What makes the Hitchhkier Academy distinctive in terms of it's organisational approach?
# Community Consultation Taking inspiration from citizen juries, the Academy hosts diverse workshops, inviting various perspectives to help specify and document the best-practice infrastructure required for progressive educational initiatives built on open knowledge and free culture. - **Intellectual Property:** While much of the material is open and shared, care is also taken to create private spaces where individual intellectual property is acknowledged and protected.
### Storytelling Infrastructure A unique feature of the Academy is its thematic branding based on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy universe by Douglas Adams. Key characters and motifs serve as archetypes and guides—e.g., Zaphod Beeblebrox as an innovative coder, Arthur Dent as the everyday learner, and Slartibartfast as a world-builder. The narrative is leveraged both to inspire participants and to organise educational content and practice.
## Fellowship Structure: "The Hitchhikers" The educational community is built around **Hitchhiker fellows**, who act as both learners and facilitators. Each Hitchhiker: - Runs a series of 42-day courses, each supporting seven small groups (six participants per group). - Aims to enrol 42 students per class. - Ensures each participant has the opportunity to bring and develop their own creative, impactful projects. - Is supported by a *Vision Fish* mentor (or several), who donate their expertise, and by a network of other students and alumni.
### Financial Model - The initial target is seven paid Hitchhiker fellowships, with the goal to expand further, each supported at approximately **€42,000 per year**. - Each course targets a **€42 participation fee**, reinforcing the theme. - *Time-banking* is introduced as an alternative currency—students can contribute their expertise (e.g., editing, onboarding, research support) in exchange for participation.
# Administrative Backbone A dedicated administrative Towel Team provides support for logistics, human resources, and bureaucratic needs.
# See - Organisational Approach - Technical Innovations