September is a very busy month for team CyberNorth and me personally. It is the culmination of an intense period of activity up to and including #CyberFest. Sixteen events for a small team is no mean feat yet this year has been the most successful so far. I know, define success but I am thinking numbers, variety, engagement and profile. Needless to say, when it was over I was well and truly done in.
I was looking forward to a bit of quiet, an opportunity to wind down, reflect on what we have achieved and re-energise the batteries. The trouble is though that life gets in the way. Nothing stops just because you are focussed on another direction. The other aspects of CyberNorth’s portfolio need attention and cry out for greater attention having been neglected, or at least sidelined for a while. There are also five events in October that have muscled in and a few more to be planned in November.
You could argue that how busy we are is determined by ourselves. We could simply shut down some projects or say no more often, yet what we do has gained a momentum of its own. We have created a movement that is moving. At the moment it is rolling downhill, picking up speed and collecting additional mass on the way. These are the times when we need to go with the flow and take advantage of the raised profile and support.
Slowing down is not an option. We need to get as many things done before our thoughts inevitably turn to next year’s #CyberFest. Indeed it has already been mentioned several times.
What then do we have to get on with now? Well, there is the shared apprenticeships idea which we hope we have a way forward with , as well as high hopes for the ongoing cyber innovation centre. We [plan to launch an exciting new initiative next month around jobs and there are always new episodes of ‘It’s Cyber Up North’ to record. Don’t forget there is the work around CyberFirst as well, especially with the first NE Conference coming up. Finally, there are all those things we promised to do during #CyberFest which we need to catch up.
There’s certainly no calm after this year’s #CyberFest. In a way, I am glad.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 