How My Passion Project Newsletter Sparked a Python Community Orchard in the ML/AI Ecosystem

This was my talk at Pycon Africa.

Abstract:

The talk goes into the practical steps of nurturing the orchard, from choosing the right content to promote engagement to exploring strategies for sparking discussions, creating a sense of connection, and ultimately, turning a newsletter into a launchpad for further community engagement, like meetups, hackathons, open source contributions, conferences, and online forums.

We addressed:

Identifying a gap within the community (the barren landscape)

Cultivating a niche newsletter (choosing the right fruit)

Establishing a content creation process (tilling the soil)

Witnessing the blossom of a community (the first bloom)

Highlighting the power of collaboration (branching out)

Exploring the avenues for extended engagement (abundant harvest)

Sharing key takeaways and actionable tips (pollination and spreading the seeds)

Reflecting on the ongoing impact and future aspirations (the orchard's future)

Transcript

1. Gift Ojeabulu The Accidental Advocate: How My Passion Project Newsletter Sparked a Python Community Orchard ML Dev Advocate & Data Scientist
2. Cofounder of Data Community Africa ML Developer Relations at dvc.ai Advisory Board Member at DevNetwork , AWS ML Community Builder. Twitter: GiftOjeabulu_ Who am I?
3. Table of contents 01 Overview Introduction 02 Identifying a Gap Within the Community. The Barren Landscape 03 Cultivating a Niche Newsletter. Choosing the Right Fruit 04 Establishing a Content Creation Process Tilling the Soil 05 Witnessing the Blossom of a Community and Highlighting the Power of Collaboration First Bloom & Branch 06 Reflecting on the Ongoing Impact and Future Aspirations Harvest, Pollination, & Orchard’s Future
4. Introduction 01
5. What is Orchard? an area of land where fruit trees are grown: an apple orchard.
6. Community Orchard Chain Distribution 01 It grows fruit, like a newsletter you get every now and then—reliable and nice. Newsletter It doesn't grow fruit right now, kind of like how a hackathon can be tough on the outside, but fun when you finish. Hackathons It also doesn’t grow fruit yet. It’s big, like a conference where lots of people come together to share ideas. Conferences It doesn't grow fruit yet either, like a meetup where people gather for fun, but it’s not happening all the time. Meetups
7. Code Snippet A code snippet was displayed here and only available in the recorded session or when demanded for
8. The Barren Landscape? the landscape I encountered before starting the newsletter — the gaps I saw in the African Python Data+ML community from lack of local representation, limited access to resources, and how communities were scattered across regions.
9. Case Study 0 Did you or have you ever noticed any similar challenges within their own communities, making the barren landscape a shared experience across different parts of Africa? Observation: Many Africans, despite having the potential, were not connected to the larger global conversations in Python, AI, or data science E.g., give Zaynab, for instance, a 400L Unilag student.
10. Choosing the Right Fruit? I created a newsletter catering to this gap. Emphasize the importance of focusing on a niche — addressing the needs of underrepresented groups, especially Africans in tech.
11. Case Study 1 Content Curation: I curated content that resonated with the community. What type of fruit (content) did I plant? Lesson: Choosing the right content or focus for a newsletter/community is like choosing the right fruit to grow — it needs to be something that the community will value and engage with.
12. Tilling the Soil The importance of research, understanding the community's needs, and maintaining regular communication Tools and Platforms Tip: You need to invest time in research and preparation to consistently produce valuable content.
13. First Bloom & Branch Out I began to see the community engage with your newsletter — perhaps through responses, questions, or sharing the content. It was more than just a newsletter — it was the start of a community that led to meetup and so on
14. Observation & Lesson The power of collaboration across the continent, creating bridges between different regions in Africa and beyond. Motivation: Think about who they can collaborate with in their own regions to grow their initiatives further.
15. Harvest & Pollination Engagement Beyond the Newsletter: the newsletter became a launchpad for other forms of engagement — meetups, hackathons, open-source contributions, conferences, and online forums.
16. Case Study 2 Community: DatafestAfrica, MLOps Lagos community Think beyond just creating content — you can they turn their projects into opportunities for others to engage and contribute.
17. Orchard’s Impact & Future More open source contribution in the ML space, Contribution to Research etc
18. Success Metrics 01 Over 300 learners Education 02 25+ Continental reach 03 Over 10 Intl jobs Career Growth 04 DA, ML, DE and AI Skill Development 05 Grew 58% Community Impact 06 ?
19. Continental Reach West Africa East Africa South and North Africa
20. “The best time to build a strong community of Python enthusiasts was years ago; the second best time is today. Collaboration grows from the seeds we plant together.” —Gift Ojeabulu
21. We’ve built an orchard of ideas, collaboration, and growth together. But there’s always room for more. Remember, 'the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.' So let’s continue planting seeds of innovation in our Python community, starting today.
22. Conclusions Looking back, I never could have predicted that what started as a seed—this newsletter—has now grown into a thriving orchard of knowledge and collaboration. . It’s a reminder to me—and to all of us—that 'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.' So if there’s something you’re passionate about, start now. Who knows what it might grow into? Let’s keep tending to this orchard, planting new ideas, and harvesting the fruits of our collective efforts.
23. Thank You! I’M OPEN TO QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS