Ally Workshops

The Ada Initiative’s Ally Workshop curriculum is available online (scroll down to resources). This is something we’ve talked about wanting to be able to use for a longish time now, and I have to admit I’m a little bit bummed to be exiting just as it could be a new program for us. I have gone through the ally workshop twice — once at OSBridge and once at AdaCamp, and I do think that it is a useful format for helping people (but especially men) realize that some things they thought were not sexist (or homophobic, or transphobic, or racist, or generally inappropriate) actually are, without it getting called out in a real situation that might inspire defensiveness. That said, the people who tend toward this behavior are not exactly the folks who’ll volunteer to go to an ally workshop in the first place. 🙂

But! How can we leverage these materials best? Ask meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. to do a workshop? Sucker people into it at a WC? Run some test workshops in select cities, with experienced community team members as the facilitators? Create a shortened version with examples that are more specific to our community and that can be conducted in 2 hours so it falls into a normal meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. time slot? Come up with a name that focuses more on being a better WP citizen and less on being an ally (insider terminology)?

As we regroup to tackle the code of conductCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” - Wikipedia, this could be a good vehicle for communication those expectations that are a little too granular to put in a document like that.

Ideas, suggestions, etc. in the comments!

#ada-initiative, #ally-workshop, #behavior, #code-of-conduct