It was night when the message came in the wtsp inviting me to be part of the organization of the Pernambuco UX Designers community. My future was still uncertain, but after talking to Sérgio I was sure I wanted to be part of the creation of that community. I accepted. Much is said about collaborative systems, shared economy and inclusion. But what is actually practiced when the curtains close? Do you, who are part of a community, feel heard? Included? Free to create, to participate, to modify what you think doesn't fit? Do you feel you have a voice?
Last Tuesday we collectively held our first meetup at Porto Digital (Apolo 235). We decided to approach the career in UX Design, the entrance in the job market and changing careers, because we know that there are a lot of good people out of the 1,000 vacancies that currently exist only in Porto Digital. We had talks about resume and portfolio, with Sérgio Bezerra (UX Designer at Neurotech), Linkedin with me, and guidelines for the selection process with Edney Cruz (Recruiter at Stefanini). At the end, a round table where the participants could ask questions and report their difficulties. The exchange was incredible!
But the best thing about this meetup was that we saw LabCodes willing to find a new venue for the meetup after a fire at the company made it impossible to hold the event there; it was that they made sure to honor the coffee break for 30 people; it was that they received André Arruda's help to hold the event at Porto Digital, was having the support of the participants to reserve spaces especially for communities where these meetups don't reach (and I'm talking here about what exists beyond the Pilar community), and mainly, the participants having accepted to share the bread (literally) so that we could invite 20 more people to the event. This, to me, is community! People who help each other, who participate, who give in, who build empathic relationships, who sacrifice for the sake of the other, who improve the whole.
Because of this we were able to have the presence of the girls from UX Minas Pretas and Daniel Paixão, creator of Fruto da Favela, a project "with less death and more life" that has sought to give opportunities to young people from the slums through courses in programming and entrepreneurship. They already have the support of Thoughtworks, Grupo Mulheres do Brasil Núcleo Recife, Sebraelab, CITI, Felicidade Interna Total, Overdrives and Eureca.
And it is this community that is now moving to create a content repository on GIT so that everyone has access and nothing gets lost. It is this community that is organizing itself to have authors of content to share with everyone. It is this community that is looking for ways to listen and include more and more people. May it continue to be a space for listening, for participation, for inclusion, for freedom of expression, and belief, and thought, and identity, and choice, and gender, and worship, and love.
Thank you, Sergio, for the invitation. Thank you to EACH PRESENCE that made this event possible. Thank you to EACH LISTENING that made this event incredible. Thank you to EVERY VOICE that made this event unforgettable.
Thank you.
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