MILUG

About

Mission Statement

The MILUG mission is to develop the AFOL community on Vancouver Island as a friendly, inclusive, and collaborative association of diverse individuals who support each other and who are involved in the community.

MILUG Goals

  • To provide a venue for friendship and collaboration among adult fans of LEGO® from diverse backgrounds (including but not limited to ethnicity, ability, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation).
  • To provide an atmosphere of creativity and cooperation in the spirit of fair play.
  • To create a positive and safe space where everyone feels welcome (we strive to be diverse and inclusive!).
  • To promote and develop an inclusive adult LEGO® community, to support members from all skill levels, and to encourage aspiring new LEGO® enthusiasts.
  • To organize and participate in public events to share our love of LEGO® with our community.
  • To communicate and connect with other adult fans of LEGO® and The LEGO Group.
  • To have fun!

About Us

The Mid Island LEGO® Users Group (MILUG) was established in April 2016 and is based out of Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island. We are a group of AFOLs (adult LEGO® fans) from many communities across Vancouver Island. Although we started in the mid island area, we now have members from Victoria to Port Alberni to Campbell River. Members have a variety of building interests and skill levels but we all share a love of LEGO®. Since 2018 MILUG has belonged to the LEGO® Ambassador Network, a program run by The LEGO® Group that connects fan communities worldwide.

Monthly Meetings

Monthly meetings are an opportunity to get together with other adults who love LEGO®. Most of our meetings are hybrid and members are welcome to join in-person or online. Members share ideas and techniques, discuss LEGO® products and anything else related to LEGO®, plan our involvement in community events, and share and build creations in a collaborative and supportive environment. They are a place to show off your MOCs (my own creation) and even do some building – on your own, as a group, or as part of an internal competition or challenge!

We also hold a social gathering 3 to 4 times a year, and those are only in-person as the venue varies between restaurants, pubs, parks, or other spaces. MILUG members also get together to enjoy various activities like minifigure trading and parts drafts (a great way to get a large quantity of individual parts).

Events

We enjoy participating in various community events from festivals to fairs to markets, and everything in between. We have a permanent rotating display at Country Club Centre. Each month we move the case to a new location in the mall and fill it with something new. We also hold various activities run by our club. Our treasure hunt has become very popular and is a highlight for many. Participants follow clues around the mall to different stores in search of life-size scale LEGO® models. Be sure to stop by often to check it out!

We also run workshops for kids, often during Spring Break or Summer holidays (adult workshops are in the works!). But we are most proud of our very own LEGO®-filled event, Mid Island Brick Fest that occurs at the end of October every year. This event is a celebration of all things LEGO®. While we always have lots of amazing LEGO® models to check out, you can also participate in a variety of LEGO® based activities! Invitations to participate are extended to other adult LEGO® fans whether from another LEGO club or those showing off their LEGO® creations for the first time. We also extend a special invite to teen fans of LEGO® to join us for the day.

Becoming a Member

As an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO®) group, membership is open to anyone 19 years of age and over who has a personal interest in LEGO® as a hobby. MILUG members have access to the member’s only area of our forums and the MILUG Discord server, attend regular meetings, and participate in community events and displays. Non-members can only access the public side of the MILUG forum and Discord server.

To become a member please:

  • Register on our website for access to the public forums (if you have difficulties please email us at membership@milug.ca) and our Membership Administrator will be happy to help you out!
  • Create a post in the Introductions section of the forums with your real name (so we know who you are) and tell us about your interest in becoming a member.
  • Attend a MILUG meeting so we can all get to know each other “in person”. Our meetings are hybrid and you can attend in person or online. We hope to expand our in-person meetings around the island as we grow and have members willing to facilitate finding space in other communities.
  • New members are welcome to join after the first meeting or at the second meeting that they attend within a 4 month period. A person who does not join MILUG within the 4 month period must attend another “first meeting” before joining.
  • Pay the annual membership fee of $24 — just $2 per month! (please pay dues by the second meeting).
  • Note: members can enjoy any aspect of the LEGO® hobby, including collecting, but members cannot be LEGO® re-sellers only; MILUG is meant to bring LEGO® enthusiasts together who actively participate in meetings, activities and events that build the LEGO® community.

Member Expectations

  • Attend a combination of 5 meetings and/or events per year.
  • Be active on the MILUG forum (we also have Discord but it is optional at this time).
  • Follow the fair play and intellectual property guidelines set by The LEGO® Group.
  • Maintain appropriate behaviour in line with our code of conduct. We do not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination.
  • Pay the annual membership fee of $24.

Member Conduct

If you have issues with the conduct of a MILUG member, please reach out to a member of our Leadership Team or contact us at contact@milug.ca (we are in the process of developing a form to standardize the reporting process). Your concerns will be handled according to our 6-step conduct response process (report, initial review, action, determination, communicate outcome, follow-up). We use a violation matrix to assess severity, intent and frequency. The results of the conduct response process include: no violation, general violation, serious violation, and terminal violation. Appeals can be made in writing to contact@milug.ca within 14 days of the decision.

Reasons for membership termination:

  • Bullying, harassment, discrimination, aggression, show of force, negativity, malice,
    insensitivity, money scam, theft, or any other reason outlined in our Code of Conduct or Community Guidelines.
  • Reselling or profiting from MILUG affiliation
  • Enforcing political or religious views, offensive MOCs

Terminated members will have their member access revoked from the MILUG forums and Discord.

Note: Our full Code of Conduct and response guidelines are posted on our internal forums and are accessible to all members.

We recognize and acknowledge that we are on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation and that our membership lives in communities throughout the territories of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwakaw’akw people.