DrupalCon 2015 - Anyone wanna plan a session

We encourage users to post events happening in the community to the community events group on https://www.drupal.org.
Xenopha's picture

It was a pleasure to meet everyone at DrupalCon Austin 2014. I regret I was not able to join folks for drinks that evening, I hope it won't be the last opportunity I have.

I am glad to see there are Queer Folks represented in this industry. One of the things that struck me about the BOF was the number of voices that seemed to resonate with the theme of alienation. For the folks who feel this in their workplace my heart goes out to you; hang in there and keep fighting the good fight.

I am troubled that this sentiment is also felt in the Drupal Community. Granted, the nerd-herd is not known for its social skills or cultural sensitivity; however, we are teachable given the right conditions. While I do see a need for a setting where LGBTQ folks can share their personal experiences in a safe space, I also feel there is a need to expand that safe space beyond a circle of chairs in a room with closed doors.

I would like to test the idea of coordinating an event at the next DrupalCon similar to the event I helped coordinate as part of Philly Tech Week:

http://2014.phillytechweek.com/events/Diversity_Mixer

The goal of this event is two-fold:

1) Give folks a social space to come together and meet each other; the offer of free food and beverages always draws a crowd.
2) After folks are enjoying themselves, deliver a presentation focused on "What it takes to build a more inclusive Drupal Community."

There are other options as well. Giving recognition to organizations using Drupal who have non-discrimination policies or diversity initiatives is one that comes to mind. I think it's important to note that what made our event in Philly successful was that we made it a big-tent event. It was mostly Queer Folks who got the ball rolling, but we made an active effort to reach out to communities of color and women in technology through our local Girl Develop It chapter. I am pleased to say we had a moderate amount of success making this a big-tent event in an active attempt to, "crack the brogrammer code."

If folks are interested in teaming up to plan this event for next year I would like to hear from you. I am relatively new to Drupal in general, and this is only my second or third post to the GDO. I would need the help of more seasoned and experienced Drupal Community members to pull this off. While I know how to organize an event like this in a general sense, I have no idea how I would go about doing this as part of Drupal Con.

Comments

Folks got together for drinks

calafhp's picture

Folks got together for drinks last night? I was tracking #rainbowdrupal and didn't see a word about it. :-(

I hope we do more things like what is suggested here to build up our voice within the Drupal Community. Would love to help as the idea develops.