This blog post is not going to be a technical one…. but it’s about technology – well more accurately about bringing technology to the masses.

I recently got awarded this:

What is it?

It is an award that is given to people within the PASS Community who have done a heap of volunteering. You have to be nominated to get it – so thank you to whomever nominated me – it was a surprise. A very humbling surprise…..

You can find more about here:

https://www.pass.org/Community/GetInvolved/Volunteer/OutstandingVolunteers.aspx

I was lucky enough to have PASS President Grant Fritchey ( t | w) announce it via YouTube (2 minutes 08 seconds in but please watch the whole video – PASS is a great community initiative)

Oh and if you are interesting in learning stuff for free and be part of a growing community of 300,000 like-minded Data Platform people – register here:

https://www.pass.org/RegisterforSQLPASS.aspx?viewctl=Registration

It’s FREE!! And you get access to a lot of cool educational things like Virtual User Groups and a heap of material to help you be a better Data Platform person.

So here’s my challenge to you – in fact two challenges:

Do you know someone within the PASS Community who has been an outstanding volunteer? If you do – please nominate them, we need to recognise the hard work, late nights, early mornings and stuff that people do. By the way – people don’t do those things to earn awards – they do it because helping others is a fantastic way to live your life.

We’ve all been there where we don’t know how to do something, or need to learn or just need a helping hand.

I’ve been there, I’ve had so many people help me out, give me advice (both technical and personal) and that’s why my drive is to help that one person in the crowd or webinar to do things better. It’s why I give up my time in my local community to speak at any event that I can – especially ones with young people.

Helping others grow and learn is rewarding in itself and I’m flattered and humbled by the nomination and award. Writing this blog post I hope it inspires you too to go out and #MakeStuffGo for your local community.

Which is part of my second challenge – do you have a local User Group, Meetup or Community Conference that is run in your city? Please go and find the organiser and ask them if they need help.

Don’t worry if you don’t think you have anything to speak about – that’s OK – you know what makes a User Group or Conference actually work?

The people who are helping the registrations, the people who help test the AV, the people who stick around afterwards and clean up.

Those volunteers are the true engine of a community conference.

So please, give it a go – you will make a massive difference.

Yip.