The Next Wave of TYPO3

The TYPO3 community is in a quiet transition. A new generation is already here—learning fast, building confidently, and beginning to find their voice.

In April, I attended TYPO3 Surf Camp in Fuerteventura. I was there in a different capacity, working on content and photography for the TYPO3 Company. Even so, I got to know many of the attendees and learned about the projects they were working on, their experience with TYPO3, and what they hope to achieve early in their careers.

There’s something refreshing about spending time with people who are genuinely excited to grow. I spent a week in sunny Fuerteventura with a group of highly motivated young professionals—focused and productive during the day, and social, open, and fun to be around in the evenings.

Over the past three years, as TYPO3 Surf Camp has grown, I’ve noticed more younger people attending other TYPO3 camps and events as well. I’ve watched them reconnect in that familiar, almost reunion-like way whenever they meet again. As someone now well integrated into the TYPO3 community, I’ve come to value those same moments myself, catching up with people from different agencies over coffee, between sessions, or during a walk around the block.

This year, I realized something had shifted. The surf camp attendees have become part of that same circle. The people I once observed are now the people I expect to see again at conferences not as newcomers, but as contributors, speakers, and peers.

At the surf camp, mentors encouraged attendees to submit talks to the TYPO3 Developer Days. But it went beyond simple encouragement. During the closing session, one of the mentors and founders, Susi Moog, gave an impassioned speech urging attendees to share their ideas and findings. She reminded them of their talent and of the importance of their voices. And she was right. Every one of them had something worth sharing—not someday, but now.

Communities like TYPO3 don’t stay alive through maintenance alone. They thrive when knowledge, responsibility, and visibility are passed on. What I saw at surf camp was a clear willingness to step up.

Having spoken at a TYPO3 bar camp and at last year’s Dev Days, I can say this with sincerity: put yourself out there. Make yourself a little uncomfortable. Find a way to contribute. You might be surprised by the doors that open and by the people who remember what you had to say.

If you’re part of that next wave, you don’t need permission to step forward—you just need to start. Interested in giving a talk at this year's Dev Days? Submit your talk idea here. 

Whether you’re at a BarCamp, Developer Days, a conference, or anywhere TYPO3 is, you’ll find familiar faces ready to welcome you.