so here's a big hurdle w/ programs to retain experienced marginalized people (i.e. the honeymoon has worn off, they have the skills but need trust, promotions, creative control, etc).... esp when working with corporate partners:
the fixes we know of do not scale up
the fixes we know of do not scale up
you want to help as many people as possible. so you try to host programs that reach 20, 50, 100 devs...
but from what I've seen, to have real, positive change, you can only focus on helping a few at a time, a handful, and hope there's a ripple effect.
but from what I've seen, to have real, positive change, you can only focus on helping a few at a time, a handful, and hope there's a ripple effect.
when you're burning out, struggling with tokenism, or a hostile workplace
an inspirational speech of pithy tips won't help
eating salad in a giant room won't help
reading a blog post won't help
you need to be listened to, by someone you trust
you need a personalized action plan
an inspirational speech of pithy tips won't help
eating salad in a giant room won't help
reading a blog post won't help
you need to be listened to, by someone you trust
you need a personalized action plan
sooo @PixellesMtl decided to invest in the Career Accelerator program. it's shown results by focusing on 10 devs, with the hope this added retention ripples out over time. but it can't be scaled up to 100, or 1000. alas. artisanal small-batch advocacy: pixelles.ca/mentorship-pro…
@PixellesMtl it can be hard to get partners on board sometimes when the money and effort they spend is all going towards helping those 10 people, even if that's the most effective thing. it looks better on paper to host a social with 300 attendees, even if that has zero clear benefits.🤷♀️
@PixellesMtl btw this is NOT to say that socials are bad! socials are great! connecting people with each other (esp while promoting alternative cultures and perspectives) is useful! even inspirational speeches have their uses. these just shouldn't be the only tools in the toolbox
