[diversity] Workshop on Internet Governance and Feminist Internet - tips on increasing diversity at events

Dear all,

here are some notes from the event we had on 20.9.2018:
1st part: as sent from Laura
2nd part: a collection of short tips

Regards,
Vesna


From: Laura Laugwitz
====================

Dear all, thank you again for that very interesting workshop! I'd like
to share a few more resources, in case you don't know them yet:

On how to hire more women in tech, but I see it as a more general
input on how to make tech less stereotypically male:
https://www.hiremorewomenintech.com/

Sharing diversity tickets: http://diversitytickets.org

And, as a final comment, I'd like to add that we need to remind
ourselves from time to time that minorities are not the problem.

If we keep focusing on them / us, we might forget to address the actual
problem (white supremacist, capitalist, toxic masculine culture) and the
people within it who hold the power to make structural changes :)



Tips on how to increase diversity of events:
============================================

(collected at the event, during the discussion)

For the majority participants:
- attend "allies training"
- get rid of toxic people (*)


For the companies that fund participants / their own employees :
- please send junior staff / women / other minorities
	- event organisers can provide tips on WHY
	(gain knowledge, experience, social-capital...)

For the minority participants:
- foster solidarity!
- make use of "diversity tickets", mentoring, sponsorship programmes
- agree to be a speaker, even if you are in-experienced - in order to
become a "role model" for the future participants


For the event organisers:

- offer  "allies training"

- offer "diversity tickets" (free / cheaper / sponsored tickets for some
groups that are considered "minority" or "beneficial" to encourage)

- how to get women more involved in "visible" or "power positions":
	- introduce quotas for presentations slots
	- introduce quotas for all nominations

- do not give funding/sponsorship for the events that lack diversity

- do not give funding/support to toxic people

- in order to "attract" more women to participate: use the photos of the
women that are already participating, when advertising the event

- give training to moderators / "chairs" to handle difficult situations	
	- e.g. Q&A sessions: cut out "comments"; give priority to people who
are NOT the "usual suspects"; tell people off for behaving in an
inappropriate ways

- make the Q&A session to be entirely *online* !
	- (no "questions" at the mike, in person!)
	- the "questions taker" selects some questions
	or
	- "audience" votes-up or votes-down questions

=> advantages: more actual questions get answered; questions asked in a
polite way; remote participants not-disadvantaged

=> dis-advantage: interaction becomes more difficult to achieve

- empower moderators / chairs to enforce community values (CoC?)

- if the moderator is not up to their task, remove them (gently)

- help in-experienced speakers become better speakers
	- offer training/tips on presentation techniques, at the event
	- provide these workshops throughout the year
	- provide mentoring


* toxic people: (links added by Vesna)

- http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Missing_stair
-
https://www.kateheddleston.com/blog/how-our-engineering-environments-are-killing-diversity-introduction
- http://publicanthropologist.cmi.no/2018/06/20/the-problem-with-assholes/
-
https://theintercept.com/2018/06/19/metoo-cybersecurity-infosec-sexual-harassment/


On 05/09/2018 13:40, Vesna Manojlovic wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> The RIPE NCC is hosting a workshop in our office together with a
> tech-focused feminist organisation from Germany and we'd like to extend
> an invitation for you to join. We see this initiative as an extension of
> our work to increase diversity and inclusion in the RIPE community.
> 
> When: Thursday, 20 September 2018, 14:00 - 17:00
> What: Workshop on Internet Governance and Feminist Internet Perspective
> Where: RIPE NCC offices, Stationsplein 11, Amsterdam
> 
> Programme:
> - Mirjam Kuehne: Governing the Internet Infrastructure as a Commons
> https://18.re-publica.com/en/session/governing-internet-infrastructure-commons
> - Vesna Manojlovic: Ethics in Technology and RIPE Atlas
> https://program.sha2017.org/events/311.html
> - Amanda Gowland: RIPE Community Diversity Efforts
> https://labs.ripe.net/diversity
> - Discussion: Feminist Perspectives on Internet Governance
> https://feministinternet.org/ and
> https://techfestival.co/event/feminist-internet-summit/
> 
> You are invited to join!
> 
> Places are limited. Please let us know if you are interested before 18
> September 2018, 12:00 UTC, by replying to me.
> 
> Kind Regards,
> 
> Vesna Manojlovic
> Community Builder
> RIPE NCC
>