• The stream will take place from 9am to 4pm US Eastern time, so that's 2pm to 9pm UK time.
• There are two days available, and you're welcome to attend whichever one is most convenient for you: May 4th or May 8th.
• Both days will cover the same material.
• You’re welcome to buy tickets for others to use, which means you benefit a great cause and help someone else learn – a double win! See below for more information on this.
• The stream will be entirely online, either using a private YouTube stream or a Zoom call depending on numbers. Regardless you'll have lots of chance to ask questions.
• The whole day will be recorded, and every ticket holder will get free access to the videos even if they weren't able to attend live on the day.
• Everyone who donates enough for a ticket will also get any book from my store as a bonus, so you get a heck of a lot of learning for your ticket price!
• I won't be covering the basics of Swift or SwiftUI, so you should have experience of both to make the most of the day.
• All money goes straight to the charity using this site, so you might find your donation is tax deductible depending on which country you live in.
• Although this page accepts donations from everyone, if you want to get a ticket to the event please donate at least US $100 / UK £75 / 90 Euros.
• When you donate, you’ll be asked to email me with how you want your ticket(s) to be used – for yourself, or for me to donate to someone else.

To avoid problems, please make sure you forward your donation receipt to paul@hackingwithswift.com so I can make sure you receive further communications about the event! Let me know who you bought the ticket for (yourself, a named person, or ask me to distribute it), and which date you want to attend.

All money from this event goes towards a special cause.

You probably know that many girls in Afghanistan have struggled to gain access to education since the Taliban government took over control of the country. Well, two Afghan girls have been speaking to the school my daughters attend, asking if it’s possible for them to come to the UK to attend there.

The school has agreed to fund a boarding place for both girls, meaning they will live on-site and be cared for by the school, but although they will cover the cost of the place they don’t have the money to pay for flights for the girls to and from their family, or to pay their for school equipment.

So, I want to use the skills I have to help fund that gap so that these girls can access education in a safe and encouraging environment. If we can raise £5000 it’s enough to pay for one flight home per year per girl, if we can raise £10,000 it’s enough for two flights home, and if we can raise more then we can help fund their school equipment too – every penny helps!


Some quick answers to predict questions you might have:

Q: Why aren’t you helping Ukrainian refugees too?
A: I have applied to take a Ukrainian family into my house for at least six months. We’re still going through security checks, but I am hopeful this will happen. I want to help as many people as I can!

Q: What software will I need?
A: You’ll need a Mac running Xcode 13.3. If 13.4 is released as final before the event day then please use that instead, but if it’s still in beta then I’ll stay with 13.3.

Q: Will you cover Core Data?
A: I’ll offer an option for Core Data, and you’re welcome to choose it on the day.

Q: Can I attend both days?
A: Please don’t, unless you buy tickets to both – they will be identical, and everyone deserves the chance to ask questions.

Q: How do I buy tickets for someone else?
A: Every time you donate a multiple of $100, you get a ticket. That might be for yourself or for a friend, or perhaps you want me to distribute them to folks from under-represented groups in our community. This is why it’s important you forward me your donation receipt to say something such as “I bought two tickets: one for me, and one that I’d like you to give away.”

Q: What happens if I don’t email you?
A: If you want to be completely anonymous, and don’t intend to attend the event yourself, please just donate what you want – if you don’t contact me, I’ll assume you don’t want to attend.

Q: How did you find the two refugee girls?
A: They approached the school directly, and the school have spoken to the girls and their parents to make sure this is the best choice. Times are very uncertain in Afghanistan, so I hope coming to a quiet boarding school here in Bath will provide them with the safety and security they need to get a happy, high-quality education.

Q: What will the money be used for?
A: The girls will board at the school, which means all their lessons, accommodation, and food are provided for. A host family will be found locally to take the girls during holidays, and to give them a break from the school environment. The money I’m raising here is primarily to fund them flying home to see their parents once or twice a year, and also buy some supplies such as sports equipment.

Any further questions? Tweet me @twostraws, or email paul@hackingwithswift.com.

Thank you for your support! 🙌