Governance Taskforce Recommendation "Clarify and Expand Local Drupal Associations"

There is a wealth of existing knowledge on how to create and grow local communities; we need to assist the next generation of Drupal community members to successfully manage and grow a local presence.

What we heard:
Well-organised local Drupal associations are a vital part of the community. They provide support to members in their own language, while being mindful of local culture, allowing Drupal to grow and flourish in regional areas. They establish a human connection — identified as a priority by the feedback we collected.

However, not all regions have a local association, and there are no established processes or guidelines to assist community members willing to do the work to establish one.

What we recommend:

We recommend the creation of a Local Association Working Group. This group would promote the creation of local chapters, support their ongoing work, and facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing amongst groups. The intent of this group is to facilitate the transfer of the vast wealth of knowledge people have amassed over the years, and to share that forward. The additional recommendation in this report for a new community website will act as an important tool for this group. A relationship with the DA would be beneficial for funding, legal support, and collaboration.

It is especially important to encourage the creation of a local association in the US, to make it clear that the Drupal Association serves our global community and has a relationship with the work of local associations. Until this happens, there will always be a feeling outside the US that the Drupal Association is “US-centric”.

We further recommend that this working group be given responsibility of establishing the process around the creation of new local groups and for defining best practices. The Local Association Working Group would recommend a set of services and operations local associations can offer, work with the DA for support, and provide guidelines on how to best to promote Drupal and local events