Carlos Ospina

The solution isn't stopping success stories.

It's having voices on the DA Board who can bridge these cultural communication gaps and represent regions building from different starting points.

I'm running for DA Board - vote by July 11th. #DrupalBoard #Drupal

When planning discussions reference familiar success models, it feels like there's one preferred way to do things.

Different volunteer cultures don't fit the expected model. Different economic constraints aren't considered.

People from Latin America, Africa, and other regions reach out to me saying they've tried engaging with DA governance discussions but feel unheard.

It's not malicious. It's cultural miscommunication.

Why other regions sometimes feel unheard in Drupal Association planning 🧵

When we share success stories about Drupal associations, we naturally use what we know works.

But here's what keeps happening...

This is planning bias in action. Developed market solutions become universal standards, but the math doesn't work globally.

We need voices who understand these differences on decision-making bodies.

Voting for the Drupal Association board is open until July 11th. #DrupalBoard #Drupal

My sister-in-law: main architect at Colombia's largest hotel chain. $28k/year. Her boss: $50k.

A $1,000 partnership fee? Nearly half her monthly salary. From a company perspective, that same fee hits Colombian businesses much harder than US ones.

Why other regions sometimes feel like they're not heard in Drupal planning 🧵

When we plan global initiatives, we naturally use what we know works. But here's what keeps happening...

Organizations can shape talent to their practices and use IXPs to explore Drupal CMS and AI modules.
Ready to hire an IXP? Start here: drupal.org/ixp/ixp-for-organizations

#Drupal #ixp-program #OpenSource #drupal-future

IXPs are developers with less than 3 months paid Drupal experience. They already know Drupal from self-learning or courses.
What they need: paid experience and mentorship (1 hour for every 10 hours worked).

Mike explains: "It just didn't make sense to not launch the program with the pending need so great, and while it had momentum."
The program had significant volunteer effort and DA support. Waiting would mean losing that.

Why launch a newcomer program when experienced Drupal devs are job hunting? @mike-anello.bsky.social‬ tackles this head-on.
drupaleasy.com/blogs/ultimike/2025/06/challenges-launching-drupal-ixp-program-moment-time
🧵

What's your experience? Have you seen good intentions fall short in your corner of the Drupal community?

#drupal #community #DrupalAssociationBoard

Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions The Federation initiative offers a historic opportunity to move beyond good intentions toward systematic regional representation in Drupal's global community.

As I run for the Drupal Association Board again, this is the systematic thinking we need at governance level - turning community challenges into working solutions.

More thoughts: adrupalcouple.us/drupal-globa...

I see this pattern across our global Drupal community, especially around regional representation.

The Federation initiative launching this year offers a real chance to move beyond "we should do this" toward systematic structures that enable global participation.

When we launched the IXP Initiative, everyone wanted to help. Then deadlines hit, priorities shift, and follow-through disappears.

Sound familiar?

Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions The Federation initiative offers a historic opportunity to move beyond good intentions toward systematic regional representation in Drupal's global community.

I've heard it countless times in Drupal discussions: "I like that idea," "We need this," "This can really help."

But here's what years of community work taught me: Good intentions without action don't move the needle. 🧵

Running for the Drupal Association Board Again Because the Work Isn't Finished Carlos Ospina's 2025 Drupal Association Board nomination focuses on global representation, International Federation development, and sustainable talent pipelines through IXP Initiative experience.

Full nomination and vision: adrupalcouple.us/carlos-ospin...

Election period: June 15-30, 2025

If you're a DA member who values global representation and proven solution-building, I'd be honored to have your support.

#DrupalAssociation #DrupalBoard #drupal

I'm asking for your vote because I've learned that sustainable change happens when we build bridges between regions, between community values and business needs, between identifying challenges and implementing solutions.

They're interconnected solutions that need someone who understands how to make community initiatives actually work.

The timing is critical with the International Federation working group starting in June 2025.

It's exactly what we need as the DA tackles the International Federation initiative, Drupal CMS accessibility, and the Marketplace initiative.

These aren't separate projects.

→ Actual mentorship programs running

This taught me something important: the difference between identifying problems and building working solutions.

Two years ago, I talked about problems we needed to solve. Since then, we co-created something that actually works.

The IXP Initiative now has:
→ Real companies participating
→ 250 contribution credits per engagement
→ Structured pathways for new developers

I'm running for the Drupal Association Board again because the work isn't finished.
The IXP Initiative exists because our global community worked together to solve a real talent pipeline problem. Here's why that collaborative approach is exactly what we need for the challenges we're all facing. 🧵

What's your experience with authenticity in open source communities? Have you observed the "faker phenomenon" in your work?
#Drupal #OpenSource #DrupalContribution #DrupalCMS #DrupalFuture

This is the second piece in my three-part series on Drupal's future, building on the "Ecosystem Pyramid" concept from my previous article (buff.ly/lH4KgBj). I appreciate @joshkoenig's thoughtful feedback about focusing on customer needs - a perspective that will feature in the final piece.

The Drupal community has built one of the largest most comprehensive contribution recognition systems in open source. Yet we face a chicken-and-egg challenge: companies won't fully invest in maintaining their drupal.org presence until it's widely recognized as the standard.

This piece expands on my earlier post "Beyond Makers and Takers: Being a Faker in Open Source" (buff.ly/HlOFdOU), diving deeper into the nuances of contribution authenticity.

How do we distinguish between authentic contributors and those just wearing the uniform?
In my latest article "Makers, Takers, and What I Call 'Fakers'," I argue that drupal.org should be our primary source of truth when evaluating Drupal expertise.
🔗 buff.ly/YmDOv7f

Building the Bridge: How Drupal CMS and IXP Could Empower Digital Agencies Drupal CMS creates opportunities for agencies at every stage - from freelancers starting out to established enterprise firms. By supporting both simple site builds and enterprise solutions on the…

This builds on my earlier "Building the Bridge" article. There's a lot to consider about where Drupal is heading in the coming years.
Previous article: buff.ly/QkpdNah
#OpenSource #WebDevelopment #DrupalFuture

I've been visualizing Drupal as a pyramid - from hobbyists to enterprise users. Each region's pyramid scales differently too.
What's a "large" project in Latin America might be a "medium" one in North America.
Drupal CMS + IXP initiatives could help rebuild our foundation.