I put my name down as a volunteer back in October - October 7, to be precise. On New Year's Eve I asked the simple question: Is it possible to start a Wikipedia project that's open to women, or people who identify as women?

There are a handful of people on this list who are opposed to the idea, but I for one would have loved such a thing when I first started actively editing. Further, upon reading WP:PROJECT and nothing jumps out at as prohibiting a WP:WOMEN project. Sarah Stierch suggested proposing it. Heather Walls, who designed the Teahouse, could maybe help to make a similar, women-only space? I would be very much interested in helping with such a project, but I don't know where to start.

First thing, I suppose, would be a broad survey to see if other Wikipedia women would be interested in a project tasked by women, for women, to recruit, encourage, and support other women editors. Not about any specific topics, or points-of-view - because I think women's interests and POVs are as varied as men's - but to increase the numbers of women editing, and to provide a refuge when you just want to talk with other women about whatever it is you want to talk about that's WP related. Because even though I believe we may share interests and POVs with men, I think (and the evidence shows) that women in general (that is, far more women than men) prefer a different communication style than has developed here under 85% to 90% male participation.

Lightbreather

On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 11:06 AM, Siko Bouterse <sbouterse@wikimedia.org> wrote:
Thanks for putting this out here, Risker. I've been waiting for my blood pressure to drop a bit before posting a happy announcement of the plan to this list  :) Glad to hear that folks are excited. I'm really looking forward to what comes next!

We're going to need some help to make this first campaign happen, so next week I'll be back with a bit of a more formal ask and some further details about ways to get involved in the pre-campaign planning we're doing in January and February.

One thing to think about: we'll want some extra volunteers with gender-gap experience to serve on the committee helping select these grants. If you aren't planning to execute a project yourself, but would like to help others develop ideas into proposals and proposals into grants, please be in touch with me, or join on the project page:




On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 8:36 AM, Sarah Stierch <sarah.stierch@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes! Thank you Risker for the positive energy. This is what I want in 2015!! 

This is GREAT news!! I can't wait to see what happens. 

-Sarah 

On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 8:21 AM, Risker <risker.wp@gmail.com> wrote:
(Changing the perspective on the previous thread a bit)
 
Well, it's official - the Individual Engagement Grants (IEG) and Project & Event Grants (PEG) will be focused almost exclusively for a 3-month period on providing financial support and mentorship for requests focused specifically at addressing the gender gap.  The funding allocated - $250,000, roughly equivalent to the annual budget of many large chapters - is very significant and should help to promote good experimentation throughout this area.
 
If you've been thinking about a project you'd like to organize that is specifically gender-gap related, now's the time to start drafting your ideas and asking for support from the broader grants and GG community.  You'll need to describe your idea, set some targets, and collaborate with others as a team for the best chance of success. 
 
In particular, IEGs are intended to be experiments, and there's a recognition that some are going to be successful, while others (even if they look good on paper) are not going to produce results.  The key is ensuring that there is some learning derived from the experiments.  Don't be afraid to try something!
 
Risker/Anne

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Sarah Stierch

-----

Diverse and engaging consulting for your organization.

www.sarahstierch.com


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Siko Bouterse
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.

sbouterse@wikimedia.org

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. 
Donate or click the "edit" button today, and help us make it a reality!

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