The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.
(William Gibson)

We developers, makers, software engineers, tinkerers, designers, hackers are the most educated, best connected and in the end the most fortunate generation ever. We have the real power, and the responsibility, to shape the future, to create new social behaviours out of our ideas, choices and software.

We are shaping the future, creating it literally out of thin air and our efforts.

With this, great responsibility is upon us: to make the future a better place, to make the future more evenly distributed, across gender gaps and discriminations, breaking economical, political and geographical barriers.

Creating software is more than just a technical skill: what we create will influence how people interact with the world and other people, and the way we choose to build it will have an impact over the people that will use it.

We are not neutral in the software we create; it’s a distillation of ourselves, informed by our values.

Being a developer is much more than applying technical skills, it means exploring paths and solutions on an everyday basis: a stressful duty, but a meaningful one if we apply ourselves to it to secure growth and guarantee freedom for individuals and communities.

To spread the seeds, cultivate knowledge and improve our world, we have to build strong communities, as our homes, we have to build open communities, where each person by bringing in their life, views, culture, weaknesses and strengths, is pivotal.

Openness is key for a path to inclusivity.

Communities have no “natural” direction, and moving them forward is a collective effort made by the individuals belonging to them, by contributing different skills and ideas to achieve common goals.

Valuing diversity and individual differences is the key for a healthy, positive and successful community, that empowers its members and helps them grow stronger and happier.
This is the major challenge facing any attempt at community governance.

We must be proud that the Django community - all of us, in the end! - is at the forefront of this global movement to make developers’ communities open, healthy and successful.

As DjangoCon Europe 2017’s organisational committee, our goal is to help the Django community to keep its authentic, diverse, and vibrant attitude and to help all attendees create a better future.

It’s a future we can only build together, all our differences of culture, geography, race, gender, wealth, political status - and more - notwithstanding.

We want to help everybody play a part in this, by way of financial assistance or by supporting projects that empower people who find themselves in need or marginalized in order to build their path to a better future.

Leonardo Da Vinci sought out most of his knowledge by himself, reading and observing the world around him, but that’s only part of the venture to explore the digital future.

Creative diversity and authenticity are skills that can be developed through practice and also through living with the people around us.As we enjoy the good fortune that grants us the powershape our own futures, let’s help make it more evenly distributed amongst all.