The Wonder Women Tech Village at the Long Beach Convention Center

Jesse Miller (the Honorable First Mayor of Brickersville) and I (Squigglemom, the Game Master of Brickersville), filled our wagon and walked from our 960 Square feet of LEGO® Brick heaven in picturesque Shoreline Village - Shoreline Village's Brickersville - across the bridge over Shoreline Drive to the Long Beach Convention Center and the Wonder Women Tech convention. I didn't know what to expect. I've been to lots of conventions. This one certainly was different.

The Wonder Women Tech convention has the feel of a village community. It is a showcase of entrepreneurs and a job fair for technical humans (the Hiring Humans Career Fair). It's not just for women, but the name almost guarantees a predominance of women. Men are welcome, too. In fact, the emphasis is on diversity of identity and especially of thought. It is an Alternative Con, a Tech Candidates Con, a Diversity Con, a Transition Con, a Change Makers Con all rolled into one. It acknowledges the importance of the individual and the heart of the community, technical or otherwise.

The convention is the brainchild of Lisa Mae Brunson. I haven't met Lisa Mae, but I did take a photo of her with Shelley Williams of Craft + Light. I suppose this is where I might admit that I haven't done my homework. I asked Lisa Mae, who was wearing a crown, "Are you the Queen?" Certainly, she is the Queen of Wonder Women Tech!

An aside to you, my dear reader: Does this make me socially incompetent? I swear, I could meet the Queen of England, and I might ask the same question.

I've been told by the Mayor (of Brickersville) that I'm a lot like Lisa Mae. I see what he means. She promotes S.T.E.A.M. education. The A. is so important. It stands for Art. She promotes diversity of thought. She promotes inclusion. She promotes technology. There are other reasons, that I won't discuss here. I think I should meet her. I'm always looking for new collaborations, and I can tell that I've found a like mind. I'm sure there are a lot of differences between us. I like to focus on the synergies.

Long Beach is a little big city. If you've lived here a while and have come outside for air, you'll meet someone you know. I met several I did, and several new folks as well. I learned a lot and connected with some new brick fans, always my goal.

I was going to share with you today all that I saw and did yesterday, but there was a lot going on, and I've just now decided that I'll do it in snippets. I've been told I should have one thought on one email. I suspect it should be the same with blog posts.

Patricia Tsoiasue is a community developer of socially responsible communities, a Maker, an entrepreneur and job seeker in Long Beach, CA. She runs a socially responsible corporation, ETES Inc., which has given rise to Makersville (an organic community of Makers) and Shoreline Village's Brickersville, a Brick-filled Maker Space for play that is also a support infrastructure for skills and entrepreneurship learning through LEGO Brick play. ETES has, through a collaboration with the Long Beach - Qingdao Association (a Long Beach Sister City), created an award-winning multi-national skills learning program and competition that has included the FIRST LEGO League® and World Robot Olympiad®. She is working to extend that program to better focus on her personal goals and her - and Brickersville's -new mantra "Anything can start with LEGO Bricks".

Trish is a creative problem solver trained in (and has found her creative confidence through) the methods of the Creative Problem Solving Institute and LEGO Serious Play. She facilitates those who would make change and who would find their entrepreneurial passions through play, and has created a role-playing game for entrepreneurial skills development called the Community Lemonade Game. She invites you to connect with her through the Brickersville facebook page to keep up with our play, work and charitable outreaches, and especially to add a LEGO brick presence to your corporate teambuilding, strategy modeling, problem solving, design ideation and holiday events.

She is currently working to bring play-based engagement and skills learning programs to Lincoln Elementary School. Please support the Donors' Choose programs for these projects here! and here! Just a few more days to reach the goal!