We are rapidly approaching our eleventh annual gathering. After three years of being fully virtual, for 2023 we will have a hybrid in-person/virtual format, with remote participation options throughout the conference. During this time of transition, we are directing additional care towards becoming more inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible (IDEA).

The SeaGL team has seen a lot of people carve out niches for themselves when they don’t feel welcome in the broader tech community. We hope to provide underrepresented groups a place where they have the community’s full support to get involved. To this end, SeaGL would like to extend an open invitation to all folks join us for knowledge sharing and mutual learning. We’d especially like to bring in people who care about these issues and are open to working with us to improve the state—not only of SeaGL—but of the free/libre/open source ecosystem as a whole.

Some ways you can participate:

• attend, in-person or remotely, on Friday and Saturday, November 3rd & 4th
• volunteer, day-of or before the event, by visiting https://seagl.org/get_involved
• spread the word, a personal invitation is always better received and can reach groups that are otherwise unaware

Additionally, if you have access needs or suggestions for things which would make the conference a more comfortable place for you, please submit them to this anonymous form. You will be able to provide contact if you’d like us to reach out about your feedback.

We are also interested in contracting an assessment of our CFP process, community spaces, etc., and would love to hear any recommendations that you may have for doing this.

Once again, if there’s anyone else that you think might be interested, please pass this message along. We’d love to have as many people as possible from around the tech community join us this November and beyond.

Note that if you are planning on attending in-person, we have released a new health and safety policy which will apply at the event. We’d like to thank the Public Health Pledge for their leadership in encouraging conferences to have health and safety policies!

Regards,
The SeaGL 2023 IDEA committee