Toast and Tech

Spinning kawaii toast logo

We're going virtual!

Toast and Tech is moving to a virtual setting during this time of isolation and lock ins.

I have set up a Discord server that includes chat rooms dedicated to specific topics, voice and video rooms that can be reserved for specific study group sessions, with plans to start hosting weeknight sessions again soon.
Contact me at tamara@toastand.tech to get an invite code. Please note if you already have a discord user, contact me directly at tamouse#3242 to get an invite.

Tenets

Not rules, bylaws, or articles of incorporation, these are some beliefs and values of toast and tech:

  • make EVERYONE welcome, enthusiastically
  • make ALL questions welcome, enthusiastically
  • everyone is learning, everyone is teaching
  • there is no single path, there are as many paths as people attending, as many paths as needed
  • you don’t need a project or tech work to attend, just come
  • you don’t need any experience to attend, just come
  • support everyone who shows up
  • Make it safe to learn, safe to ask questions, safe to show up

And possibly the most important of all:

  • Toast and Tech can happen anywhere, be run by anyone; all it takes is letting folks know about it, and showing up to hold the space.

History

Toast and Tech began as a request by some folks going through some introductory classes in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to have an extra time to do lab work together, not necessary specific instruction, but to be able to ask and answer questions, and help each other through the class work.

We attended a couple times at the Canteen coffee house and toast bar, in the Lyn-Lake area. Some of us enjoyed the time and the place well enough to jusy keep going as an unofficial study group. Information was usually passed via twitter, facebook, and slack, and there were no signups, agendas, etc., just a drop in when you want sort of thing.

Attendance kept going up, and we decided we should have a name. There were a few other meetings called “Code and Coffee” and we wanted to differentiate ourselves from that, so Tamara came up with the name “Toast and Tech” to keep it in the alliterative form, and reflect our relationship with the Canteen.

In late 2018, the parent group we were affiliated with, Girl Develop It, as part of the Minneapolis chapter, was imploading, and we stopped using that meetup account for signups. The issues with GDI are ongoing.

We’re starting a new Toast & Tech in St. Paul for folks who don’t or can’t travel across the river and 35W from the east side of the metro. There’s also a group meeting in Minneapolis called CodeJam on Fridays.

St. Paul meetups have been happening at Tamara's house occasionally on Monday evenings.

In these times of isolation

I am starting a virtual version of toast and tech, using Discord. See the announcement above for information on how to get involved.

Future Sessions

No future sessions scheduled yet.

Contact