Effective Altruism Cambridge Easter Programs

We run programs to help you figure out where you can have the most impact and what to do about it. Most people start with our Introductory Fellowship. If you already have EA background, you can apply directly to follow-on programs.

Apply here | Applications close Wednesday 29 April, 5pm

Introductory Fellowship

A free weekend of discussions, exercises, and ideas about how to actually help. Open to everyone.

When: Saturday 2 - Sunday 3 May 2026

Where: Meridian, 53-54 Sidney Street, Cambridge

What is this?

Two days of interactive small-group conversations about how to do the most good with your time, money, and career. 

What will we do?

You'll spend a weekend with a small group of thoughtful people, working through hard questions together, guided by experienced facilitators. The sessions will be split into three sections.

Group discussions: Tackling questions like

• How much difference can one person realistically make?

• How can we know whether charities are actually helping people?

• Do we have obligations to strangers? What about animals, or future people?

• What are the biggest risks facing humanity, and what can we do about them?

• How might I  apply these ideas to make a real difference with your career?

Talks: Which cover topics ranging from global health to the risks of AI. 

• Hear from organisers at Cambridge AI Safety Hub and Cambridge Biosecurity Hub about what working on these problems actually looks like

• See presentations from participants in CHIRP, our mentored research program, on the work they produced

Activities: Where you get a chance to address these problems in a more interactive way

• Argue for views you disagree with in a scout mindset exercise

• Play an AI safety simulation where your team controls an AI system, sets its goals, and watches what goes wrong

• Forecast the probability of real biosecurity and AI risks using the same methods as professional forecasters

We provide lunch, snacks, and tea/coffee throughout both days. We'll treat you to a two-course dinner on Sunday evening.

Schedule

Saturday 2nd May: 10:30am - 4:30pm

Sunday 3rd May: 11:30am - 5pm + dinner

Who is this for?

Anyone who wants to think carefully about how to have a positive impact. You don't need to know anything about Effective Altruism. You don't need to agree with it. You're welcome to come, engage critically, and leave with a clearer sense of whether any of these ideas are useful to you.

We particularly value people who are willing to challenge ideas, change their mind when the evidence points that way, and sit with questions that don't have easy answers.

What past fellows said

Fellows rate their facilitators 8.8./10, and this easter iteration will be our best yet, taking on board all the feedback from previous rounds. Here’s what they had to say:

"Before this fellowship, I genuinely did not think animal welfare was something worth caring about. I grew up in Ghana, where animals are seen as resources, and that felt completely normal to me. This fellowship gave me the tools and the information to think differently, not just about animals, but about how to reason carefully about any problem." — Desmond

"The fellowship gave me the chance to meaningfully contribute to an important cause like AI governance in a short period of time. With guidance from supportive facilitators, the project was both fun and educational, offering a real taste of what working on an EA cause is like." — Xuelong

"Sometimes when I went to the session, I asked myself 'Why am I here?' But there was one session when we discussed AI and comparing it to climate change, and the facilitator said something like 'Isn't that the reason EA exists?' Then it clicked." — Kotchapun

"As a medical doctor looking to transition to biosecurity, this program provided a testing ground and helped me make really good friends." — Mahnoor

Apply

One application form covers everything. You'll indicate which programs you're interested in, and whether you'd like to be considered for follow-on programs directly.

The application takes about 30 minutes. You can choose between a written application or a 15-minute interview if you prefer to discuss your answers verbally.

We'll let you know whether you've been accepted within a few days.

Deadline: Wednesday 29 April, 5pm

Apply here

Questions? Email jianxin@eacambridge.org or text Jian Xin on WhatsApp at 07539109278.