Interested in organizing locally? Here are a few things you can do:

* Join [Open Call](www.publiclab.org/open-call): if you're interested in talking to others and brainstorming how to start a project or where to plug in on something ongoing, this is a great place to start. Open Call is 7pm GMT every Tuesday.
* Create a [new wiki page](/wiki/new) for your project of interest. Feel free to use a template for this, (the Project Template could be a good place to start organizing, or the Issue Brief Template if you're still in the learning phase on the issue): https://publiclab.org/wiki/wiki-templates
* Reach out to the main [publiclaboratory list](/lists) to find community members who may already be in your area
* Host a public [event](/events) in your area. Here are some [guides](/guides), and info on how to [post an event on publiclab.org](/wiki/post-an-event)
* Help people in your area [sign up for publiclab.org](/signup)
* Post a question: already have something in mind you'd like to ask and explore with others? The Q&A is a great easy way to get started sharing.

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[Public Lab chapters](/places) connect people locally working on Public Lab projects. They help expand the foundation for a locally and socially contextualised presence in the global Public Lab community. 

Each chapter has its own personality but some things are universal: 

* Chapters agree with (and add to!) the [values statement](http://publiclab.org/wiki/values-statement)
* Chapters have at least one member who is an [organizer](/organizers)
    
### How to start a Public Lab Chapter: Step by Step

First make sure that at least one individual (you!) goes through the [basic steps of joining the Public Lab community](/wiki/getting-started)! 

Take a look through [places](/places), [regions](/wiki/region), and [lists](/lists) to see if there is activity in your area of interest

Finally, email the organizers to let them know you are interested in starting a chapter. An individual organizer will step forward to help you go through these detailed steps (order varies):

* Create a [new wiki page](/wiki/new) for your area of interest describing initial partners/stakeholders, research questions, and interests
* Reach out to the main [publiclaboratory list](/lists) to find community members who may already be in your area
* Host a public [event](/events) in your area. Here are some [guides](/guides), and info on how to [post an event on publiclab.org](/wiki/post-an-event)
* Help people in your area [sign up for publiclab.org](/signup)
* Become an [organizer](/organizers) yourself 
* Once more than ~20 people are involved on an email thread, we can consider starting a new [regional](/wiki/region) mailing list

### Chapter development and diversity

Welcoming new members and new organizational partners will be an ongoing (and fun) part of developing the chapter. Getting metaphorical for a moment, Public Lab chapters are sometimes thought of as going through stages, like “seed,” “shrubbery,” “flowering,” “canopy,” etc. To help chapters grow, look for individuals who could fill key roles in the chapter, like "activist," "technologist," "ambassador," "wrangler," etc. 

Here are some overall best practices that have been compiled from chapters: 

* Discuss your goals individually and as a group
* Schedule monthly or quarterly meet-ups
* Share back to and connect with the global Public Lab community by [posting research notes](/post) on what you're doing and thinking about
* Host a regional [barnraising](/wiki/barnraising) in your community, and send someone to the Annual Barnraising in New Orleans, in November of each year. 

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## Questions

[questions:chapters]

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![Launching_the_rig-1.jpg](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/210/medium/Launching_the_rig-1.jpg)

![makerfaire](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/8039435530_dfcd32b4e7_z.jpg)

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