Martha-Isabel Estupiñán The DNA of the Digital Tribes
Understanding the Digital Tribe: A Spirit of Togetherness in Tech
Have you ever belonged to a tribe? No, I am not talking about primitive associations of humans, but modern technological tribes who come together bound by common interests. Hi, I am Marina, an executive director at the BC, and today we will explore how digital tribes are influencing our world through technology. I had the privilege of living in varied regions growing up, interacting with diverse groups of people. This concept of tribes that share similar ideas and common interests eventually led me towards the coalescence of technology and tribes, or as I like to call it, "The DNA of the Digital Tribes."
My Journey Joining the Technological Tribe
Although I have over 20 years of experience in technology, I found my true technological tribe when I started programming. Over time I have discovered other people, mainly women like me, who were eager to get on this new learning tour and this was the best part of my journey. The tech industry has seen an increase in representation from women, but stereotypes persist and the gender imbalance remains apparent.
Code: The Language of the Digital Tribes
For people outside of the world of technology, programming and coding can seem like a mythical and obscure talent. Let's try to demystify it. Essentially, code allows for communication with computers just like languages facilitate communication among people. A few years ago, I created my first website and this wouldn't have been possible without coding communities, workshops, and volunteers where people shared their knowledge and expertise.
Women in Tech and Their Impact
Here's a tribute to some relentless and inspiring women in tech:
- Isabel Loa Polo: An educational coach, social activist, writer, and leader who has been impacting women's lives for 15 years.
- Isabel Jerez: She brought the "Women Who Code" community to Colombia, enhancing the skills of many motivated women.
- Linda Yas: An illustrator from Finland who designed a program to help women learn basic coding. This program is now in 116 cities around the globe.
Technology for Community Upliftment
Through technology, my initiative has been to support communities and bring more women into the fold of science and technology. Our workshops have taught more than 100 women entrepreneurs how to create their first website and about digital marketing. Similarly, we have organized programming workshops for children, where boys and girls for the first time touched a robot or created their first video game.
Building the DNA of the Digital Tribes
Lastly, I want to talk about what I call the DNA - Digital action of Natives and Ammigrants of the digital tribes. Bringing together different generations in this subsection of learning and creating new opportunities is at the heart of these tribes. Its objective is to generate an environment of collective well-being, promote teamwork, make social impact, and generate value while working towards sustainable solutions.
As we wrap up, I encourage everyone to find the tribe they belong to and contribute to the rich diversity it offers. Remember, it's more about the cause than the technology. Let's come together and build our digital tribes stronger and more impactful in transforming the world for a better tomorrow.
Video Transcription
Hi, I'm Marina, executive director at the BC. And I'm grateful to be here, the DNA of the digital tribes. How many of you know what a tribe is? And do you belong to a tribe? Mm How many um when I was a child, we live in different parts.I remember we made a family trip to Ecuador. There were people of kind, some were indigenous, the language was Kua and they have their own culture. That of me, for me, it's very important the indigenous uh and over time I live in different parts in other regions, shared with different people. Um So different groups of similar ideas and common interest. Uh research and discovery that they were tribes, urban tribes in the city because I have uh two questions. Uh Do I need a try on the way we meet the people who be bright in the same tune. This is how organized and communicated to each other and use technology to impact these realities with a purpose. This is a way of activating between the digital and the face to face. And uh all activists in the world is very important for sharing the world. Uh in, in my life, the work experience in technology led me to me a tribe, the one where the passionate about these things are. So I have been an apprentice for more than 20 years.
Um I have a 45 years and sorry, who knows to program or create a website? This question is very important. Even though I work in technology, I didn't know how to program. And when I started to, to, to take action, uh I had the need to do it. I meet women in communities that were in the same portal of learning. This is the best sp in my life. Um The markup of women technology keeps going up but the stereotypes continue and there is still so much to do in order to find the balance among men and women in technology, among other things like developing the skills needed, increase the economy, it comes and prevent the different gender violence at home and work.
Uh I know, but in this conference, everybody know about the code for me. The call is a Landward to communicate with the computers like languages allow us to do the same among each other. We would speak the same language, but we can learn and choose four years ago anymore. Uh I learned to create in my first website. Thanks to the support of one of the programming communities, the workshops and the volunteers. I love volunteers. It's the best in the world. It's the best people in the world. These volunteering and no profile organizations are located in Colombia by volunteers who say this is what we need, initiating the creation of mixed communities. And with gender perspective from programmers or developers for more than 15 years. Um um Everything is OK.
Sorry, I read you. Oh OK. Thank you. Uh Thank you for your message. Uh I continue OK with self training, learning, uh asking and using the support network means getting together to learn together community. Um I love the communities, the tribe for me is the same. A community.
Well, I love this fish one. Uh She is my friends all and I have more women in technology, for example, here in this woman tech Global Conference. Um Do you know that in Cali Colombia exit several communities for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Well, in Cali Colombia is my city. Uh There are more than 15 programming communities in, we have to fight them with gender perspective. Um So, I mean the 30% of the community during the year, they run more than 30 events for kids, women and men with the objective of learning how to program and this woman is uh this women. Sorry. Uh She has a talent for me. A fire woman from in Colombia is Isabel Loa Polo educational and w coach, social activists, writer and leader in women aspects, educational and the access to work. Mm 15 years making impact in woman's life and a school student is all generation uh other pioneer woman for me is a good, good friend is Isabel Jerez. And since 2014, based in her experience in her vacation time in San Francisco, she brought to Colombia uh with the women who called community. And I love this community. Uh R girls community co funded by Linda Yas from Finland in 20 in 2009 uh who is an illustrator.
She studied philosophy and also programming. Seeing that in her country there were few women developing software. She designed a program to help them learn basic programs for women, for kids. Um These workshops nowadays are located in more than 116 cities around the world teaching programming language.
This is my favorite community because I learned with all the time in Colombia. They are located in Bogota in Cali, in Medellin, in Barranquilla and other cities and relevant applications. Uh Stocks at Twitter and Air BNB have been created using the Ruben race programming language and other community.
Other community important for me is the Jungle Girls. In 2014 was created by two police women, Ola Itasca and Ola Centec to inspire women from all backgrounds to have an interest in technology. Uh And this is very important and become programmers offering a safe and friendly environment uh is good. Every every minute the workshops have online resource and the with the Python programming in the Python programming language. Sorry, there are 40,000 in fact, women in 414 cities in more than 90 communities. Uh And there are much more us in woman, the global conference. This is a great opportunity. And um this woman later, sorry, these women leaders continue inspiring me. And I wondered, I called to the support other people who have gone through sita situation like mine. This is women in this speech, a alys and this, this list is about the communities in Colombia. Um Again, this is um my superpower is programming. Uh What is your superpower? That's one in 2015, a revolution. Uh We started to support these communities. We also creating our women's technology entrepreneurship workshops. We teach more than 100 women entrepreneurs how to make their website for the very first time and about digital marketing to sell their products.
And in this picture uh then with Erica Gutierrez, we created the workshop. My superpower is programming or in Spanish me. Super poder is no program Maia uh where we teach girls and boys to program fire far away and with educational robotics. And we have conducted five workshop with a social approach and impact more than 100 students anymore for the first time to a robot or create the first video game and sorry. Um Hi back, we organized the second version of women community. First, the largest event of technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship and finding the country campus party. 2019 eight women every friends laters, we convene more than 30 minutes communities to share novels and regional talent. And in this year 2020 Marlen Roberto, who is the main partner from Campus Party Colombia. And her team will give, will give the opportunity for 244 women for women leaders from the SWAT team to repeat leadership in the organization of event. Uh Her name is Alejandra Certa Guzman.
She is ambassador in the seventh uh Pier Angelo Reana Carol Laino and me together together is better uh m um compass. But it is funny and about uh the swat team is only abroad for friends. I like this job. Uh the world woman in community. Well, I continue in the next s life first. Give me a moment. Uh Give me a moment, please. OK. OK. And oh, good. Um I objected in, sorry, give me a moment. OK. Our objective is that more women learn to about science and technology in order to motivate them to enter the programs, lead their research, make inventions and create robots, solar cell and even go to into space. And also for talking about the gender violence prevention and the attention routes in our cities. This is very important because this is the rule in my city and we have uh any resort, this is other guide or prevent the violence and do that. We agreed with communities like uh clue de Cina Colombia and Cella with Eliza Cortazar and all team with more than 20 communities in the country with universities, organizations and women secretariats for the government. Well, who is the DNA of the digital Tribes, uh the DNA of the Digital Tribe for me, which means digital action of natives and immigrants, which is a learning generational subsection and there are new opportunities to come together and keep working together in different causes.
Mm For me, a current calls is the one to go that generates individual and collective well being is where you work as a team and just in a sports I'm running, it goes beyond winning individual medals. It is to win collective championships. It's better and there are several causes, environment, animals, river genders or economics. My focus is in general causes that become so sustainable that they generate paid, that they generated work. Yes. Uh where we all are while making a social impact, the social impact is very important.
Uh Yeah, goodness a come sorry how to know what is the right time in calls your life partner helps you work at yourself and you'll know it. Mm Sorry. Give me I come back. Mm OK. When you find the right time and calls, that's where the party begins, a party with a cold from for the tribe. Uh This is an invitation to the festival of the communities and he has more to do with you than with technology or that intern we are humans. OK? I am tell you to identify the tribe where you belong to. I'm finished. All right, involved and we are not the section. Thank you. I come by the chat. This is all you have any questions in the chat? I can, I can see. Hi, everybody from Texas Columbia and mm thanks for, for to be here. Thanks for Woman Rocket in tech support, Alejandro Zerda Anna Munoz, Linda Patino, Julia Anna Maria Benitez Rodriguez, uh Maria Florencia Tango de Aina Paula Caceres. I know Maria Benita Rodriguez and everybody see you again.
This is all. Thanks for making us Colombia. Uh Anna Munoz. Thanks for Rosario Casas, Joanna uh Paula Castro. Then I Saludo Parato A la Gente Latino Americano uh Grass Forest aqui like the Se Juntos Unidos Inos Vemos la Sala Network in Paragua con paras uh la re sociales. Its para is a cost to me, Los A I Midas um Aroa Marti and Twitter uh La pagina Hue the Global Conference Tambien Puede Milos uh Linkin Twitter, Instagram, Aro Calles Mi Correo Marte Xel Punto Stina Aro aim punto com I Tambien eu Comparative. A kind of chat. A BM Grass Tavio supported uh A Ana Paula Castri Toas and Madora Esto Sermo dear Juntas de in Comunidad de start in trios Grass Por contest to Estas Preguntas in La se de polls I c that yes.