Posted by zzolo on March 12, 2011 at 1:17am
Not that I don't personally thinks its really valuable, but it might be good to have some text about why diversification matters. The mission statement of this group kind of overlooks that fact, IMO. But it would help better focus action as well as address concerns when people are negative about these awesome initiatives.
Comments
Heh, that is funny. I hadn't
Heh, that is funny. I hadn't considered it wasn't completely obvious! Man- if there are naysayers who are "negative" about this, well frankly, screw them. Of course this is just my personal opinion. ;)
Thanks for pointing this out. I do think this is a group talking to "the converted", and in that sense, the need for diversity is a given.
If someone IS actually discriminatory in attitude or behavior... I don't know what to say here. I don't want to waste my time trying to convert people. Not worth the breath. It will happen without them. The best we can do is vocally correct any discriminatory behavior we see. As far as I have heard (proven by research) that's one effective thing that works. I didn't want to make this a group only about "discrimination within" the Drupal community...
In the DrupalChix bof of the 40(?) women, only 2 were actively involved in their local community to effect change in any way. So... again, a little less talk a little more action. We want diversity, but what are we willing to do to get it? Sorry DrupalChix, I do like that group! (I even helped on the logo :)
The mood I'd like to set in this group is one focused on planning action (plans, models, examples); doing (collaborating on and promoting activities/events); and reflecting on action (results and what can we do better). Rinse repeat. Hence the title, heh.
Can you propose the addition to the mission statement? I'd make you an admin- but I can't seem to edit that yet.
Hmm.. well in terms of "WHY" diversify... Could we simply acknowledge that there's a massive demand for Drupal talent, and if we limit this to a select pool of people... then we're set to fail.
I mean, just on that level it's pure logic. If someone is lacking a sense of fairness, justice, compassion or love... then does logic work? Not sure what's left, to be honest.
Anyone else have thoughts?
If someone IS actually
We need to be aware that discriminatory/anti-social/racist/sexist attitudes combined with a lack of diversity can indicate to people "welp! i'm not welcome here." I think the Drupal community has its "house" mostly in order, but I am not in the best position to judge. However, I am heartened by the fact that Drupalcon Chicago (from all accounts I heard) had none of these incidents we know from the past where someone's intentional act or faux pas provoked conflict and alienation.
On the other hand, people join the Drupal community to work and learn. In many contexts, the low technological and economic barrier to developing with Drupal-the-tool and engaging with Drupal-the-community (at least in Drupalcamps, forums, IRC, etc.) means we can really encourage people to participate in a real spirit of generosity and freedom.
We should do an inventory of innovative projects where Drupal was used in (vocational and technical) education, after-school programs, and other organizations who are using Drupal incidentally to train web development skills.
i.c. stars uses Drupal in its educational programs. It even trains people to work in teams, delegate tasks, and assess strengths and weaknesses of team members. Where do the folks in i.c. stars end up? Can we bring some of them into Drupal?
East Palo Alto has a youth/young adult program who worked with CivicActions to learn Drupal and essentially start their own Drupal shop. They presented at Drupalcon SF. Their Drupal Voices podcast is really inspiring.
Individual instructors at IADT and University of Phoenix both have used Drupal to train students in web development. I don't know if these instructors are still working there or if they still use Drupal, but this environment could be a great opportunity to not only attract new folks to the Drupal community, but also to support their continued professional development and connect them with jobs! (Drupal jobs are a great way to get people to stay in the Drupal community!)
And there are others! Do people think it's worthwhile to do an inventory of programs like this? How can we do it?
Finally: We need to recognize that Drupal is international. "Diversity" is a concept that has meaning in the North American context, but it might be HARMFUL in other areas. For example, diversity in some countries might be religious rather than racial or ethnic, and it's possible that people will regard attempts to address "diversity" as an attempt to divide them. Likewise, in areas where there is ongoing political or military conflict, bringing "different people" together might actually harm or sow conflict their "real-life" communities. We should define the scope of our "diversity action" and limit it to areas where we have confidence or evidence that we can actually take action that has a positive outcome for the community and the people.
Yes!
Yes, it is totally awesome to have a list of current projects and initiatives. It really helps see that things are going on and inspires people to do more. A wiki page would be cool.
--
zzolo
My .05
My blurbs. I'm not much of a wordsmith, so feel free to co-opt and co-mingle anything I say.
Because..
usuallyrequires proactive attention, rather than just self-satisfaction.*1- haha
*2- at least to self-aware people, who usually make nifty collaborators.
I think even a lot of the
I think even a lot of the people who support this might be a bit in the dark on the specifics of how to improve - I tend to think that a listing, or better yet case studies, would be a great resource.
Also, @bangpound thanks for keeping pushing us out of our boxes - I am just as guilty as anyone of thinking in a western context about these sorts of things. Drupal can be such a tool for empowerment, definitely want to help it help as many people as possible!
I wonder if a word smith can
I wonder if a word smith can help re-write this group description and goal?
It's still not approved yet. The aims and goals of the group still are not CLEAR.
I was asked- "why shouldn't this be under the 'marketing drupal' group"... and I don't think I've been good at explaining.
It was also recommended to take the word 'diversity' out of the title, and simply try something like Drupal Outreach... because we need to grow the community, and people may not be in areas with any kind of diversity... (which I find hard to imagine... because even though I live in a place w no racial diversity, I could work on age or gender diversity, or in disadvantaged communities...)
Can someone help write this out?
1) A one-line summary of aims of the group
2) A brief one paragraph mission statement.
I have been too wordy!
Become Drupal ambassadors
Hi Heather,
I thought about this for a while. I remember noticing how few people of color there were at DrupalConSF (I couldn't make it this year), even in the Drupalchix BoF. Being a woman, I know how overwhelming it can be to be the only "X" in the room (substitute your favorite minority). I don't know how much of this is due to cost at large events, or how much is due to educational challenges. Some of the factors are certainly systemic, but there are things that we as individuals and companies can do to broaden Drupal's reach in our communities.
Here are a ways we can be Drupal Ambassadors and help diversify our community:
Say hi to the person who's standing by themselves at any Drupal event, and welcome them personally. Find out about their interests, and help them to meet others you know who have similar interests. We can all do this, at least once during an event.
Similarly, when you have a choice between talking with people just you know (friends or colleagues), or a person of a different background, make an effort to reach out to the person who's different and who you don't know. It's important to do both, reinforce friendships and meet other folks.
When in a non-Drupal gathering, mention your interest/involvement in the Drupal community, and ask if anyone else has an interest or any questions. I did that last evening at a meetup about game development, and after it finished, began a discussion about Drupal with someone who's using Wordpress, but is interested in Drupal. I'll also invite him to the next Drupal training meetup and DrupalCamp when they happen.
Consider (maybe though the Drupal Association) how we can mentor teens, in addition to the Summer of Code.
Support low-income aspiring Drupalists to attend DrupalCon at least once (through scholarships?). Another idea that might be worth pursuing is streaming more sessions, and encouraging local meetups during DrupalCon for folks who would like to attend but don't have the funds available for travel & hotel, as well as the trend to holding DrupalCamps in more cities.
Partner, or share knowledge with Drupal groups in different areas of the world. I don't know how this would work exactly, but it would be great to learn more about Drupal meetups around the world, so that we always remember that Drupal is a worldwide community.
I couldn't come up with a rewrite of your statement, however I hope that these ideas help with concrete actions that we can take or at least consider.
Best, Marilyn
(PS: I've been busy/crazy since last fall, sorry I dropped out of contact. Would like to reconnect :)
Best, Marilyn
Group name--
So, I'd just like to say I think we'll do better to remove "recruitment" from the group name - it has some bad associations as far as military, cults, etc. ;)
How about "Diversity and Outreach Project" or just "Diversity and Outreach"? Sounds a lot friendlier.
I like "Diversity and Outreach"
I like "Diversity and Outreach". Also, sorry for the huge delay in following up on the initial question. Will come back to soon.
--
zzolo
Diversity and Outreach
I completely agree with @arianek -recruitment does have a bit of a negative connotation.
Besides, I like the Acronym for Diversity and Outreach (DO) better than the one for Diversity Outreach Recruitment Project (DORP).
Diversity and Outreach
I completely agree with @arianek -recruitment does have a bit of a negative connotation.
Besides, I like the Acronym for Diversity and Outreach (DO) better than the one for Diversity Outreach Recruitment Project (DORP).
I say keep recruitment in
When I think "recruitment" I think of military and whatnot. But when I think "recruiting" it mostly brings up thoughts of high-school and college sports.
When I think of outreach I think of showing up somewhere with a table and complaining that nobody signed up.
So I say change it to Drupal Recruiting and Outreach Project . . . initials intentional
what you don't know will inspire you
a few weeks late
So, I had a (what I think brilliant) thought on the BART this morning about how to describe why diversity is important comparing it to the hook system, so here it goes:
"We, as a community, want to make a concentrated effort on creating a more diverse set of contributors in Drupal because it ensures we have as many perspectives as possible working on Drupal. The core architecture of Drupal, the hook system, creates the ability for the extension of Drupal by not making assumptions of what can be done, but by simply allowing points for coders to do more. In the same goal, we cannot actually anticipate all the different ideas, energies, collaboration, and values that the world can provide to us so we must strive to include as many people from as many different backgrounds as possible."
So, have had it. I think it can be condensed.
--
zzolo
Hah. It's a little vague, so
Hah. It's a little vague, so we might want to add a sentence or two about what the group's purpose is, but otherwise I like metaphors, so +1.
thanks
Thanks. Yeah, I definitely don't think its a full mission statement.
--
zzolo
a few thoughts
I like the hooks analogy.
I think the Drupal "Prairie Initiative" might be good to pay attention to - focusing on making the contribution process easier.
Why this group
I do think it is important to state why constantly reaching out across social borders matters, and we need a place to be able to talk about this. I think we need a well-oiled defense for the very reason why the groups admins tell us that we have no argument & therefore do not deserve a group.
As we learned with Drupalchix, it's the combination of our professional technical interest in Drupal with our identities and the reality of doing work, and things that prevent us from participating in Drupal more deeply and effectively.
I am of the opinion that a small part of the kind of work we need to do is in communities, little sprints, special projects, things that introduce not just Drupal, but how technology can be used to solve real-world problems in communities.
This group is probably more strategy, resources & discussion.
Oh also, in the past few months, I have had more interactions with non-Drupal open source people. Occasionally, people think we are cult-like zealots. This bugged me a lot, because like @LP said "There are plenty of folks out there with time/energy/skill who are going to be more likely to put all their chips in when they see not only a platform/framework*, but also a community they would be proud to be part of."
It's because of the fact that Drupal has the intention to be inclusive & open & empowering that I participate. The limitlessness and boundlessness it what attracts me, and being able to collaborate and build for humans on earth.
I realized Drupal is a movement, not a cult. It's a movement in support of community-built software. We try to work hard on making that process work out, and so I think that is the point of this group - to have a space for dealing and working on the edge cases - to help people who want to be involved to find a comfortable place in the community to collaborate with others in solving technical problems related to web software via Drupal. I think Drupal is so fascinating because, at Drupalcons, I've never seen so many people with conflicting view points working together on their technology. What more, I realized that we could probably replace the code part of Drupal with code in any other language, and we would still probably stick together because we are focused on solving problems together. It's our community process in making a framework. One day web pages as we know them will go away, it's possible that our connections and community process will live on as we continue helping solve technology problems.
Time & Jobs
I think time & jobs/economics might be important areas to pay attention to for outreach. I had the opportunity to see the Google Analytics for drupal.org at the Stanford Drupalcamp last week. You could see the spikes in Drupal activity during the week. I even think that Neil Drumm/amazon were saying that most commits to drupal were done during the week as people were doing this at their jobs. This is different from the model I had in my head that people do most of their Drupal work in their extra free time, but it is probably much more complicated. It's heartening to me to think that most commits are actually by people working 9-5 jobs, and not by people who are staying up until 3am (perhaps this has changed over time?) -- because that is something that I and a lot of other people just can't do. But before anyone believes this as a fact, we should get real data if it is available.