#[fit] Cassidy Williams
###cassidoo.co
#Why are communities important?
No matter the field, if one doesn't have a community around them, they will not stay in said field.
^ I have a theory.
#This is particularly important in tech.
^Why?
#Product quality is dependent on diversity among the producers.
#Our ratios are terribly skewed.
^Everyone knows, birds of a feather flock together. ^Because we have such skewed proportions of different groups of people, ^not every minority group feels like they belong. ^As a result, retention for minority groups is horrible. ^And then, it snowballs.
#So, we have to build positive communities to offset that!
#There are 3 major pillars of a thriving tech community.
#The 3 Pillars
- Advising
- Advocacy
- Accelerating
^I admit I didn't come up with these myself, I worked on ^ a team at a hackathon where we focused on that. ^ But that's a story for another time.
#Advise
^ what's the first thing you think of when you think of advising others?
Mentorship!
^Fostering a mentorship culture is huge ^You learn by teaching ^Lift as you climb
#Advocate
Publicly recommend and support each other!
^Everyone should know what you and your community stand for. ^My fave way to do this is a code of conduct.
#Code of Conduct
- hackcodeofconduct.org
- Hacker School's social rules
^Feigning surprise, well-actually's, backseat driving, subtle-isms. ^Don't be a jerk.
#Accelerate
^Accelerating ties the last two pillars together.
Better each other!
^Through friendship, scholarship, sponsorship, mentorship ^Help people get opportunities, and they'll help each other
#Advise
#Advocate
#Accelerate
^It takes dedication to pull these off. ^It probably won't just work out in a day.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
#[inspirational thing]