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Diversity & Inclusion

Suncoast Developers Guild is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.

We believe in making technology more open and available to all groups that face barriers in the tech community, including women, people of color, and the LGBTQIA community.

We offer free code education for kids because we believe in investing in the local tech economy for the long run, and that means impacting the next generation.

Defining Diversity

Merriam-Webster defines Diversity as the condition of having or being composed of differing elements. The Inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.

Diversity in Tech

In 2014, the technology companies in Silicon Valley started sharing their diversity numbers. Sharing this information brought on promises of better interviewing and hiring practices, but the problem proved more difficult to fix. Take a look at this article: Five Years of Tech Diversity Reports—and Little Progress to get a better idea of the statistics between then and now.

Creating more diverse teams and companies is a challenge that takes more than just the leaders; every member of the organization needs to be proactive in supporting initiatives to create diverse teams.

Why does Diversity make sense?

We only stand to improve the quality and impact of our products if the people building them are representative of the user base and reflect the same Diversity of demography, culture, life experiences, and interests that makes our community so vibrant. - Tracy Chou, Former Software Engineer @Pinterest

Diverse teams outperform homogeneous groups in creative problem-solving exercises. They are more creative because creativity is usually a reflection of people's backgrounds, and diverse groups bring faster/better ways of solving problems. Diverse companies perform better; they help companies serve a diverse user base and build more effective products.

Diversity is more than just acknowledging or tolerating differences. Working towards Diversity takes practice, and it takes a conscious decision to: Understand and appreciate other cultures and personal backgrounds. Respect qualities and experiences that are different from our own. Recognize that personal, cultural, and traditional discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while building and maintaining disadvantages for others.

Read More about the Diversity problem in Tech

Inclusion

Making an inclusive workplace means creating a positive and nurturing environment where individuals feel safe being themselves. It requires providing a place where no one feels excluded. No matter what level of an organization you are part of, it is about recognizing that each individual is unique.

Inclusion means moving beyond tolerance, celebrating and embracing individual differences, and offering mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own. It is crucial to recognize that no one is intrinsically superior to another.

How can we be more inclusive?

Being inclusive starts with small steps every day:

  • Show respect to everyone (in person and online communication).
  • Think before you speak, words can hurt, and there is no way to take them back once spoken.
  • Talk to people who are not like you. Try asking them to lunch or for a walk so you can get to know them better.
  • If you see someone who isn't a part of the mix, invite them in.
  • Be mindful of hurtful humor. If a person or group of people is the punchline of a joke, don't say it.
  • Be mindful of unconscious biases you may hold.

Resources for more understanding about Inclusion and Unconscious Bias

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