This year, I was thrilled to have a talk accepted at DrupalCon Amsterdam! I'll be giving a session titled "Judging a book by its cover - how inclusive is your community?" However, I'm currently self-employed as a contractor and am therefore on the hook for my own expenses. I've been barely scraping by financially and right now, I can't see how I'll be able to afford the trip. 



I did receive a scholarship - $750 - but that will be reimbursed to me some time after the conference, and, quite frankly, doesn't help me get there. Speakers at DrupalCon receive a free ticket but are not paid for their time. 

Sending people to conferences who can't afford it is really important, or we get the same people speaking all the time, because they have the privilege of being able to do so. I know that I have been privileged to speak at several North American DrupalCons thanks to my previous employers, and I acknowledge that. 

I have never been able to travel abroad due to financial constraints and have been very excited about finally taking that plunge with this trip. I'm even studying Dutch on DuoLingo! Being able to do this, to travel abroad, would mean so much to me. 

In addition to speaking, I am also a part of the Drupal Diversity & Inclusion leadership team, and the work and outreach that we do is so important - I think being able to reach new people on another continent is a great opportunity! In my capacity on the leadership team, I'll also be speaking on the DDI panel: Drupal Diversity & Inclusion: Volunteer-led strategies for helping the Drupal community.

As a member of the DDI leadership team and a Drupal community member, I've helped the community in many ways:
 - creating moderation and participation guidelines for our Slack channels 
 - moderating our Slack channels and keeping them a safe and inclusive space
 - creating the #ddi-careers channel & initiative
 - being a Drupal Slack admin & working to keep our Slack running smoothly
 - helping to organize and promote fundraising for our Speaker Training Workshop
 - organizing and staffing the DDI booth at DrupalCons
 - creating our DDI photobooth project at DrupalCons
 - being a member of the DrupalCon program team
 - speaking at DrupalCons and local camps, giving workshops, and trainings

Here is a list of my presentations and writings. 


Costs:
If I booked the trip today, including flight & hotel, in the conference area, it would cost at the very least $1500. That doesn't include taxes, meals, travel to or from airports, luggage, or anything else.

Ideally, I'd be able to get this booked ASAP, because the sooner, the cheaper! 

Paying it Forward:
I have had a really tough year, financially. One day, that will be over, and I'll be able to help others who need it. I will also continue to work with Drupal Diversity & Inclusion, as well as the DrupalCon program team to make the Drupal community a better place for everyone.