Date: Saturday 14th November 2026
Time: 14:00–18:00
Location: Varia (Gouwstraat 3, Rotterdam)
Access: Free entrance

The digital communication infrastructure we rely on today is centralized and prone to surveillance and censorship. A political decision, a climate disaster, a power outage, and our network goes quiet. This workshop doesn’t wait for the crisis. It starts from the premise that building our own communications layer is possible right now, with devices already in drawers or on their way to the bin, and open tools.

Community networks are local communication infrastructures which are created, owned and managed by the communities which use them. They are built and maintained as a commons, as an alternative to large commercial and state networks and internet service providers.

We are building a Rotterdam Community Network (RCN) which begins in Oud-Charlois, in the south of Rotterdam. In this workshop, we will share our progress, explain the tools we use and invite you to join and get active building the network, without internet or bosses.

The workshop is open to absolute beginners and the technically curious alike with no prior knowledge of building community networks required. We are using Reticulum, a project for creating small, private, off-grid networks. Please bring a laptop or smartphone if you want to participate in the hands-on session.

13:45: Doors open, drinks/snacks
14:00-15:00: Introduction & presentation
15:00-17:45: Hands-on exploring and building the network
17:45-18:00: Evaluation and closing, drinks/snacks

To join, please send a message to info@varia.zone with the subject title [RCN] with your access needs, if any.

This event is supported by The Centre for BOLD Cities.