Hi, my name is Laís Carvalho and I am a committee member of Python Ireland since 2019 and volunteer organiser of EuroPython since 2020 (the first online edition) and co-organiser of Pyjamas (a Python conference where you can present wearing pajamas) and developer advocate and a plant mom.
My journey into the Python communities started before I could call myself a coder (or a plant parent, even). My motto was “If I want to learn, I will need community support. And no better way to have community support than inserting myself in one”. Hence, the early placement.
What do you do?
I have the healthy habit of playing with Python tools and trying to write about them (wherever people pay me to do it) for a living. I have spoken about those tools in some meetups and conferences around (for more details, have a look at my GitHub profile).
In my spare time, I make fun of things (you should follow me on Twitter) and plan conferences and travel. A bit of yoga and a bit of cooking are also my gigs. I also love dancing, just because some stereotypes are true and I am Brazilian, ya know!
What does your community do?
Python Ireland is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote the use of the Python language in errmm… Ireland! 😆 When I started in 2019, I was the only woman there and it was quite interesting to recruit more volunteers to participate. Today we are three ladies and a few dudes.
I am currently responsible for the Public Relations side of things, such as running the Twitter account and sometimes presenting our monthly meetup, which happens every second Wednesday of the month. We also host a PyCon Ireland (in Dublin) every November, and a PyCon Limerick (in February) and I help run around trying and organise those.
The plans for the future include hosting more conferences in other locations and expanding the meetups to local communities around the country.
Volunteers at Python Ireland 2019 (the last one before the plague)
What motivates you to do voluntary work?
I think the most motivating part of volunteering is the amount of wonderfully smart and dedicated people one meets along the way. It is also significantly gratifying to look at an event that runs purely on goodwill and passion, especially in this world where sometimes money screams louder than anything else.
To volunteer (especially for open source) is like a peaceful protest towards the idea that the best things in life are not things and that free and fun can and should be the only goal sometimes. Finally, it is a great way to go to marvellous events for free! 😛
What excites you the most about being in IE?
Ireland is a wonderful country, with very special people. I moved to the Emerald island around seven years ago and have been calling this land home since then. I made wonderful (local) friends but also bonded with the incredible Brazilian community around here. After all, Irish people are the Brazilians of the EU! And it seems like 10% of the local IT jobs are filled by us.
Will EuroPython in Ireland be taken by Brazilians? We shall see! In any case, you should join us at the Convention Centre Dublin from the 11th to the 17th of July 2022.
And if you are a member of Python Ireland (or any other Python community) we would like to thank your support with a discount code of 10% on your tickets! Send us an email at contact@python.ie or DM us on Twitter.
Want to get involved with Python Ireland?
- Python Ireland Meetup happens every second Wednesday of the month. Join us!
- PyCon Ireland will happen in November. Stay tuned to our website to find out more!