Talk:Wikimedia Diversity Conference 2017/Diversity conversation

Defining diversity - what does diversity mean in your context?

I'm surprised to see this defined as refugee communities and indigenous languages. While I agree those are important groups, too, I think focusing exclusively on them ignores major issues of systemic bias that permeate all of our major language projects too. I am not an expert on other major language Wikipedias, but I know the English Wikipedia still has significant systemic bias issues in content related to race, gender, and sexuality, and the work that groups like Art + Feminism, AfroCrowd, the Wikipedia in Residence for Gender Equity at WVU, and (admitting my own bias here) the Wiki Education Foundation do to counter that systemic bias is still critically important. I know there are a lot of other groups worldwide tackling this systemic bias in other language Wikipedias as well, often through education programs. By the way this question is worded, are you suggesting systemic bias in major language Wikipedias is no longer a diversity issue? --LiAnna (Wiki Ed) (talk) 18:25, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

• For me, diversity is the inclusion of anybody who thinks, feels and acts differently in a way that ensures that the voice and acts of the concerned person is heard and seen and the person does not feel being left out in the society, in a community or in any area of life. John Samuel 18:57, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
• For me, diversity is primarily about indigenous peoples and languages. Borovi4ok (talk) 10:44, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
• For me, diversity is ensuring participation from all groups; Specially the marginal voices such as voices of women and girls, indigenous people, transgender people etc. -Afifa Afrin (talk) 13:33, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
• For me, diversity is all kind of people from different genders and age, are writing safely on Wikipedia without fear to express their opinion without being subject to harassment and bullying. Hanay (talk) 16:01, 8 December 2017 (UTC)
• Diversity, for me, means an equitable distribution of people and ideas, representative of various backgrounds and worldviews. In practice, it means all people (in the room) do not look, act, or believe in the same ways. FULBERT (talk) 17:22, 9 December 2017 (UTC)
• For me, diversity is participation of all kinds of people from different indigenous group, gender, age, and marginal languages etc to increasing the diversity in content and participation in the Wikimedia movement. --Janak Bhatta (talk) 10:21, 10 December 2017 (UTC)
• Diversity in my context means have different perspectives (related to different age, culture, gender, language, background, abilities etc), both in content and participation. In italian we have, for example, a great wealth of languages. We have also a lot of people, individuals and female associations, interested in gender issues (gender gap, violence against the women, gender language, sexism etc). --Camelia (talk) 10:52, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• The most important part of working with diversity is adressing and changing existing power structrues. Who's voices are not heard? Here we must look at gender, class and ethnicity. At this point we have chosen to focus on the most pressing issues in Norway; Gender Gap and minority languages. --Jorid Martinsen (WMNO) (talk) 13:04, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• Diversity can be defined in many ways. For me, Diversity is accepting, respecting, and dealing with others the way they are, regardless their gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Everyone is unique, and we have to respect that. As it for its relation with Wikimedia, Diversity is the inclusion of everyone, and it is crucial for the eventual success of the Wikimedia movement goals. Increasing Diversity will enable minorities (people, communities, thoughts, etc.) to be more viewed and known when it comes to decision making in our movement. --Youssef Ben Haj Yahia (talk) 22:10, 06 February 2018 (UTC)

Input from Wikimedia Conference 2018

Participants at Wikimedia Conference 2018 joined the diversity conversation and contributed the following input, documented and led by Netha Hussain.

• What does diversity mean to you in your context?
• Diversity = being inclusive of (everything)
• Diversity in terms of culture (such as in Philippines) and in terms of interests, focus (Wikimedians from around the world have different interests)
• some areas such as oral culture lack focus in Wikimedia.

• In France,

Gender diversity

Language diversity (France minority languages being re-coded).

• In Uruguay,

recognition of the diversity within Wikimedia movement, but important backlash from conservative groups (religion)

these conservative groups are very active on social media

the chapter promotes diversity through activities (edt-a-thons)

LGBT minorities is a keyword, it is massive in the movement

• Recognizing the diversity we already have in Taiwan,

majority are the Han people from China

seeing different faces, from different cultures, in different situations, having different voices and opinions on WP

many immigrants from Indonesia etc in Taiwan, but we rarely see them participating

Thai festivals - would love to see more on Chinese language Wikipedia about these people and their culture

organizations help these workers - we could hold edit-a-thons with these organizations

number of articles is less important metric than the involvement of people

How to find sources about underrepresented cultures: discuss with them the importance of having digitalized archive - right now, their knowledge is invisible on the Internet, discussing with them what subjects are important, how to treat them respectfully

collaboration is more important than the raw output

including new perspectives, point of views

• Other kinds of diversity, often forgotten:

disability

different views within the feminist movement Eg: focus on women's protection, sexual subjectivity, work enforcement

Age: online population is young

In Uruguay, more older people than people under 20

technology/young should be bridged within the older people's knowledge

many elderly contributors in South East Asia (India)

very different contexts: political affiliation, social situation

recognizing the diversity we already have vs increasing the diversity on the projects

diversity is often invisible: see and recognize possible backlash

seeing different faces, hearing different voices

Define what are the needs that should be addressed in order to work for diversity in your context

• To ensure diversity, mediums must be provided that ensures voice and acts of every individual is heard and seen. John Samuel 19:01, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
• To ensure Diversity human resource ( active editors from diverse group) is very important. Again monetary resource is also important for small communities.-Afifa Afrin (talk) 13:39, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
• We want to encourage a variety of ideas and people who hold them to work together for solutions that are richer as a result of equitable access. This is especially important in how people learn and experience new things and communicate differently as a result. For as to succeed as a diverse movement, we need to realize that including people means taking them where they are and supporting them as they make contributions in their own ways. In practice, this may mean more usable interfaces that do not require a basic level of technical coding skills. FULBERT (talk) 17:26, 9 December 2017 (UTC)
• We need to involve more people (going to them, creating channels to have a dialogue and organizing events), sensitize public opinion and institutions about how important is to adress diversity and especially address it in Wikipedia (by extension in Wikimedia projects), which is not only a revolutionary site/software, but also a revolutionary philosophy and a (hoping) sane community. --Camelia (talk) 10:59, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• Norway is a fairly equal society, but there still are a lot of diversity issues to adress. Doing advocay work for Gender Gap as an example gets a lot of positive feedback in the public, but it often stops when it comes to putting words to action amongst a lot of those who define the discussions on how to prioritize, both inside and outside the movement. Therefore it is necessary with incentives to make sure that there also is diversity at all levels in the organisation: Staff, board, in organising events, in publicity work etc.--Jorid Martinsen (WMNO) (talk) 13:13, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• Everyone want to make his/her voice heard, but it is not always an easy task to do, especially for minorities. Therefore, it is our priority is to make it easier for them to be heard. We need to show how good Diversity is! --Youssef Ben Haj Yahia (talk) 22:23, 07 February 2018 (UTC)

Input from Wikimedia Conference 2018

Participants at Wikimedia Conference 2018 joined the diversity conversation and contributed the following input, documented and led by Netha Hussain.

• What needs should be addressed in order to work for diversity in your context? What resources are relevant to address those needs?
• Knowledge comes in different shapes, and they all cannot be put into the Wikimedia box. The Wikimedia box should have the flexibility to embrace forms of knowledge such as oral, multimedia etc, with technical easiness.
• There should be more curated and guided introduction to contributors for the first time, but mostly beyond
• Put forward guidelines to language and Wikipedia communities as has to change/alter policy to allow for more gentle, supported entry to Wikipedia contribution
• Digital literacy, literacy in the language, Internet access for communities, reach community leaders for building trust, local capacitation
• We need media to address diversity
• WMF needs to change the media upload system
• everyone should be able to upload from mobile phones
• Make incubator system easier, it is not easy for new communities

What resources are relevant to tend to those needs?

• Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia projects, Commons often provide a medium to people who feel that they are being left out by the 'mainstream' society. John Samuel 19:03, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
• It would be wonderful to centralize a "Welcome, New Wikipedia User! Start HERE" section with links to how to get started in a way that would be understandable to the majority of new users. We do not need to reinvent the wheel, but let's at least follow adult learning theory principles to help people when they are ready for help or need help but have no clear sense on how to find it on their own. I even volunteer to help with this, as it was one of the biggest hurdles that nearly had me leave as soon as I started. FULBERT (talk) 17:30, 9 December 2017 (UTC)
• First of all people, volunteers, wikipedians to help (write articles, get involved in helping in loco and on line events, in training in schools and help new users, in contacting institutions). On the base of our movement is a (1)good philosophy of free and open knowledge for everyone without distinction and this, in combination with (2)themes that people uphold (gender gap and disability for example are very heartfelt) and with groups of pasionate and dinamic (3)wikipedians that talk about their work, people arround and institutions get involved for sure and will do their part (offering collaborations, free locations and wikifi etc). So are needed volunteers and conditions to meet people/entities, for example organizing events/partnership. --Camelia (talk) 11:35, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• Diversity work is time consuming, and a long term commitement is needed to get results. A key factor is having people who can spend time on the diversity projects, and this often is dependent on monetary resources. Also, the make the diversity work sustainable and to ensure that different chapters and affiliates can take use of each others experiences, framework and tools for international collaborations would be welcomed resources. --Jorid Martinsen (WMNO) (talk) 14:08, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
• We should adapt our strategies to the different needs of people. We all have similarities, but not everybody have the same interests. So, adapting the calls and the projects to each people and community characteristiques is very important for eventual success. -Youssef Ben Haj Yahia (talk) 22:32, 07 February 2018 (UTC)

Input from Wikimedia Conference 2018

Participants at Wikimedia Conference 2018 joined the diversity conversation and contributed the following input, documented and led by Netha Hussain.

• What group norms and hierarchies are hindering our progress?
• lack of research+ data on norms
• policy that hinders is notability
• norms + practices noted: linguistically diverse, ability norm, conservatism (the belief that knowledge is already documented)
• hierarchies:

admin,

length of time editing,affect communication channels - hinder cross wiki connection,

geographical affiliate v/s interest group, economic disparity,

geographical distance,

organizational-lower down the chain the context is not clear/lost