JellyWeek is inspiring people all over the world and throughout France to get involved in coworking.
So what’s it all about?
Does Jelly mean Coworking ? Does Coworking mean Jelly?
It’s an interesting question. You can own a coworking space and not offer Jelly, or participate in Jelly but never join a coworking space. Sounds confusing? It isn’t, but some people are still unfamiliar with the Jelly ethos and are hesitant to get involved.
Jelly events started in Languedoc in April 2010 and take place in many other locations across France including Normandy, Ariege, Bordeaux, Paris and the Dordogne. Jelly isn’t a business, it’s a free event for people to get out of the house and work somewhere different on a casual basis.
First of all and possibly most importantly, Jelly should be accessible to anyone – and that means free! Yes free!
There should be no money changing hands to attend a Jelly event and no obligation to become a member of anything. To participate in Jelly you only need an open mind about meeting new people and working in a different environment once in a while.
Jelly is organised voluntarily – people that ‘get’ Jelly simply enjoy taking part and sharing the ethos.
Jelly is a sense of community – perhaps this doesn’t happen immediately but relationships may quickly grow. The more people you meet through Jelly, the more opportunities there are to build an informal business network both on and off-line. This can extend to business networking, social events and project partnerships – all features of a ‘traditional workplace’ that are often missed by people that work at home, especially expats working at home in France.
Jelly can give you a much needed ‘watercooler moment’, whatever the weather! And it’s not just for Anglophones – Jelly appeals to all nationalities.
Collaboration is key – Jelly organisers are usually very enthusiastic about the concept and supportive of each other. Jelly people like to share ideas and anyone can get involved – working with private venue managers, coworking spaces or community organisations – almost anywhere with free wireless internet is a potential Jelly zone. Savvy venue owners enjoy hosting Jelly, it can bring them additional activity when the building is normally quiet, or a chance to make themselves known to an entirely new network of people.
In 2006, Jelly started out as a casual arrangement between friends. JellyWeek encourages global support for the same core principles; accessibility, community and collaboration whether that is in your street, your country, your continent or across the world. You only need 2 people to start a Jelly – so why not get involved?!
During worldwide #JellyWeek – events will be taking place across France and across the globe 16-22 January 2012 including
- 16 January – Lozère, Dijon & Bordeaux
- 17 January – Gard & Dijon
- 18 January – Aude & Dijon
- 19 January – Hérault, Dijon, Aude, Nancy, Paris, Lyon & Normandy
- 20 January – Pyrénées-Orientales & Dijon
If you are interested in more information about Jelly – email jellyweek@languedocjelly.org or visit http://jellyweek.tumblr.com / www.languedocjelly.org