachments with additional info/details:
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our group will be providing all of the volunteers on this day so a firm RSVP count is essential. Please only sign up if you are certain you’ll be able to attend. If something unavoidable comes up, please try to update your RSVP no later than one week prior to the event. With few exceptions, no shows or cancelations within 1 week of the event will not be eligible for future CMG Gives Back events. I appreciate your understanding as we try to ensure the agencies have the volunteers needed to provide the essential services they provide to the vulnerable population they serve. Our Partner Agency for this event is Lutheran Social Services! A huge THANK YOU to those volunteering at this (or any of our previous or future) CMG Gives Back events!
Look forward to seeing you there, Dan
ServiceNow AI Deep Dive: Hands-On Learning Session
We're planning a hands-on technical session focused on building AI solutions in ServiceNow - think skills, agents, and real-world use cases. If you’re curious about AI on the platform, RSVP now and stay tuned for more details. Let's build together!
Kindness Conference 2026
**Kindness Conference 2026**
Registration required. Visit [www.kindhelp.org](http://www.kindhelp.org) to register!
Imagine a future intentionally shaped by kindness: let's build it together with on
**Saturday, July 18th at the Junto Hotel in downtown Columbus!**
The function of our conference is to help people develop the skills to build kind community and provide opportunities to increase in-person connection and support in each other’s lives.
**This conference is for any of us who are:**
· Feeling isolated and lacking community in our current society
· Wanting to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of each other
· Anyone who is just wishing to create something better!
**We will build more kind community by:**
· Developing formats for building community-based infrastructure where existing systems are failing that anybody can use
· Providing the tools that help people connect in-person and practicing using those tools together
· Implementing Universal Design so that no one gets left behind
**Opportunities and practical tools we are offering:**
· Lunch!
· Community-Building Toolkits for people to take home
· A chance to build lasting friendships and supportive connections
· Opportunities to share referrals, strategies, resources, and the kind of connected support networks many people receive through family, but that those without community and family are often lacking
· Ongoing community dinners, free workshops, and other events where people can connect
**Participants also have the opportunity to receive CE credits from the Ohio CSWMFT Board.**
We are just getting started! This is one of many upcoming events where we can continue making kind community together. **Who else should be here?**
Share this opportunity with anyone else who you think might want to build kind community! For more information and to register visit [www.kindhelp.org](http://www.kindhelp.org/). If you would like to help us plan the day, we would love to connect email us at [info@kindhelp.org](mailto:info@kindhelp.org)!
AWS Columbus User Group - Topic to be announced
Topic to be announced.
**CALL FOR SPEAKERS**
Learn more: https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/
**THANK YOU** *VEEAM* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Veeam*, please visit their website: https://www.veeam.com/
**DIRECTIONS**
8800 Lyra Dr #450 · Columbus, OH
go to 4th floor.
**Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?**
Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com
Nature Loving Fest | Summer Edition
Join us for the Summer edition of [Nature Loving Fest](https://www.facebook.com/events/1575999320350910/), a small, thoughtfully curated outdoor gathering celebrating vibrant vegan eats, handmade goods, and the fullness of the season.
Formerly known as our Vegan Pop-Up, this gathering continues to grow as a space rooted in nature, community, and intentional living. Expect around 20 + local vendors offering refreshing seasonal vegan dishes, small-batch bakes, handcrafted goods, and earth-conscious products.
This is a welcoming space to slow down, connect, and enjoy the warmth and abundance of summer.
Come support local makers, share good food, and celebrate the height of summer with us.
Admission is Free.
Stop Guessing: How to Measure and Improve LLM Outputs
Most people use LLMs by feel: ask a question, read the answer, decide whether it “seems good,” and move on.
That works for casual use. It does not work when you are building software, automating workflows, writing important documents, or relying on AI for anything that needs to be repeatable.
In this talk, we’ll look at how to improve and evaluate the inputs and outputs of LLMs using practical measurement techniques. We’ll cover how prompt changes affect results, how to compare outputs, how to build simple evaluation sets, and how math-based methods like similarity scoring can help you move beyond guesswork.
This will be beginner-friendly, so even if you don't know anything about AI, you should get something out of it. However, this will be a little more technical than our intro talks. You do not need to be an AI researcher, but programmers and technically curious attendees will get a lot out of it.
We’ll cover:
* Why “it looks good” is not enough
* How to improve prompts by changing the input, context, and constraints
* How to compare LLM outputs more systematically
* Basic evaluation techniques for accuracy, consistency, and usefulness
* How embeddings, cosine similarity, and scoring can help evaluate results
* Where automated evaluation works — and where humans still need to stay in the loop
By the end, you’ll have a practical mental model for treating LLMs less like magic and more like systems you can test, measure, and improve.
LOGISTICS AND PARKING:
The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks!
The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.
Walk & Talk About Life's Big Questions
[The Board Walks](http://www.theboardwalks.com/) are for curious people who love deep conversations.
If that sounds like you, **bring a thoughtful topic** and join us for a 5-mile walk (10,000+ steps!).
**HOW IT WORKS**
**Step 1: Bring a topic**
Before you arrive, think of **one** topic you want to explore. A question. A thought that's been on your mind. An obsession you want to geek out on. This is your ticket to the event.
**Step 2: Circle up & share**
We gather in a circle. Your friendly walk host gives a speech to set the tone. Everyone shares: your name, what you're grateful for, and your topic. That's it. 60 seconds.
**Step 3: Walk, talk & float**
We walk 5 miles. You naturally drift into conversation with 2-3 people at a time, pulled by topics that spark your curiosity. When you're ready to move on, just say: "I'm going to float!"
**Step 4: Feel more alive**
Two hours flies by. You're back where you started — but you feel different. More alive. More energized. More connected to yourself and others. That's why regulars join 20+ times.
*For more details, read our [Orientation Guide.](https://www.theboardwalks.com/orientation)*
**HOW TO BRING A GREAT TOPIC**
A great topic = something you're genuinely curious about.
Recent topics include:
* "What are you passionate about right now?"
* "What makes a good friend?"
* "What's a belief you used to hold that you've completely changed?"
* "How do you want to be remembered?"
* "What would you do if money wasn't a factor?"
Think of your topic like the dish you're bringing to our conversational potluck. If everyone brings an A+ dish (i.e. energizing, uplifting, expansive), we'll all walk away feeling lighter and brighter.
**WHAT TO EXPECT**
This isn't a fitness event with casual chitchat. It's a walking think tank where we explore life's big questions together, beyond small talk. *If you're looking for light banter or a standard networking event, this probably isn't the right fit.*
But if you crave depth, genuine connection, and conversations that make you feel alive? You'll love it here.
**FAQ**
* Wear casual athletic attire and sneakers. It's a long walk!
* We have multiple first-timers at each event. We work hard to create a welcoming, inclusive, clique-free space.
* We welcome people of **all** ages, backgrounds, and industries who align with the [intention](https://www.theboardwalks.com/ground-rules) of this space.
* Rain or shine, we've been out here nearly every week since July 2022. If the event is cancelled, we'll let you know.
* Dogs, babies in strollers, parents, and friends are welcome — please text/email them the event link so they can RSVP and prepare a topic!
**LOGISTICS**
* If you'll arrive over 10 minutes late, we suggest skipping the event. It's hard to find us once we start walking, and your host can't answer messages during the event.
* This walk is designed for everyone to *move together at the same steady pace* (about 20 min/mile). This format works best when the whole group moves in unison. If you have mobility limitations, we kindly encourage you to find an event better suited to your needs.
* Read our [Orientation Guide](https://www.theboardwalks.com/orientation) for full details.
* If you enjoy the event, send **[this](http://www.theboardwalks.com/)** to a friend or sign up for our **[newsletter](https://theboardwalks.beehiiv.com/)**. We're in multiple cities with more on the way. 🤠👋
**IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER...**
[The Board](https://stan.store/ellebeecher/p/the-board) is the next step: a high-trust collective for renaissance people devoted to creating, connecting, and building lives that light us up.
* This is a global HQ for people who crave big talk, deep connection, and dream collaborations with people across industries. If the walks feel like a spark... The Board is the fire. Apply [here](https://stan.store/ellebeecher/p/the-board).









