You're one of the people that also made a change in the community too Making the documentary and all the videos that you make really helps shows light on what happens around the world with furries So for that I say the entire community thanks you
I did volunteer work at BronyCon and it was really rewarding for me. In fact, I did it for 5 years straight. It gave me something to look forward to every year and they had me in charge of watching over an events space. I had to run simultaneously both as a regular events person making sure it ran smoothly and folks had a good time but also I did security and being the person who is keeping an eye out on how lines are being formed, how attendees were interacting with community guests, alert the security staff when I spot a problem but not to cause an alarm, help people find what they wanted, public relations when one event is causing issues with another event, and I did it gladly. I did it so well, it prepared me for a career in security. I'm forever grateful for the life experience it gave me and I want others to find their own talent and abilities when they do volunteer work. Folks can shine in unexpected ways when they do and I'm living proof.
What to help change things? - Volunteer! Want to meet some other furries? - Volunteer! Cons run because YOU ( yes you ) make it happen. Some people do not realize how many time, time, money it takes to run these conventions. It's also such a amazing thing too. As someone who has worked for furry cons for over 17 year and has been a con chair, it's just amazing to see it all happen because YOU ( yes you ) helped make it happen! There are so many wonderful and exciting things that happen! This might be someone's first furry con, or maybe their meeting up with their special someone, or seeing old friends. It's such an amazing thing. And they need you too! Someone of just stopped because we need YOU ( yes you ) to bring in your new ideas, and let the cons grow.
The main way I give back to the fandom is by running panels at cons. Conventions need programming, and if you have a cool thing you want to talk about, or a fun meetup ideas you want to make happen, I encourage you to submit it. You may not always get picked, but eventually you will. I've been running panels at cons for years, and in a small way, it helps bring about the change I want to see (which is more people getting involved in music and audio in the fandom).
Change begins inward, but people won't see that change until outward proof is shown. There's a lot of obstacles in the way, including people that won't see or even acknowledge the changes even when they're as obvious as the sun, but that doesn't mean that the struggle to grow and change is meaningless. Don't change for the praise of others, change to better yourself and the people you care about. Your desire to make things better is yours, and no one elses. Do it because it's right, for the others that will look to you as an example. Everyone matters. Show it with your actions.
Awesome video and topic!! We're all representatives of the furry fandom, and we all got the ability to make a great first impression for people unaware of the fandom. Furcons are a great thing, and I totally recommend people volunteering for em, but only a fraction of furries can afford or have time to go to one. No matter the venue, change comes from a personal, individual level. Understanding of people's backgrounds and being a good listener in your local community or even online on platforms like VRC or Resonite goes very far! However a person expresses themselves best, volunteering at a furcon, being a friend when someone's in need, or using their specialized talents to contribute to the fandom, we all have an individual duty to be there for eachother 💜. Huge fan of making a positive change in people's lives in every little interaction throughout the year.
Ash, excellent topic of discussion and video. I can't stress enough how important and rewarding volunteering is. It builds relations, experience; you learn and you grow through your responsibilities. It's also important to lead by example, with integrity, honesty, decency, and respect. Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility. Thank you again for your positive contribution to the furry community.
I'm an entry level photographer, and I've always wanted to do photography/videography for a convention! I've done volunteer photography for a church for quite a few years, but after moving away from churchy stuff, I want to provide my service to something I REALLY care about! This community has given a lot to me, and I'd like to give back by doing what I believe I'm best at :))))
I run a chat for my local community. I get to set up monthly bulletins for different events, both community held events and small events our local furs wanna set up, like picnic meets, mtg games at the lgs, mall meetups, etc. Last year I started hosting an annual bowling meet/charity drive for the local animal shelter. Cons aren't the only place to make a change
I really like this kind of approach! As fun as cons are, they can be really expensive to go to. And as local events are much easier to organize, you can have them much more often. My local community really enjoys meetups which usually involve renting a big (summer) house for 3 to 4 days for up to 50 furries. These have many of the same benefits as cons and cost easily under 100 € per person (accommodation included). (Also you're much less likely to get a noise complaint) You can even theme the meetups to get the people with similar interests there. Recently, I noticed that there was demand for a meetup with a specific theme but no one had organized one yet, so I took the responsibility of organizing it. I do encourage others to get involved with your local community too!
Ash, I agree that conventions are important. There are two other important things you could have mentioned. One is the online Furry community; BBSes like FA, E621, SoFurry, Weasyl, DA, etc and messaging systems like Telegram, Bluesky, Discord, Twitch and Picarto, (FB and Twitter, if all else fails.) The other is local events. In the city where I live, there's at least one group that regularly plans get-togethers like lunches, picnics, beach days and drive-in movie meets. The next city over is big enough to support raves and parties. Volunteering at local events could be as important as volunteering at cons, although there's less opportunity because the whole organization is smaller. In both cases, there are two things you can do to make Furry a better place online and at local events. Gratitude is one thing; now and then, show the organizers that you appreciate their efforts on your behalf. Say thanks. Throw some money at them if you can afford it. The other is to behave yourself. Be the change you want to see. Be positive, be polite, think before you type. In short, don't be a dick.
I've been obsessing over suits recently and have been researching makers on ig. One maker I really liked I saw make a more recent post that they are stepping away from being a maker due to what the community has become and their mental health. Their work was amazing, such a huge loss. We really have to take care of our own better.
Congrats madam, i appreciate the fact that you have done the difference and change so mind of ours, hope one day i can participate in a furry con, in my country doesnt have this, so...
It's just weird given my mother has helped run an Italian festival for thirty plus years and the amount of just lack of ability to understand how community organization and politics work regarding large scale events. The avoidance of conflict is a very toxic impulse and not actually very useful to form strong bonds over time.
The video is about how we all can make a community better. Not a single person. Though, sometimes that does involve when someone shows the community that they don't want to improve (like you bring up here), then that a community can protect itself and show them the door!
@@MattoCatYT Why so much desperation for acceptance, it's much easier to stay in the shadows. If a person likes something they should follow what they like regardless of whether people think it's wrong or not, that's what life is about or at least it was now it seems like it's just a war to see who's It is more accepted by society
2 big words I spotted in the Thumbnail, Education and Change, there’s several others especially a bigger one like support and volunteering, impressive Friday video Ash 💖💖
Just be mindful of others, and avoid being personally involved with defending garbage people, regardless of their affiliations. YOU personally very much could the first introduction to the furry fandom for some random person you’ve never met, and possibly ever will meet. You can’t personally do it alone, but that doesn’t mean your actions don’t matter. A LOT of furries don’t like the stigma around the fandom, and actively want things to be better, but are afraid that they are alone, and don’t think they can put in the required effort to change the fandom for the better. A single person cannot move a mountain, but a large group can. We all need to pitch in and do our 10% to help the entire community. We shouldn’t expect a nebulous benefactor to magic(k)ally change our situation for the better, but we can all put in a little effort to be mindful of our actions. Were mainstream now, and should start acting like it. We can’t shut ourselves out from the rest of the world anymore. It’s time we start acting mainstream.
@@BalooDumptruck when it’s getting national news coverage, its mainstream. That doesn’t mean it’s not niche, but rather that we can’t be acting like our actions aren’t going to be seen on the 11 o’clock news and we would be generally ignored by everyone like they used to. We have EXPONENTIALLY more eyes on us now than we did when MFF was lucky to get a few hundred attendees back in the ancient years from before the recession. When the country of RUSSIA considers to list “furries” as an “extremist group”, then that’s a pretty good indicator that we are mainstream enough to be considerate to others and be mindful of our own and fellow furries’ actions and behaviors.
Hey, Ash? You kind of caught me at a bad time, but I'd love to offer my thoughts on this subject. If I were to make a follow-up comment, which may take a month or more, would you still be able to see it?
Short answer: You CAN'T! The only one you can fix is yourself. No one can "Fix" a Community. As a matter of fact, DON'T TRY to "Fix" a group of people, cause the reality of things is, you'll only create more trouble, drama and toxicity. We currently live in an era where criticism is considered arrasment for most people. So by making, what I assume to be, your way of "Changing" people's mindset, I'm afraid you'll only make things worse!
@@soulsolis3096 Community building and organization is actually a field. Like that's kinda weird to throw your hands up when plenty of organizations and clubs have existed generations. It takes work and group effort for the long term. But it's possible.
@@whostheplum1711 I believe they're talking about people that see the furry fandom as flawed because of [Insert Stereotype Here] and needs to be fixed by [Insert Ideology/Religion Here] instead of trying to understand furries and realizing that their thought process about what furries are and what furries actually do was flawed from the beginning. Can't fix something that isn't broken.
I'll have to disagree in this one. One of my biggest problems with my country's con is how the chairman runs it. Being one more of his tendrils is the oposite of the change I want.
One of the best ways is to just not support spreading drama. Get outside, spend time with your local furs, go to cons. and just be happy. Dont pay any attention to the harmful weirdos and other immoral folk in the fandom. Tldr be kind to people, dont spread drama, and set out to make your little corner of the world a little brighter by being compassionate.
How many times have people come into the fandom claiming to want to "fix it" and created nothing but anger, discord, and problems as they tried to impose their vision of what furries should be upon the fandom. How about just leaving most furs alone instead and not try to force your views upon them like the Evangelicals want to force their perverted religion upon us all? I get taking a stand against zoos and p3dos. Those go beyond "mildly quirky" and into felony crimes. No one has a "right" to tell me that I am not a "proper fur" and need to change everything to meet their standards. It had not worked before, and it will not work now. Goodbye.
You're one of the people that also made a change in the community too Making the documentary and all the videos that you make really helps shows light on what happens around the world with furries So for that I say the entire community thanks you
I think the best thing we can do is try help each other
@@AshCoyote aww fluffy animal uwu
I did volunteer work at BronyCon and it was really rewarding for me. In fact, I did it for 5 years straight. It gave me something to look forward to every year and they had me in charge of watching over an events space. I had to run simultaneously both as a regular events person making sure it ran smoothly and folks had a good time but also I did security and being the person who is keeping an eye out on how lines are being formed, how attendees were interacting with community guests, alert the security staff when I spot a problem but not to cause an alarm, help people find what they wanted, public relations when one event is causing issues with another event, and I did it gladly. I did it so well, it prepared me for a career in security. I'm forever grateful for the life experience it gave me and I want others to find their own talent and abilities when they do volunteer work. Folks can shine in unexpected ways when they do and I'm living proof.
What to help change things?
- Volunteer!
Want to meet some other furries?
- Volunteer!
Cons run because YOU ( yes you ) make it happen. Some people do not realize how many time, time, money it takes to run these conventions. It's also such a amazing thing too. As someone who has worked for furry cons for over 17 year and has been a con chair, it's just amazing to see it all happen because YOU ( yes you ) helped make it happen!
There are so many wonderful and exciting things that happen! This might be someone's first furry con, or maybe their meeting up with their special someone, or seeing old friends.
It's such an amazing thing.
And they need you too! Someone of just stopped because we need YOU ( yes you ) to bring in your new ideas, and let the cons grow.
The main way I give back to the fandom is by running panels at cons. Conventions need programming, and if you have a cool thing you want to talk about, or a fun meetup ideas you want to make happen, I encourage you to submit it. You may not always get picked, but eventually you will. I've been running panels at cons for years, and in a small way, it helps bring about the change I want to see (which is more people getting involved in music and audio in the fandom).
Change begins inward, but people won't see that change until outward proof is shown.
There's a lot of obstacles in the way, including people that won't see or even acknowledge the changes even when they're as obvious as the sun, but that doesn't mean that the struggle to grow and change is meaningless.
Don't change for the praise of others, change to better yourself and the people you care about. Your desire to make things better is yours, and no one elses. Do it because it's right, for the others that will look to you as an example. Everyone matters. Show it with your actions.
be the change you wish to see
Awesome video and topic!!
We're all representatives of the furry fandom, and we all got the ability to make a great first impression for people unaware of the fandom.
Furcons are a great thing, and I totally recommend people volunteering for em, but only a fraction of furries can afford or have time to go to one.
No matter the venue, change comes from a personal, individual level. Understanding of people's backgrounds and being a good listener in your local community or even online on platforms like VRC or Resonite goes very far!
However a person expresses themselves best, volunteering at a furcon, being a friend when someone's in need, or using their specialized talents to contribute to the fandom, we all have an individual duty to be there for eachother 💜.
Huge fan of making a positive change in people's lives in every little interaction throughout the year.
Ash, excellent topic of discussion and video. I can't stress enough how important and rewarding volunteering is. It builds relations, experience; you learn and you grow through your responsibilities. It's also important to lead by example, with integrity, honesty, decency, and respect. Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility. Thank you again for your positive contribution to the furry community.
I'm an entry level photographer, and I've always wanted to do photography/videography for a convention! I've done volunteer photography for a church for quite a few years, but after moving away from churchy stuff, I want to provide my service to something I REALLY care about! This community has given a lot to me, and I'd like to give back by doing what I believe I'm best at :))))
I highly recommend volunteering. You learn a lot and being able to help someone else at a con is so valuable
I run a chat for my local community. I get to set up monthly bulletins for different events, both community held events and small events our local furs wanna set up, like picnic meets, mtg games at the lgs, mall meetups, etc. Last year I started hosting an annual bowling meet/charity drive for the local animal shelter.
Cons aren't the only place to make a change
I really like this kind of approach! As fun as cons are, they can be really expensive to go to. And as local events are much easier to organize, you can have them much more often.
My local community really enjoys meetups which usually involve renting a big (summer) house for 3 to 4 days for up to 50 furries. These have many of the same benefits as cons and cost easily under 100 € per person (accommodation included). (Also you're much less likely to get a noise complaint) You can even theme the meetups to get the people with similar interests there.
Recently, I noticed that there was demand for a meetup with a specific theme but no one had organized one yet, so I took the responsibility of organizing it. I do encourage others to get involved with your local community too!
Always a good reminder that Furry fandom is what you make of it.
The fandom we get depends on who and what we support.
Ash, I agree that conventions are important. There are two other important things you could have mentioned. One is the online Furry community; BBSes like FA, E621, SoFurry, Weasyl, DA, etc and messaging systems like Telegram, Bluesky, Discord, Twitch and Picarto, (FB and Twitter, if all else fails.) The other is local events. In the city where I live, there's at least one group that regularly plans get-togethers like lunches, picnics, beach days and drive-in movie meets. The next city over is big enough to support raves and parties.
Volunteering at local events could be as important as volunteering at cons, although there's less opportunity because the whole organization is smaller. In both cases, there are two things you can do to make Furry a better place online and at local events. Gratitude is one thing; now and then, show the organizers that you appreciate their efforts on your behalf. Say thanks. Throw some money at them if you can afford it. The other is to behave yourself. Be the change you want to see. Be positive, be polite, think before you type. In short, don't be a dick.
I've been obsessing over suits recently and have been researching makers on ig. One maker I really liked I saw make a more recent post that they are stepping away from being a maker due to what the community has become and their mental health. Their work was amazing, such a huge loss. We really have to take care of our own better.
I kinda wish I could go to a con. I'm terrified of people. And I'm scared of being alone in public. It's fine when I'm at work. But. I don't know.
I too want to use my voice for positive change yet my nerves gets the better sometimes. Luckily that's improved alot.
Congrats madam, i appreciate the fact that you have done the difference and change so mind of ours, hope one day i can participate in a furry con, in my country doesnt have this, so...
It's just weird given my mother has helped run an Italian festival for thirty plus years and the amount
of just lack of ability to understand how community organization and politics work regarding large scale events.
The avoidance of conflict is a very toxic impulse and not actually very useful to form strong bonds over time.
Conflict is a natural part of a growing community. I think its important to really have these conversations to ease the growing pains
I would gladly try to find a way to help, I love you guys ^^
Awesome video. Yes, volunteering is a great way if giving back. You've convinced me to do it. Thanks and keep up the amazing job.
Excellent video, this was done perfectly! Volunteering is always a perfect way to give back to the community.
It is impossible to change people if they don't want to
The video is about how we all can make a community better. Not a single person. Though, sometimes that does involve when someone shows the community that they don't want to improve (like you bring up here), then that a community can protect itself and show them the door!
@@MattoCatYT Why so much desperation for acceptance, it's much easier to stay in the shadows.
If a person likes something they should follow what they like regardless of whether people think it's wrong or not, that's what life is about or at least it was now it seems like it's just a war to see who's It is more accepted by society
2 big words I spotted in the Thumbnail, Education and Change, there’s several others especially a bigger one like support and volunteering, impressive Friday video Ash 💖💖
Thank you so much! I really hope that it helps folks engage with the community more
from what i've seen from pedro in vrchat, he doesn't give a F about any of that
Dude is just attention seeking and saying anything to make other people the 'lesser' to him, so people hand wave his bad behavior.
I thought about hosting a critical thinking panel at Furry Migration.
You should submit it. Why wait?
Maybe we can 🤔🤔
Fingers crossed
Just be mindful of others, and avoid being personally involved with defending garbage people, regardless of their affiliations. YOU personally very much could the first introduction to the furry fandom for some random person you’ve never met, and possibly ever will meet.
You can’t personally do it alone, but that doesn’t mean your actions don’t matter. A LOT of furries don’t like the stigma around the fandom, and actively want things to be better, but are afraid that they are alone, and don’t think they can put in the required effort to change the fandom for the better.
A single person cannot move a mountain, but a large group can. We all need to pitch in and do our 10% to help the entire community.
We shouldn’t expect a nebulous benefactor to magic(k)ally change our situation for the better, but we can all put in a little effort to be mindful of our actions. Were mainstream now, and should start acting like it. We can’t shut ourselves out from the rest of the world anymore. It’s time we start acting mainstream.
Furry isn't mainstream though, it's a niche
@@BalooDumptruck when it’s getting national news coverage, its mainstream.
That doesn’t mean it’s not niche, but rather that we can’t be acting like our actions aren’t going to be seen on the 11 o’clock news and we would be generally ignored by everyone like they used to. We have EXPONENTIALLY more eyes on us now than we did when MFF was lucky to get a few hundred attendees back in the ancient years from before the recession.
When the country of RUSSIA considers to list “furries” as an “extremist group”, then that’s a pretty good indicator that we are mainstream enough to be considerate to others and be mindful of our own and fellow furries’ actions and behaviors.
🙂
^-^
i believe on you
Excellent
I think a way I can help the furry fandom is help new furries be inspired by me, a hero to many, or someone that they can talk to, and listen
Hey, Ash? You kind of caught me at a bad time, but I'd love to offer my thoughts on this subject. If I were to make a follow-up comment, which may take a month or more, would you still be able to see it?
Short answer: You CAN'T! The only one you can fix is yourself. No one can "Fix" a Community.
As a matter of fact, DON'T TRY to "Fix" a group of people, cause the reality of things is, you'll only create more trouble, drama and toxicity. We currently live in an era where criticism is considered arrasment for most people. So by making, what I assume to be, your way of "Changing" people's mindset, I'm afraid you'll only make things worse!
@@soulsolis3096 Community building and organization is actually a field.
Like that's kinda weird to throw your hands up when plenty of organizations and clubs have existed generations.
It takes work and group effort for the long term. But it's possible.
It does take time and effort but its worth it
@@whostheplum1711 I believe they're talking about people that see the furry fandom as flawed because of [Insert Stereotype Here] and needs to be fixed by [Insert Ideology/Religion Here] instead of trying to understand furries and realizing that their thought process about what furries are and what furries actually do was flawed from the beginning.
Can't fix something that isn't broken.
@@soulsolis3096 Couldn't have said it better myself!
we are the fandom OwO
I'll have to disagree in this one. One of my biggest problems with my country's con is how the chairman runs it.
Being one more of his tendrils is the oposite of the change I want.
Thats a valid point, I tend to only support the events that mean something to me.
One of the best ways is to just not support spreading drama. Get outside, spend time with your local furs, go to cons. and just be happy. Dont pay any attention to the harmful weirdos and other immoral folk in the fandom.
Tldr be kind to people, dont spread drama, and set out to make your little corner of the world a little brighter by being compassionate.
How many times have people come into the fandom claiming to want to "fix it" and created nothing but anger, discord, and problems as they tried to impose their vision of what furries should be upon the fandom. How about just leaving most furs alone instead and not try to force your views upon them like the Evangelicals want to force their perverted religion upon us all?
I get taking a stand against zoos and p3dos. Those go beyond "mildly quirky" and into felony crimes. No one has a "right" to tell me that I am not a "proper fur" and need to change everything to meet their standards. It had not worked before, and it will not work now.
Goodbye.
... Maybe actually watch the video before commenting next time?
I fixed the furry fandom by leaving it
That sounds like you're a danger or sum