diff --git a/blog/_posts/2024-03-28-ambassadors-initiative.md b/blog/_posts/2024-03-28-ambassadors-initiative.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..51ac25918 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/_posts/2024-03-28-ambassadors-initiative.md @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +--- +layout: blog-detail +post-type: blog +by: The Scala Center +title: Announcing the Scala Ambassadors initiative +description: An initiative to recognize and support community members who contribute back. +--- + +We are pleased to announce the launch of the Scala Ambassadors initiative. + +This new effort aims to: + +* Strengthen the Scala community +* Promote a positive image of Scala +* Recognize and support the independent work of active community members + +## What are Ambassadors? ðŸĪ” + +Ambassadors are key figures in the Scala community: speakers, organizers, teachers, content creators, open source maintainers, and so on. + +Ambassadors have volunteered to work with the Scala Center and the community to: + +* Help newcomers learn Scala and become part of the community +* Improve communication between everyone involved with Scala +* Aid and support each other's efforts + +We encourage Ambassadors to: + +* Be present whenever possible at their local community events +* Start new community events if they aren't already happening +* Be visible to other community members as Ambassadors +* Be perceived by the other community members as go-to people to find high quality answers to Scala-related questions +* Relay community feedback to the [Scala organization](https://scala-lang.org/community/#whos-behind-scala) + +## Ask an Ambassador! 🙋 + +How can Ambassadors help you, as a Scala user? + +We aim to put active and helpful individuals, both locally and online, on your radar. + +Whether you have a question about how to start speaking at a conference or organize a local meetup, or you're not sure about your next steps in Scala, these are people you can reach out to. + +## Empowering Ambassadors 💊 + +The Scala Center will provide and foster a space for the Ambassadors to help each other and discuss topics that arise in their community work. + +We will also support them by promoting their activities on the Scala organization's social media. This way, the Ambassadors will gain more visibility and their work will gain more reach. + +## Launching 🚀 + +The Center selects Ambassadors who have: + +* Strong knowledge of Scala and its community +* A positive track record of activity in the community -- conferences, meetups, forums, chat rooms, open source projects, and so on +* No track record of unprofessional behavior + +Currently, we are in the process of selecting and onboarding the first group of Ambassadors. A few of them are already listed here: + +* [Scala Ambassadors page](https://scala-lang.org/ambassadors) + +At the moment the list is short, but we aim to make it much longer in the coming weeks and months. + +Stay tuned for more information about the Scala Ambassadors initiative and the Ambassadors themselves! This is only our first blog post on the subject. + +## Becoming an Ambassador ðŸŠī + +We'll cover this in a subsequent blog post. + +## Background 📔 + +The Ambassadors initiative was first publicly mentioned in the Center's [Roadmap for 2024](https://www.scala-lang.org/blog/2024/02/06/scala-center-2024-roadmap.html). We invite you to peruse the whole roadmap, if you haven't already. + +The initiative first took concrete shape at [Scalar 2024](https://www.scalar-conf.com) in Warsaw, at which many of our first batch of ambassadors were present. Thanks to the conference organizers and to everyone who participated in these discussions.