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From YouTube: The story behind the Caribbean Developers Conference

Description

In this episode, Claudio Sanchez sits with us to talk about the Caribbean Developers Conference. We cover topics like bringing the community together, their scholarship program, and also the benefits that the conference has brought to the Dominican Republic.

[01:53] - How did the Caribbean Developers Conference start?
[03:13] - How did they discover the local developer community?
[05:05] - What effect has this conference had on the local community?
[07:32] - What are plans for the future?

Meta.do
https://meta.do/

Caribbean developers conference
https://cdc.dev/

DEvelopers dominicanos
https://github.com/developersdo/

Get started with .NET
https://dotnet.microsoft.com?WT.mc_id=ondotnet-c9-cephilli

#azure #dotnet #CaribbeanDevelopers #DominicanRepublic

A

Everyone, so my name is Elsa Filip and I'm here at the Caribbean Developers Conference, where we have tons of folks talking about technology and talking about how are they using this technology here in the Dominican Republic to really help an effect change? So what I wanted to do is spend a few minutes to talk to my good buddy Claudio. Here we can learn a lot more about the community here in the Dominican Republic, so Claudia, what's good on the Hey, how.

B

Are you man, thanks for.

A

Inviting me sure sure, so why don't you tell us just a little bit about yourself and what do you do here sure.

B

So my name is Claudio Sanchez I'm, the president of a nonprofit called meta, do and in essence were an organization that helps promote and develop and educate young professionals, IT professionals in the Dominican Republic and the conference that we are at Craven. Developers Conference is one of the initiatives that we have in the organization yep, and so this is a professional, Developers Conference.

B

It's very particular, though, because it allows folks that otherwise would not be able to attend a professional level conference to be able to come to the conference.

B

That's conveniently located yeah in Punta Cana, and so it allows for international speakers to come because it's a straight flight from anywhere on the east coast of the United States and in other countries, and then it also allows the local population to have exposure to that level, that caliber of talent and networking that they would not be able to get unless they went to a conference in the United, States or Europe. One.

A

Of the things I really love about this conference is just the natural energy that you feel from like all of the attendees and the speakers and like outside of just to talks themselves. Is this this natural camaraderie, this friendship with collaboration and like I, can't I can't describe in another conference that has so? Could you give us like just like the origin story like how did this even start off in the ground? Sure.

B

Yeah, so we will have to go back about eight nine years ago, oh wow, where I had an idea, I wanted to connect back to my roots and so I thought of buying a bunch of computers put in a briefcase and then coming over and finding youth that wanted to learn about tech. And so, while thinking about how I was gonna, do that I started.

B

Looking for local communities and folks that were involved in the tech scene found some and then together we started a po camp which has continued to grow and around that a lot of different user groups and other conferences and other initiatives have come about and a couple years ago we thought that we had reached over the pinnacle of that and we felt that it was time to kind of go to the next Volusia nari step, which was to now have a professional level conference that you know did not have anything to envy of the big conferences in the world.

B

A

Sure one of the things again I also love about this- is I'm a Caribbean national. You know me and I love to see Caribbean developers, creating tools and resources and solutions to like problems that we're having here across like these various islands. Yes, and so, how did you even discover that there was like a growing community of developers and people that are even interested for this to even happen? Yeah.

B

So social media right yeah back in 2011, we already have you know, differences for media outlets, and so that's that's one of the first ways that I discover a group called the developers, dominicanos yeah, which is Dominican developers, and there is a growing community, a thousand people today in that user group and through that, that's how, then you know coming over to the island and connected with a local tech scene. You get to find out about a lot of different things that people are doing from.

B

You know startups, really cool tech, so you can also see here in the conference, people creating hardware and software based solutions, and so that that you know integrating with the community. It's really what allows you to discover them and become aware of all these things are happening that otherwise you would not be able to really find out, and one last thing is it's you. You mentioned culture right, and so that's one of the things that's very unique about the culture here and I. Think that's why this is a this. Is such a big success?

B

The conference they're unique because you know the minute conserve, Airy, warmth, people, and so they sort of put that enthusiasm and energy and.

A

Everything that.

B

We do, and so I think that's also very similar to the folks in the eye and the other islands around in Latin America. So you put all that together and- and you get a very unique experience like this one, so.

A

Claudio, this is the second year for the Caribbean Developers Conference. Can you tell me a little bit about the effect that this conference has had in the local community sure.

B

Yes, yes, that's really for me what what does it for me right, yeah, so the other night we I had two young men approached me and say: hey last year we were here because my scholarship that we got, we didn't have a job, and while here we connected and networked with different companies and right here at the conference, both of them got a job so that today working remotely for a Canadian company and they made it again this year and they wanted to personally.

B

Thank you because of the fact that they got a you know they that this conference change to change their lives right, and so you know if we can continue to do that. One person at a time I think this is you know this is something that needs to continue happening and for the the region really needs. Something like this to be able to get the message out and and and make things happen, talk.

A

To me a little bit more about the scholarships right like who like who do they go out to? How do they get here like? How does that work exactly.

B

We have, from the beginning, created a process for scholarships that takes into account.

B

You know socioeconomic status and where are you at in terms of your journey and whether or not you're a collaborator of the community right, so that we want to make sure that these scholarships goes to the individuals they're going to get the most out of? And in that way, then we can have a better impact, a deeper impact.

B

And so that's what we're doing and we're actively asking for companies and organizations if they want to enable diversity in tech to through our scholarship program, enable multiple folks to be able to attend the conference and so that they can indeed get the impact that they are seeking right.

A

And can't like what you mentioned before right, like a lot of folks, don't always have the the ability to go to and jump in a plane and I'm going to go to this big conference a or big conference P right, and so they have to rely on what they could get here at home. So.

B

A

Quality education quality opportunity- these folks is tremendously important. It's a life changer for a lot of these rights. If you can get them jobs, you can get them interviews. You can get them different types of scholarships for educational opportunities. That's just going to help everybody across the board. Yes,.

B

A

Could you tell me a little bit about where do you think that these conferences are gonna, go in the future like what do you? What do you see happening with Caribbean Developers Conference, going forward.

B

Sure so several people have said that it's really convenient to be able to come here and, and that's one of the things that in the Dominican Republic with non-for, it 45.0 500 years, yeah centrally located, and so what I think this conference can become. Is that central hub for all the Caribbean nations in Latin America? You know.

A

B

Be able to come to this conference and be able to that way get the exposure and the content, the networking that, in the experience that would typically get if you go to a European or North American conference, a much lower price point right.

A

B

You have the advantage that you know: you'll have the wonderful beaches and all that the country has to offer. That's the official slogan says the Dominican Republic has at all it.

A

Does right so if we get education and then we just get the culture of the people and I? Think for me like when you talk about conferences like I, could watch the YouTube video I could watch the recording I could get your slide deck online from somewhere, but the biggest benefit is like the networking right and then the people here are just so warm and welcoming. That's just such a pleasure to be here so every time I leave here, I feel inspired. I'm, recharged and I'm ready to go right.

A

I'm gonna ready to go back and create like some really interesting projects and solutions, because the folks here are extremely intelligent. Like extremely motivated and driven I know this year you did an IOT challenge right.

B

A

Like three different contestants I believe that.

B

A

Here with really interesting problems, but solving local problems correct, you know solving issues like detecting diseases and we had another team there. That was looking for a similar problem with little parking right.

B

A

Mean all of these are really interesting: columns, I'm, again they're here and they're, local and I think what you're doing now is giving them like an opportunity to display their talents to the world that.

B

Is indeed correct, yes, Church and, and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean can become an area that it's well known for exporting your products and services in high-tech right.

A

It's awesome, so do you have any closing remarks for anybody? That's watching their video. What do you want to? Let them know about this conference? What do you want to tell them about 2020.

B

Sure I think that, as you heard, there's great content, great networking and great beaches here at Caribbean, Developers Conference. We have a lot coming in 2020 and then another thing that I want to say is that by coming to this conference, not only do you personally get all of that, but you also help the local communities.

B

You know acquiring all that and be able to make up better and more diverse tech scene for everyone right I mean the world is shrinking and you know borders are collapsing and I feel that we're kind of all global citizens of the world, as opposed to you, know, be from a particular.

A

Iteration so also Mahima. Thank you so much thank.

B

You my pleasure and.

A

Thank you all for watching and definitely check out the Caribbean Developers Conference again tons of great folks tons of great energy and we're learning a lot here in the Dominican Republic.

A