Coming together after everything comes apart
As our lives begin to stabilize after being upended by COVID, PDXWIT has some big decisions to make. So does every institution. Every family system. Every individual. While we are not yet on the other side of it, we can see a faint light ahead. But what does moving forward look like?
The dominant narrative seems to indicate that the goal is to get back to normal. But what does that even mean? That implies “normal” was working for us. Was it? If not, why would we go back?
Was our normal good enough?
I think about pre-pandemic PDXWIT events regularly. And while there was an undeniable magical energy to physically gathering, there were barriers that unintentionally excluded folks who likely stood to benefit the most from our events. Below is a non-exhaustive list of barriers/issues that our in-person events created. And while none of these issues were intentional, we need to hold ourselves accountable here, because what matters is the impact, not the intention.
Location: Most events were in downtown Portland or in relatively remote areas (Vancouver, Beaverton, Hillsboro) that were not easily accessible from other parts of town, especially for folks without access to a car.
Timing: Our events were typically from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m., a time that really doesn’t work if you don’t live or work nearby, if you have kids, if you have an evening job, or are in school.
Social anxiety/imposter syndrome: Networking does not come easily for most people, and this is intensified when you are new to a room of people who all seem to know each other. Being surrounded by hundreds of people can be unbelievably intimidating.
Alcohol: Most PDXWIT events involved alcohol. While alcohol helped break the ice for some, it could be challenging for those who didn’t drink. Whether the decision not to drink relates to addiction issues, family histories, personal preference, or religious reasons, it is a perfectly reasonable choice to make. We know that we should have been better about ensuring there were as many fun non-alcoholic drinks as alcoholic ones.
Accessibility: While PDXWIT required that physical locations for our events were ADA accessible and had ASL interpreters, these events got extremely crowded and were not a comfortable space for folks with physical disabilities or challenges being in large crowds.
So where do we go from here?
Over the last 16 months, we have had 65 virtual events, drawing in over two thousand attendees. We’ve figured out how to do it in real time in front of you all, which has been a challenge. If you’ve tuned into our virtual events over the last year, you have likely seen us navigating technical difficulties, crying live on camera, forgetting to unmute ourselves, pets and kids stealing the spotlight (and the list goes on). You have likely also witnessed necessary conversations around justice, equity, and inclusion. You may have networked on camera with each other. If you were a job seeker, you have put yourself out there to connect with hiring managers.
It’s been painful at times, and Zoom fatigue is very real, but it's been authentically PDXWIT, thanks to your engagement.
So here we are. Decisions on what PDXWIT Events 2.0 will look like need to be made. These decisions will directly impact our beloved community members, employees, volunteers, and sponsors. So we want you to weigh in. Tell us what you think, what you want, what your fears are, and anything you feel we should know. We will do our absolute best to honor your feedback as we build out the future. If we try some things that don’t work, we’ll adjust. It’s about to be a massive beta test that all of you will (hopefully) be part of.
And for those of you who are wondering, when we shift back to some version of gathering together in person, we can assure you a virtual way to tune in and participate will continue to be there.
So, let us know what you think in this short survey. And if you want to have a longer conversation with our team about it, we would love to hear from you, so please reach out.
Elizabeth Stock is the Executive Director of PDXWIT.