# We Are the Ruby Community

> My accepted keynote proposal for Blastoff Rails 2026 on why everyone already belongs in the Ruby community.

## Abstract

Many developers feel like observers of the Ruby community rather than participants in it. This is a people-first talk about converting the folks who haven't experienced, or don't see themselves as part of, the Ruby community into realizing they already belong. It reframes what community actually means, breaks down the invisible barriers that make people feel like they don't belong, and gives attendees practical ways to participate right away, especially those who feel like observers rather than contributors. The goal is to show that the Ruby community isn't something you join, it's something you help create.

## Details

### Outline

- Introduction
  - What we picture when we hear "the Ruby community," and why that picture keeps people out
  - The gap between feeling like an observer and feeling like a participant
- The invisible barriers
  - "I'm not experienced enough" and other stories we tell ourselves
  - Where these barriers actually come from, and why they're mostly imagined
- Reframing what community means
  - Community as something you help create, not a club you're admitted to
  - Small, low-stakes contributions that count more than people think
- Practical ways to participate right away
  - Concrete first steps for people who feel like they're on the outside
  - How the rest of us can lower the barrier for them
- Conclusion
  - You already belong

### Desired Outcomes

Attendees who feel like outsiders leave understanding that they already belong and knowing exactly how to take a first step. Attendees who already feel established leave with a clearer sense of the invisible barriers others face and practical ways to lower them.

### Intended Audience

Anyone who feels like an observer of the Ruby community rather than a participant, and the established community members who want to help them in.

## Pitch

The Ruby community's warmth is one of its best features, and yet plenty of people stand at the edge of it convinced they haven't earned a way in. I've spent years hosting podcasts and meeting Rubyists at every stage of their careers, and the same quiet story comes up again and again: "I'm not really part of this." This keynote is my attempt to dismantle that story on stage, to make the case that community is something we build together rather than a status we're granted, and to send people home with something they can actually do on Monday. It's a hopeful, people-first talk, and it's the one I most want to give right now.

[Slides](https://speakerdeck.com/andrewmcodes/we-are-the-ruby-community) · [Video](https://youtu.be/ZBrBMC_sH2A)