Fellows' Reflections: Bev Vega

Community and Coding

After being a bit more than three months into my move to Amman, I graduated my first cohort of students from ReBootKamp (RBK) as full stack web developers. RBK is a 16-week intensive coding bootcamp intended to help specifically those from marginalized communities. Our program focuses on coding curriculum, job skills development, and community building. After finishing up with an amazing group of students coming from the West Bank and Gaza, I’ve been left with a lot to reflect on. I believe my main takeaway from this experience so far has been the importance of giving others space and validation. I found that when we fail to occasionally offer others our attention, we lose the ability to build off each other and collectively invent strategies to address problems we face.

There is a valid critique of those in the tech industry failing to prioritize society over finding any solution. Because the curriculum was so focused on learning new technologies, we initially lost sight of how to apply this to our lives and also the implications of what we want to introduce into the world. I observed a “product over people” mentality manifest in our students as they hacked. To solve this problem, I implemented a restorative justice project. We would meet in small groups of six and conduct a talking circle to discuss our thoughts on topics about tech and our lives in general. I reached out to a friend back in Austin, who had worked on projects like this before, about best practices. I also had to do a lot of personal research to ensure that I was respectful and intentional in everything regarding the circles.

The talking circles met once a week. Every student had the chance to participate. Additionally, the members of the groups were reorganized every two weeks to allow students to community-build with everyone on campus. In the circle we were all equal. There were no instructor or student roles. We were simply people. Each week we had the opportunity to discuss different subjects, unpacking our experiences and defining various topics like tolerance, anger, gossip, joy, and stress. We told stories, talked about challenges, and as a community lifted each other up. Over time, we were able to apply our collective strategies to the community. Each circle had instances of laughter, understanding, and empathy for our fellow circle members.

This space was fundamental to our growth as a cohort and campus. Something as simple as providing a space and asking questions allowed for our organization and students to truly lift each other up. There is a lot to be said about the value of making others feel valued. This is exactly what the circles functioned to do. It made us feel heard, and as a community we were encouraged to actively listen. Additionally, this meant that we could all share our truths knowing that someone heard us. Talking circles taught us the importance of space and giving ourselves permission to take up this space. We validated our feelings and ideas through this communication and became much more confident in how we interact within our communities. Going into a coding bootcamp, I expected that my biggest lesson would involve new techniques in software development. However, it turns out that my most cherished lesson was how necessary community-building is in tech if we are to build technologies for a better society.