Hey HN - I put together a bootcamp in January of this year that got a bunch of tech professionals together from all around the world to work on their side projects. We ran it as a 6 week program where there were short assignments and video interviews each week plus weekly group hangouts.
My partner Amanda and I are doing it again this fall. This time, we're introducing mentors who are assigned to individual participants and will offer weekly office hours to share ideas and feedback on people's side projects. Plus we're putting more emphasis on the community aspect, using MightyBell as our hub.
We're accepting applications through Fri 9/16 if you'd like to join. Program costs $650 and kicks of 9/24.
http://shipyoursideproject.com
Yes, you could organize this yourself. It'd be a lot of work though and leave you with little time to actually work on your side project. You could also get fit without a gym or a personal trainer, or learn almost any skill without paying for a class.
One of our past participants, Joshua Pinter (who launched an iOS app called ntwrk via the program) said it best: putting a dollar value on the program makes everyone take it more seriously, and it makes you take it more seriously.