February Meetup Reflections

What a joy and honour it is to sit at the table with a group of women who are all there to engage on a problem we all face. The laughter, the vulnerability, and the acceptance we saw at our most recent Code& meetup was inspiring and delightful. For those who wanted to attend and couldn’t make it, know that you were missed. For those who weren’t quite bold enough this time, no worries, we meet everyone where they are.

Leaning In

Reflecting on the interactive session Lies facilitated for us, the thought that comes to mind again and again, is that this is the intent behind the Lean In movement. For a group of us to come together, support one another, share with one another, and offer advice across roles, levels, and lived experiences. This is the heart of community, it is where we find strength to change the way we interact with the world.

Lies challenged us to look critically at the way we write to others. The way we express our needs in the workplace. She asked us to look at the messages we send, and find the places where we apologise when we shouldn’t. Find the places where we give details which are not required. Circle those things, and call them out as the tax they are. If you are uncertain about it, I challenge you to try it for yourself. How do you ask for time off to handle some admin? How do you approach a conversation regarding what you need? How do your differently gendered colleagues do the same?

This was the source of the vulnerability. The shared pain and embarrassment. The joy of someone else coming up with a quip ages after something happened that you wished for a comeback for. Spending this time together was valuable, and worth the effort of leaving the house.

Gratitude

You’ll see and hear the words “thank you” a lot when you’re around Code&. That’s because we all know that this would not be possible without the involvement of others. We were given space by MindJoy without which we couldn’t meet. Although the idea of a meetup in a park… let us know if you want to try it! We are also supported by our good friend Candice at Candid who brings a can-do attitude to everything we try.

But the single most important people are those who come out to the events. Every person who shows up in whatever state they happen to be on the day. Tired, buzzing, stressed out, or relaxed. So, to those who came, wanted to come, told a friend, or made a note to come next time. Thank you! A community is something that grows as a group. We couldn’t do it without you.

What’s next?

There will be another meetup - probably in April - which will be our launching off point to DevConf. Code& is a community sponsor, so if you’re buying a ticket make sure to use &code at checkout to link your ticket to the community. Also, please do argue with your company to help pay for your tickets, this is an opportunity to learn so much, build new friendships (Code& wouldn’t exist without DevConf), and support our community members on stage!