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The Introductory Effective Altruism Program

Increase your impact and connect with like-minded people

 

Through this program, you'll learn the key ideas of Effective Altruism with a small group of other people who care deeply about improving the lives of others in the most effective ways they can.

 

Guided by a facilitator, you will learn new concepts, frameworks and counterintuitive ideas to help you have more impact in your career, donations and other projects.

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Date: From Jun 2024 (every Thursday)

Duration: 6 weeks

Time: 7:00pm HKT (check duration of each week below)

Address: 2a, Cheung Hing Industrial Building, 12P Smithfield, Kennedy Town

 Location: The HQ Cowork, Kennedy Town

Cost: No fees

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With limited resources, how can we do the most good?

 

Doing good better is one of the defining challenges of our time. Given resource constraints, it is crucial that we make the most effective use of what we have in order to create the greatest positive impact possible. This Introductory program helps you think about how to do good effectively and helps you to reflect on how to maximise your potential to make a difference.

How it works

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6 week program

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4-6 participants

 

Weekly 1-1.5 hours discussion with a cohort of 4 to 6 participants and one facilitator

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Global alumni groups

 

Access to Slack group with others who care about maximising their impact and learn about the latest initiatives to take action.

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3-3.5 hours per week

2 hours prep

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Before attending each session, you will spend about 2 hours completing a set of curated readings, podcasts or videos (and sometimes a brief written exercise).

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1-1.5 hours discussions

 

Discuss the ideas you have read with your seminar and facilitator in-person. Exchange and update your views with each other.

Questions you'll explore

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  • Who should we care about helping?

  • How much better are the best options to do good?

  • What can we do to prevent the next pandemic?

  • How can we make better decisions together?

  • How does climate change compare to other risks?

Syllabus

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Session 1*

- Part 1: Effectiveness Mindset

We’ll explore why it's important to think carefully about how you spend your time and money to help others, and why a "scout mindset" is critical to finding the best opportunities.

- Part 2: Differences in Impact

Some efforts to help appear to be much more effective than others. We'll share a tool for estimating impact, and look into one promising focus area: reducing global poverty.

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Session 2 - Radical Empathy

Should we care about the suffering of non-human animals, as well as humans? Alongside this question, we'll explain the ideas of expected value and impartial altruism.

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Session 3*

- Part 1: Pandemics and other Existential risks

Humanity appears to face existential risks: the chance of a catastrophe that destroys our long-run potential. One such risk is from a future pandemic that is worse than COVID-19.

- Part 2: What could the future hold?

What would the world look like if we took the interests of our grandkids' grandkids as seriously as our own? This week, we'll focus on longtermism, and look at a set of forecasting tools that might help us to predict the future.

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Session 4 - AI Safety and Governance

Expert views and several different lines of argument suggest that transformative artificial intelligence may be developed this century. How might this change our future, and should we be worried?

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Session 5 - What do you think?

This is a chance to read and discuss critiques of the ideas introduced so far, to form your own view on these important and difficult topics.

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Session 6 - Putting into practice

We’ll discuss ways to apply the principles of effective altruism to your own life, particularly through your career.

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*indicated weeks with 1.5hr duration

Our Alumni Say

" I have always longed for a place where I can engage in intellectual discussions with people who also want to do good to the world through their work. The Horizon Fellowship provided exactly such a venue and it was an exhilarating experience to talk to people with different backgrounds and opinions. I hope the pandemic restriction will soon pass so this cohort of fellows can meet face to face to further engage in intellectual discussion.  

Ronald Leung, Senior Associate at Moody's

The Introductory EA Program was previously known as the Horizon Fellowship. Now organised by Effective Altruism Hong Kong (EAHK).
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