Building a Welcoming Django Community with Ken Whitesell

Speaker 1: Hey everybody, welcome to DjangoCon US 2025 from Chicago, Illinois. My name is Kudzai and I'm here with a very special guest. Would you introduce yourself, please?

Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Ken Weitzel and I'm one of the volunteers here at DjangoCon.

Speaker 1: Ken, thank you for sitting here with us. I'm super excited to have a conversation with you because Like you mentioned, you're a volunteer for JAMCON US 2025. And if you don't know, you can volunteer at the conference, even if you're not an organizer. Um is this your first year volunteering, Ken?

Speaker 2: Oh no, this is not my this is actually my 11th year volunteering at Django Khan.

Speaker 1: Eleven years volunteering?

Speaker 2: Yes.

Speaker 1: Why do you keep coming back to volunteer?

Speaker 2: It's because of the people here that I get to meet. Being volunteer, I get a chance to meet a lot of people that I wouldn't have a chance to meet otherwise. Yeah. And so I work the registration desk And that means I have a chance to say hi to everybody as they come in. Everybody that comes in comes to the registration desk and I have a chance to meet them and talk to them and get to know them a little bit

Speaker 1: So I've come to Jancon two years now and I've seen Ken at the registration desk and I have to say like you always have a presence to you. Obviously the tallest guy at the conference always But it is really helpful to have that first interaction with someone who is happy to be there and happy to say hi to everybody. Is that something you're very intentional about like when you're working the registration desk?

Speaker 2: I'm not sure that I would say that it's intentional. I'm just, it it is just such a pleasure to be here among such uh bright, energetic, uh engaged individuals that it just lifts my spirits. That's good. And so I don't have to work at being happy and cheerful, it's just being among this group of people does that for me automatically.

Speaker 1: Yeah, and you mentioned the people that come to Django Cons. What's been your favorite memory um at DjangoCon in terms of your interactions with people? Could be this year or previous years.

Speaker 2: Hi d that would be impossible for me to say. I mean across 11 years of of coming to Django Khan, there are just so many memories of of all the different people that I've had a chance to meet and talk to. get to know obviously by coming year after year the regulars I get to know more and more personally. Like I know that we have met in the past, but have not really had the opportunity to sit down and talk. It it's just the number of people that I get to know really does something for me for my own interest in in working with the Django community.

Speaker 1: That's so cool. Um if you if someone's watching this and is thinking, you know, I would love to volunteer at a Django Con or they want to attend their first Django Con, uh what advice would you give them to get started on that journey?

Speaker 2: Well, simply to attend, it's really a matter of just making it, I guess I would call it a priority to make sure that you make it here. I I can tell you that I'm not the only person that works that volunteers here that tries to give that that good impression that that that sense of community that really exists here. It's something that I picked up at my first Django Con from the people that were working at that time and volunteering. And it's it's rare in my experience, in, well, I won't say completely rare, because a couple others, but uh the the the degree to which the people here

Speaker 2: really focus on taking care of the people that are coming here.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

Speaker 2: Is is something really special. And so for somebody who hasn't been to one before I can say you're going to be hard pressed to find a friendlier group to come to to visit as a community. Volunteering , there's always room for help uh in any volunteer organization. There's always a place to be found for somebody who wants to spend w however much time that they want to spend. Yes, I spend a a fairly significant amount of time at the registration desk. That's what I choose to do. I love getting the chance to meet and talk to people. But you don't have to make that sort of commitment. There are many smaller tasks that it might only take you 15 minutes to half an hour to help take care of something

Speaker 2: that takes the load off of somebody else who might have to be juggling two or three things. So it's it's a matter of volunteer when you can.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And it's yet another way of of getting to meet more people and talking to more people because when you're volunteering You're either working directly with the other organizers and the other volunteers, or your volunteer work may have you in contact. with the people who are simply attending.

Speaker 1: Yeah. I really like everything you've said, Ken. There's a big I'm getting the sense that carrying it forward is a big part of this community. You started, you met people that showed you the way and then you've been doing it and more people can come in and learn from you and keep that culture going for the community and future Django cons.

Speaker 2: That's that's my hope. That's what I would like to see happen myself.

Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think it will happen. Ken, thank you so much for sitting with us and having this conversation and thank you for your contributions to the Jam Khan community

Speaker 2: Thank you.

Speaker 1: All right, thank you. All right, bye, guys.