Civic Engagement Sydney

Engage with Sydney's dynamic civic scene through Meetup

430kMonthly events

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4.5App store rating

200kGroups

Code for Sydney - Monthly Hack Day

Sat, Jun 13, 12:15 AM

From Code for Sydney

4.7

Code for Sydney is now running meetups every month. Code for Sydney is a volunteer civic innovation organization created by Sydney-area developers, designers, and activists with an interest in solving civic and social problems through the use of technology. During our monthly hack day we: \- brainstorm ideas around the theme \- propose a few solutions that we can work on together \- research and code the components of an MVP \- present what worked $or didn't$ to your peers Together, we can make an impact on civic challenges and build a better city. Networking with fellow software engineers, designers and student/s welcome! If anyone would like to present a quick talk or propose a project idea, do talk to us! Also please do join the discussion on Discord https://discord.gg/wPmp25Xnm5

14 attendees

Weekly Coffee Catch Up

Wed, Jun 3, 10:00 PM

From Vibecamp

4.8

**Everyone is welcome!** Whether you’re part of a local community group that’s struggling with admin friction or you’ve just started "vibe coding" and want to build something that actually matters, come grab a coffee. We are currently collating **Bluehex Blocks**—standalone tools that solve real problems today and will eventually dock into our single 1-stop solution for Australian non-profits, charities and communities. We’re all about open doors and high-energy builds—it’s simply a chance to lean in with your skills (or your community insights) and create real impact for the public good.

1 attendee

Sydney Data Eng meetup with VeloDB

Thu, Jun 11, 7:30 AM

From Sydney Data Engineering Meetup

4.7

Hey all, please join us for a special meetup with VeloDB this June. Join us for an engaging session filled with exciting discussions and networking opportunities. Don't miss out—RSVP to secure your spot. Please reach out if you'd like to host us! 🎉 🏠 Location: Stone & Chalk @ Tech Central 🍕 Catering: VeloDB 😊 💬 Join our Slack Group here: [Data Engineers Slack Channel](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd09iTwpNulQH0b1BdslM1RzgImOGlX4WgOx6_rzvmVANwGmw/viewform) **Schedule:** \- 5\.30pm: Doors Open \- 6\.00pm: Announcements and Welcome \- 6\.10pm: 1st Talk \- 6\.40pm: 2nd Talk \- 7\.10pm: Networking \- 7\.30pm: Doors Close **Speakers:** 🎤 Mingyu Chen, Apache Doris PMC Chair & VPE@VeloDB **Talk Title**: When Every Second Counts: Real-Time Analytics for AI Systems **Talk Summary**: AI applications are changing what “real-time” means. It is no longer enough to analyze data after the fact. In AI-driven products, decisions often need to happen while events are still unfolding: a user is interacting with an agent, a model is generating output, a workflow is waiting on a tool call, or an operational issue is emerging in production. This talk introduces real-time analytics and explains why it has become more important in the AI era. We will look at common AI-era use cases, including observability, user behavior analysis, operational monitoring, and agent performance tracking. Using Apache Doris as the implementation layer, we will explore how a real-time analytics system can support fast ingestion, low-latency queries, and scalable interactive analysis. I will also share a brief introduction to the Doris open source community and demonstrate a real-time observability use case for AI agents. The goal is to show how teams can turn streaming events into actionable insights quickly enough to improve user experience, reliability, and decision-making. **Speaker Bio**: Mingyu Chen is the Apache Doris PMC Chair and Vice President of Technology at VeloDB. As a seasoned big data developer and one of the founding engineers of the Apache Doris project, Rayner has been a pivotal force in driving the community's growth and technical roadmap. Throughout the project's history, he has spearheaded the technical innovations across every major version and architectural evolution, nurturing Apache Doris into the flourishing analytical database it is today. 🎤 Shilin Wu, Principal Solution Architect@VeloDB **Talk Title**: Realtime AI observability and analytics with Apache Doris - Live Demo **Talk Summary**: AI systems don’t behave like traditional software. When something goes wrong, it’s rarely obvious why. In this live session, we’ll walk through how you can start making AI systems more observable in practice. We’ll explore how to: * Understand what your AI system is actually doing under the hood * Trace how outputs are generated across different steps * Identify where things start to drift or break down * Analyze usage patterns, performance, and cost over time We’ll also show how Apache Doris can be used to store, query, and analyze AI interaction data at scale—so you can move beyond intuition and actually reason about your system. This is a live, evolving demo focused on ideas you can take back and apply immediately. **Speaker Bio**: Shilin is Principal Solution Architect at VeloDB, specializing in the design and optimization of distributed real-time analytical platforms. With an impressive career spanning industry leaders such as Google, Ant Financial, and Confluent, Shilin brings a wealth of expertise in architecting high-performance data systems at scale. He is dedicated to helping organizations successfully transition Apache Doris and VeloDB into production, ensuring their environments are robust, scalable, and highly efficient. If you'd like to **present** at future meetups, please submit your talk [here](https://dataengbytes.com/forms/meetup-talk)! Remember to bring along some great questions! See you all there...

52 attendees

Human hearted community of practice (COP)

Sun, Jun 14, 1:00 AM

From Human Hearted Sydney

4.7

**Event summary:** The monthly human hearted community of practice (COP) is both a support group, and a mutual encouragement group, for people who want to explore living a more human hearted life. The COP is part of Human Hearted Sydney's goal of building community. Please feel free to join us for a session if you're interested. **Who is the COP for ?** The COP is for people who dislike the alienation and emptiness of our modern finance driven society, and are looking for a new form of community - one based on the reality of our human social capacities such as sympathy and friendship, rather than based on returning to religion and other traditional practices. If you would like to be part of building a supportive community for living out socially positive values in today’s world we encourage you to come along and check it out. **Some background: The meaning problem modern society faces -** The development of modern society has seen the destruction of earlier systems of meaning, like religion and tradition. They have not been replaced by a new set of ethics or community, but by market values and hyper individualism. This has created a world of material wealth in which far too many people feel insecure, alone, and unlikely to succeed. We now live in an atomised society in which each person suffers alone and there is no form of community, or meaning other than material wealth, to sustain them. This has led to substantial increases in loneliness and mental health issues like anxiety in modern society. Now there is even a category called ‘[deaths of despair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease_of_despair#:~:text=The%20three%20disease%20types%20are,%2C%20West%20Virginia%2C%20and%20Delaware.)’ that refers to people whose reliance on drugs, alcohol etc. to numb their isolation from society leads to their early death. **More background: The solution we will look at -** The obvious solution to the collapse of values in modern society is to build alternative forms of community. Many groups try to achieve this by calling for a return to religious values, or building new religions. As humanists we do not turn to religion but the best of the human potential to provide a foundation for community groups. [Human heartedness](https://web.archive.org/web/20240109160949/https://areomagazine.com/2022/05/05/a-human-hearted-modernity/) is an approach to life which sees humans as inherently social beings. It is backed both by many famous thinkers of the past, and by the findings of recent neuroscience and evolutionary studies which show the path to human happiness and fulfillment is more dependent on building good relationships and positive social connection than on competition and being purely ‘rational’. So one part of the solution to the existential emptiness of modernity is for people to build small communities; groups of like minded people who want to live in a more human hearted way, and support each other to live better in the face of modernity’s onslaught. There are other parts of the solution of course. However in relation to this event our focus is on setting up a COP to support each other to practice living in a more human hearted way, and to provide communal support generally in today’s disenchanted world. **Basic structure of this meeting:** The meeting will be facilitated by a member of the Sydney humanist community and will involve a brief talk explaining human heartedness and the problems of modernity. Then we will proceed to conduct our regular COP meeting. The meeting will finish with a Q/A and discussion period, followed by a lunch and more informal discussion. **Donations:** While this event is free, we would be grateful if you chose to make a [donation](https://www.humanistsaustralia.org/donate) to sustain Humanists Australia which would help it to continue delivering events that serve the community in Sydney. **Please note Date Time and Venue:** In June 2026 the meeting will be held on the second Sunday of the month (June 14th) at 11:00AM. The venue is level one of Darling Square Library. The room we'll be in is called Idea Space 2 **Directions:** The venue is a ten minute walk from both Town Hall and Central station. The Darling Square Library is part of a hive-shaped building called The Exchange. The Idea Spaces are on level one of The Darling Square Library which is accessible via elevators facing towards Darling Square and stairs which are on the other side of the building. Please ask the library staff if you need assistance finding where we are in the library.

10 attendees

[NEW] Every 2 Weeks on Thursday | Sydney Chinese/English Meetup 悉尼中英文语言交流

Thu, Jun 4, 8:30 AM

From Sydney Chinese & English Language Exchange Meetup Group

4.6

## 【NEW】Thursday Chinese/English Meetup 【全新】周四语言交流聚会 Every Thursday evening, a group of Chinese speakers and learners gather in the heart of Sydney for language exchange and social connection. 每周四晚上，一群中文使用者与学习者都会在悉尼市中心相聚，一起进行语言交流和社交互动。 Originally created as a space for English and Mandarin conversation, our Meetup has now grown into a friendly bilingual community. Each session welcomes around 20–30 people — mostly native Chinese speakers, plus a smaller group of English speakers learning Chinese. 这个Meetup最初是为中英文口语练习而创立，如今已成长为一个温暖的双语社交圈。每次活动大约有20到30人参加，大部分是中文母语者，也有正在学习中文的英语母语者。 After more than two years at the same venue and time, we’re entering a new stage! Starting from **November 6, 2025**, our Thursday Meetup will have some exciting updates: 在同一场地和时间连续举办两年多后，随着志愿者Host的变动，我们的周四语言Meetup将从**2025年11月6日**起迎来新的阶段： 1️⃣ From weekly to **bi-weekly** (once every two weeks) 活动将从每周一次改为每两周一次 2️⃣ Each session will have **a different volunteer host** 每次活动由不同的志愿者主持 3️⃣ Venue will **change each time**, but always near the CBD, and RSVP on Meetup will be required 每次活动地点都会不同，但都在City交通便利的小酒馆内，并需在Meetup上提前RSVP Our volunteer team includes: a native English speaker who’s been learning Chinese for 10 years, a 70s-born migrant who has lived in Australia for 4 years, an international student, and several new Chinese migrants working in Sydney. 我们的志愿者团队包括：学习中文十年的英语母语者、移民澳洲四年的70后中文使用者、在读国际学生，以及在悉尼工作的新移民。 If you’d like to help us, we’re always looking for **new volunteers!** 如果你也想参与，我们非常欢迎新的志愿者加入！请联系Hong或当天的Host。 ✨ **What You’ll Find / 你会收获：** \- Real English & Mandarin practice 自由的中英文练习 \- Friends from China\, Asia\, Europe & Australia 来自中国、亚洲、欧洲和澳洲的朋友 \- A relaxed space to talk\, connect\, and belong 一个轻松自在的交流氛围 \- Language is just the start—many members find activity buddies\, close friends\, even travel partners\.语言只是开始——很多人还收获了活动搭子、好朋友，甚至旅行伙伴。 \- Join us for language\, culture\, and connection\! 加入我们，一起交流语言、分享文化、认识新朋友！ *** ### 📋 Important Notes / 重要提醒 **\- Please purchase at least one drink to support our venue\.** **请至少购买一杯饮料以支持场地提供方。** \- We encourage everyone to talk with different people during the event\. 鼓励大家在活动中与不同的人交流。 \- This is a social group\, not for dating — please maintain respectful behavior\. 这是一个社交活动而非约会场合，请保持礼貌与尊重。 \- Please do not engage in pyramid schemes\, direct selling\, or any kind of forced transactions — violators will be asked to leave\. 请勿在聚会中从事任何传销、直销或强迫他人交易的行为，否则将被请出并移除本群。 \- This event is not a dating event\. Please respect others’ boundaries and privacy\, and maintain friendly behavior\. 本活动不是约会联谊，请尊重他人边界和隐私，保持友善举止。 *** ### 📧 How to Contact Us Meetup.com 联系：Hong 📩 Email: **MEmeetupgroup@gmail.com** 📱 Xiaohongshu / 小红书：别忘了关注我的**小红书号：搜索 679825139 或者 “悉尼小洪”**，我们有各种华人活动策划安排。 Don’t forget to follow me on Xiaohongshu: search 679825139 or “悉尼小洪”, we organize various events for the Chinese community.

19 attendees

🔥Asian Background Social: Lounge Asia Sydney (Easy English) 6pm

Sat, Jun 13, 8:00 AM

From Asian Background Social: Lounge Asia Meetup (Easy English)

4.7

**⚠️ IMPORTANT: TONIGHT’S RULES ⚠️** **🎟️ NO TICKET = NO ENTRY** **(If you are on the WAITLIST, you cannot enter tonight.)** **🪑 SIT IF EMPTY** **Please take a seat if you see one to help create more space.** **📧 SHOW SCREEN AT DOOR** **Have your confirmation email/screen ready for Chris & Kev.** **NO WALK-INS. THANK YOU!** **“The perfect Saturday night to meet new friends in a warm, relaxed atmosphere”** **✨ 5,000+ Members have joined across Australia** **✨ Early RSVP FREE / Last-Minute Ticket $5** **✨ Relaxed & Friendly (Not a loud party, perfect for conversation)** **Why Join Us?** **First-timers welcome: About 70% of people are new every time!** **Easy to join alone: Most people arrive by themselves and leave with new friends.** **Language friendly: Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese & English OK 🧋** **📍 WHEN & WHERE** **🗓 Every 2 weeks on Saturday** **🕕 6:00pm – 10:00pm** **📍 Harts Pub (The Rocks) Located in the heart of historic Sydney!** **🚶‍♂️ Super Easy Access:** **• 5 min walk from Circular Quay Station** **• 8 min walk from Wynyard Station** **Easy to drop by after exploring The Rocks!** **💰 Cost:** **Early RSVP FREE** **Last-Minute Ticket: $5** **⚠️ Limited spots available — we highly recommend reserving early.** **👉 HOW TO JOIN** **Please click “Join” on Meetup.** **Follow & DM us on Instagram: @_lounge_asia** **⚠️ HOUSE RULES & SAFETY POLICY** **To ensure a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, Lounge Asia has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for the following behaviors:** **🚫 No Solicitation:** **Any form of business recruitment, MLM, religious proselytizing, or poaching is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.** **🚫 No Harassment:** **Unwanted pick-up activities, persistent pestering, or making others feel uncomfortable will not be tolerated.** **Action:** **Any attendee reported for misconduct will be removed immediately and banned from future events without warning.** **⚠️ IMPORTANT** **Photo ID Required:** **Passport or Driver’s License only (Student IDs NOT accepted).** **18+ only:** **The venue is a licensed bar, and ID checks are required under NSW law.** **🎁 BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER (VIP)** **We are building an official app to connect our community safely!** **Join the VIP list for early access and priority invites to special parties.** **👉 [Join the VIP List here]** **https://forms.gle/T2KukvgEiGWEz3VR9** **━━━━━━━━━━━━━━** **初参加・一人参加も大歓迎です！** **혼자 오셔도 편하게 즐길 수 있어요!** **欢迎大家轻松交朋友！** **歡迎輕鬆認識新朋友！** **มาคนเดียวก็สนุกได้ครับ/ค่ะ** **Mọi người đều được chào đón!** **Welcome ang lahat!** **Semua dialu-alukan!** **Semua orang diterima dengan hangat!** **👥 Your Host:** **🎤 Chris – Your friendly Sydney host, ready to welcome you**

8 attendees

The Trolley Problem: Would you kill the fat man?

Mon, Jun 1, 8:30 AM

From The BIG IDEAS Book Club

4.7

Chances are you've heard some version of this before, but it's worth revisiting. A runaway trolley is hurtling down the tracks toward five unsuspecting workers. You're standing on a footbridge above, and beside you is a large man. If you push him onto the tracks, his body will stop the trolley. He will die—but the five will live. Would you do it? What if pushing him saved a hundred people? This is no idle riddle. Our responses to this famous thought experiment (and many variants of it) reveal how we weigh consequences, rights, and intentions, and how our moral intuitions can clash with our moral reasoning. Moreover, these choices matter in the real world. From foreseeable risks to civilian lives in military action, to public‑health decisions about allocating scarce vaccines, to autonomous vehicles deciding who to save in a crash, trolley problems offer an accessible way to confront the hard edges of moral decision‑making in the modern age. Let's dive in. ***Primary Reading: [An Introduction to the Trolley Problem](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQCJWblmfROdQ57-BP0B6yCtAarIwZk1SPyFG157nZiDWN0?e=hjP4jO)*** (document prepared for this discussion) ***(Optional) Book: Would You Kill the Fat Man? The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us About Right and Wrong (2014) by David Edmonds*** For this meetup, we’ve prepared a 40-page guide that introduces the Trolley Problem, its philosophical significance, and what neuroscience has learned from using it to study moral decision-making. The guide includes sixteen scenarios, each probing different aspects of moral thinking: How do we weigh consequences against rights? Does intention matter more than outcomes? Do personal relationships override impartial calculation? When is it acceptable to use one person to save many? These scenarios reveal the complexity of our moral intuitions and will form the heart of our discussion. Hopefully the prepared guide will leave you wanting more. If so, David Edmonds' *Would You Kill the Fat Man?* is a wonderful next step. Edmonds traces the fascinating history of the Trolley Problem, examines philosophers who've wrestled with it, and explains the competing moral frameworks with clarity and wit. It's highly readable and brings real depth to these abstract dilemmas—but it's entirely optional. The guide has everything you need for our discussion. As always, we strongly encourage you to do the reading before attending. This will enrich both your experience and our collective discussion. We’ve also put links below on further resources on the topic. So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 1st June, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. We look forward to seeing you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Videos** * A TED-Ed explainer on basic trolley problems: [Would you sacrifice one person to save five? (5 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg16u_bzjPE&t=1s) * Michael Sandel starts his famous Harvard justice lecture course with some trolley problems: [ Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY) * Podcast with David Edmonds, author of our book, on trolley problems: [Philosophy Bytes - Trolley Problems](https://philosophybites.com/podcast/david-edmonds-on-trolley-problems/) * Podcast with Prof Joshua Greene, a pioneer on applying neuroscience to the trolley problem: [Trolleyology with Dr Joshua Greene (1.22 hr)](https://www.alieward.com/ologies/trolleyology) * TED-Ed on self-driving car scenarios [The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars (4 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixIoDYVfKA0) * A real-life version of the trolley problem staged with unsuspecting participants!: [The trolley problem in real life (35 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sl5KJ69qiA&t=158s) * For fans of *The Good Place*, you’ll remember the ever-indecisive philosophy professor Chidi facing a real life trolley problem: [The Good Place – The Trolley Problem (3 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtRhrfhP5b4) * If you want to brush up on your utilitarianism and Kant’s categorical imperative, see these two Crash Course Philosophy videos: [Utilitarianism: Crash Course Philosophy (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a739VjqdSI) [Kant & Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw) **Written** * A nice easter egg for anyone who has read down the page this far (from the Utilitarianism.com website): [Would You Kill the Fat Man?](https://www.utilitarianism.com/trolley-problem.pdf) * Encyclopedia Entries: [Philopedia - The Trolley Problem](https://philopedia.org/arguments/the-trolley-problem/) [Wikipedia - The Trolley Problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem) [Wikipedia - Dual Process Theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_process_theory) [Britannica - The Trolley Problem](https://www.britannica.com/topic/trolley-problem) * A Conversation piece on AI systems and trolley problems [The self‑driving trolley problem](https://theconversation.com/the-self-driving-trolley-problem-how-will-future-ai-systems-make-the-most-ethical-choices-for-all-of-us-170961) * If you want to play with some moral dilemmas in autonomous vehicle crash scenarios and see how your choices compare globally: [Moral Machine - Moral Decisions and Machine Intelligence](https://www.moralmachine.net/)

61 attendees

Unhurried Conversations - Saturday

Sat, Jun 6, 12:15 AM

From Unhurried Conversations Sydney

4.7

Bring yourself along, we explain how it works.

36 attendees

VIVID Walk 2026 : 🏃🏃‍♀️Together, Visit places where the light shines💡🌃🌉🏙️

Sat, Jun 6, 8:00 AM

From Sydney Social Explorers

4.7

**VIVID Walk 2026 \| ビビッドウォーク 2026 \| 缤纷悉尼灯光节 2026 漫步💡🌃🌉🏙️** **Another year went by\~ Another year of lights** \*\*\*(Message me...those who walked with me 3 times a day last year\~\~) \*\*\* From Circular Quay to Darling Harbour, It’s gonna turn to the Ocean of lights and people\~ Walk thru the rocks, observatory hill, barangaroo, we will slowly make our way back to cockle bay and the walk shall terminate near Chinatown. As always, we will wrap up the event with a quick dinner. So sign yourself up for a different experience :) **Cost:** * **Fee: $10 for first** attendees (Unlimited Events). * **Returning members: Free.** Past attendees who have already paid can join again free of charge!! PS: This event we will be limited to our guests in between 20 and 35. We appreciate your understanding. **Remark\*** * Our community is well-regarded to be a safe & inclusive group. Attendees are expected to treat ALL guests/peers with courtesy, respect and understand of their own cultural background. Sales pitch & pick-up activities are STRICTLY prohibited. ANY attendees with misconduct/anti-social behaviour (& made other guests feel uncomfortable) will be removed from the group without warning & report to the event platform for further action. * To help us to build & preserve a peace & comfortable environment, please reach out to the leadership team if you have any issues or concerns. Your report will be 100% confidential. (***Sydney Social Explorers reserve all rights***) * Please be considerate to your peers as you RSVP & respect the effort of organisers (not just our group, but all events - we are speaking common sense/curiosity here). We understand some last minute withdrawals due to unexpected life circumstances, however please try your very best to avoid such exceptional situations occur.

15 attendees

Sunday cafe☕️🍮🍨: Make friends, inspire to aspire with 🇯🇵🇰🇷🇨🇳🇹🇼🇭🇰

Sun, May 31, 4:45 AM

From Sydney Social Explorers

4.7

Been here for decades or you just arrived this morning? :) This Sunday event is dedicated to our **20-30s age group** who enjoy the **peaceful** **café vibe** & great companies from East Asia (Japan, Korea, Mongolia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Guam and Saipan). **We accommodate BOTH Introvert & Extrovert (JUST NOT TROUBLEMAKERS)** \- through sharing your cultural background\, this small group allows you to share ideas\, experiences or even questions with people with respect & decency\. **Note: Due to limited capacity at the cafe, we will only welcome guests who has a valid RSVP on the event. We thank you for your cooperation.** **Run-down (Need not to follow :P)** * **1st hour** will be sharing your cultural background, introducing some key phrases from your mother tongue (language). Share similarities & fulfil your curiosity - So bring the most interesting terms/phrases with you. * **2nd hour** will aim for an causal, relax English speaking environment. Topics are up to you, you may share questions, topics, life experiences or ***MBTI***\~ * **There & after…**. It’s free flow, but if you feel peckish, stay with us for the “dinner session”. **Cost:** * **New members: $10** ONE-OFF Membership fee (Unlimited Events). * **Return members: FREE\~\~.** Past attendees who have already paid can join again free of charge!! **Remark\*** * Our community is well-regarded to be a safe & inclusive group. Attendees are expected to treat ALL guests/peers with courtesy, respect and understand of their own cultural background. Sales pitch & pick-up activities are STRICTLY prohibited. ANY attendees with misconduct/anti-social behaviour (& made other guests feel uncomfortable) will be removed from the group without warning & report to the event platform for further action. To help us to build & preserve a peace & comfortable environment, please reach out to the leadership team if you have any issues or concerns. Your report will be 100% confidential. (***Sydney Social Explorers reserve all rights***) Please be considerate to your peers as you RSVP & respect the effort of organisers (not just our group, but all events - we are speaking common sense/curiosity here). We understand some last minute withdrawals due to unexpected life circumstances, however please try your very best to avoid such exceptional situations occur.

30 attendees

Enjoy the arts, Embrace our history: Saturday CBD museum hopping + ☕️🍰🍨

Sat, Jun 6, 12:45 AM

From Sydney Social Explorers

4.7

G'day Sydney Social Explorers, Come & share great company with us in the Sydney CBD. First, we gonna explore Museum History of NSW - where we can learn about how this state/city transformed over the past decade. After we gonna take a quick stroll to the Art Gallery of NSW to check out some art displays & exhibitions - where we can enjoy the rest of the afternoon with a coffee or two while being inspire by the art piece in the Gallery. **Run-down** Meeting Time: **10:45** at **Martin Place Train Station** Phillip Street Exit (**Please be punctual** so we can have more fun time together\~) Walk & Explore the **Museum History of NSW**: **11:00-12:15** Walk & Explore the **Art Gallery of NSW**: **12:30-13:45 (or equivalent)** *\*Above schedule is indicative. Actual time may vary & last minute adjustment may take place as our event begins - So speak up if you have any special requests :)* **Arrangements** ***For our return guests***\*:\* **Welcome back** to our events & it's our pleasure to have you again - It's **FREE** & thanks for your earlier participation & contribution :) ***For member who join us for the 1st time*** * A warm welcome, & we would kindly ask for a **ONE-OFF fee** of **Ten bucks** to support our group membership fee on this platform. So come along with an open-mind & spend a Sunday afternoon out with all of us....before it gets TOO COLD :P Hard to find us: SMessage on the wall if needed :) **Note:** * We would love to have a deep-dive into each & every section - But then we might need arrange a full-day event. - So **please allow us & the group to simply "stick with the flow".** You are always welcome to return for a 2nd visit at leisure. * This is **NOT** an event for you to seek for date opportunities. Please be sensible, pay respect to yourself & the others. Any inappropriate behaviour will be remove from the group **WITHOUT** notice & reported to the platform for further action.

12 attendees

SydDT #127: The Human Loop – Keeping the Customer at the Core of AI

Thu, Jun 11, 8:00 AM

From Sydney Design Thinking

4.7

As AI rapidly accelerates product delivery, it’s easier than ever to ship features that look impressive but fail to solve real customer problems. For SydDT’s 11th birthday celebration, we’re collaborating with our friends from GenAI Lab to bring together a panel of design and product leaders to discuss how to balance the sheer speed of AI with genuine, human-centered design. We’re lucky to have Tarra van Amerongen, Alex Zinoviev, Riley Coleman, and Kristin de la Fuente sharing their observations and insights. They’ll cut through the hype to explore how user research needs to adapt for generative AI models, how to design for trust and transparency, and how the designer’s role is shifting from pixel-pusher to system orchestrator. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome! **SPEAKERS** **[Tarra van Amerongen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarravanamerongen/)** **VP of Product & Design \| Asia\-Pacific\, Thoughtworks** Tarra is an award-winning user experience and digital transformation leader, guiding creative, technical and business teams towards experiences that change the game. She's worked as a practitioner, lecturer, consultant and leader with in-house teams, consultancies and agencies for the past 15 year after pivoting into design from software development. Tarra is focused on taking a human-first approach to the application of AI, and challenges us to provide an informed view of what should remain human-first, what work means in this new paradigm, and how we stretch our craft as good design matters more than ever. **[Alex Zinoviev](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexzinoviev/)** **Head of Product, Neo Intelligence & Founder, GenAI Lab** Alex Zinoviev has spent 15+ years in product, most recently as Head of Product at Neo, an operations management platform for construction. He founded GenAI Lab, a 1,400-member community of product and design practitioners across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, because he kept seeing the same gap: teams excited about AI but unsure how to adopt it without losing sight of the humans they're building for. GenAI Lab runs workshops grounded in first-hand experimentation. **[Riley Coleman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-coleman-a185754/) (they/them)** **Founder, AI Flywheel** Riley started their career as service designer creating behaviour change programs for marginalised communities in the not-for-profit sector. Before studying a masters in human-centred multimedia and transitioning to user experience design. Riley has spent the last 12 years working in design leadership roles in Australia, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden. Now, as founder of AI Flywheel, Riley teaches human-centric AI training programs to designers and leaders. Drawing from their extensive experience in behaviour change, human-centred design and technology transformation, they’re building a community of practice around effective Human+AI products, services and operations that people can trust. **[Kristin de la Fuente](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristindelafuente/)** **Design Lead – AI Products, SEEK & GenAI Lab Design Partner, GenAI Lab** At SEEK Kristin is pioneering trust architecture for automation and agentic experiences by recognising that trust failures are often psychological failures, not necessarily technical ones. She's designed practical mechanisms that keep customers centred and in control of agentic workflows. Working with teams to integrate Responsible AI principles and Strategic AI plays, Kristin leverages these frameworks to translate principles into concrete design decisions, ensuring they show up meaningfully in user experience. She moves beyond shipping impressive features to ask harder questions: where should AI actually be used? How do we maintain human agency at scale? Her work makes the invisible visible turning complex AI capability into systems people can understand, trust, and actually control. **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by [Thoughtworks](https://www.thoughtworks.com) and [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com/). We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.

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