On 6/10/19 12:16 PM, María Leandro wrote:
> Hello all! long time :)
>
¡Hola María! 😊
> * D&I team would be able to gather 1:1 info from real cases, real
> experiences since survey system haven't been a viable solution "yet".
> * People with real struggles would find a familiar face where to lay
> part of their struggles and open up (hopefully)
> * Fedora community CoC and how we handle events could benefit from the
> information gathered.
> * Not only people affected, but 3rd parties friends who know cases and
> victims, can work as bridges into knowing those experiences.
> * The better the info, the better we can help.
>
This could be a great feedback mechanism for the D&I Team. Since the
demographic survey is off the table, this is a first step to collect
feedback from the community on what areas we can best focus our time and
have the most effective impact on the Fedora community.
> Worst case scenario? And potential solutions...
>
> * People is to afraid to show up in person and talk about their
> experiences: Here comes some main points.
>
One thing that Misc mentioned in IRC was setting realistic expectations.
We should be up front that we cannot guarantee an outcome to an issue
someone shares with us, but we can do our best to listen and find a way
to make their (anonymous) feedback heard. If we are transparent and set
expectations up front, we can avoid disappointment or anger if something
is currently out of our combined ability to address.
> - Who: Having a familiar face could be the break point for some
> people, so it's "a must" to have people who have been long term
> contributors into the D&I or the Fedora environment and have proven to
> be non-conflict, easy listeners and at least good and fluent with
> English so nothing gets lost in translation.
>
I suggest current active members of the team are eligible for this role.
Not to exclude an eager person from helping, but a volunteer should
understand how to be a good listener and not passing any judgment on
what someone shares something personal. This is key because we do not
want someone to feel bad or regret having spoken up at all!
Yes, it's key to:
* Have long term contributors start with this and not just volunteers. Despite volunteers might have the best wishes, empathy and energy, it will take some time until people feel comfortable. The idea is not to have a hot line for support because none of us (well, probably someone) are experts on this situations. We just want to listen to what people have to say and try to improve those areas of the community that can be improved.
* "No advice at all" policy: Is not about a support, it's about gathering info about those things that happen behind curtains and that are hurting or making people feel uncomfortable inside the community.
> - Where: Having a personal meeting would make it easier to be
> recognized by others, and this bring a new difficulty, however, there
> are ways to address this:
> Option A: Share a casual coffee with your listener, so it's not
> an uncomfortable interview.
> Option B: Have a chat table, so you can just write your
> thoughts but being closer for a friendly support if needed.
> Option C: No personal interaction, but host a meeting at the
> end of Flock to discuss the info gathered without disclosing personal
> info, or details about the info gathered.
>
I like Option A!
I'm not sure what you mean with Option B – could you please clarify?
In case people is uncomfortable with a 1x1 talk, then we could set a private irc channel or something, (only invitation as per email request) and people could sit at the table and chat, but being close with the listeners. From experience, I know there's a lot of people who doesn't feel too comfortable talking, but is more comfortable with chat. This kind of chats could also be conducted before/during/after flock just to maintain the flow of info.
I think Option C is difficult since Flock ends on Sunday afternoon and a
lot of people have travel commitments shortly after and need to check
out of a hotel. I wouldn't want an important conversation to be rushed
or be cut short because of a flight time.
> - How: The most important part of the idea is to let people know they
> will be in a safes pace with someone who won't emit judges or give
> advice, we are only listeners trying to understand better how we can
> keep improving the overall social health of the community. So again,
> here are some ideas on how we could let people feel safe into contacting us:
> Option A: A general call for contributions where those who are
> interested into share information can send a private email, so no names
> or anything will be public.
> Option B: A point of contact or person of contact (probably
> someone with a special tag or something so again, is not a noticeable
> spot where others can feel judged) they can reach for a coffee (please
> have a coffee/tea spot).
> Option C: A note box. A nice option would include to have a box
> where people can write their experiences, suggestions and more, and just
> place them in a safe box where no names would be seen at all. completely
> anonymous, and again, read them all and discuss with the lesser details
> how that can help us improve.
>
I like Option A. Closer to Flock, we could send an announcement on
Flock-attendees mailing list and IRC/Telegram that the D&I Team will run
these sessions and who you can reach out to for a 1x1 conversation. This
way, someone can reach out to a specific person they feel comfortable
with and plan 1x1 time with them.
> - Fedora Map: It would also be a great (and weird) idea to have somehow
> of a world map where people could just put a post it or a sticker on how
> they feel according to:
> ' Overall joy of being a worldwide Fedora member
> ' How comfortable fo you feel with your regional community?
> ' Are you comfortable with your regional group?
> ' Do you have a nice and smooth interaction inside the Teams
> you're part of?
>
I like this idea, but I think we need a way to address negative feedback
if someone answers negatively in a public format. We might not be able
to do this. I think it is better to save these questions for the 1x1
conversations. What do you think?
Alternatively, it would still be fun to have a big map with tack-pins or
toothpick flags where people could pin where they are from. This would
be a cool way to see where Flock attendees come from and be a fun
activity to show off at the end of Flock!
> Anyway... long email, but do any of these ideas ring a bell to you?
> Does this sounds like a good idea to start collecting real information
> about the social health of Fedora community?
>
One thing from IRC this morning is acknowledging this idea does exclude
a large portion of our community to Flock attendees. Unfortunately, a
lot of people cannot travel for a variety of reasons. That said, I think
this is a good start for our team and it gives us *something* to try
since the demographic survey is off the table. We need to start
somewhere small and then gradually build out and build up.
Yes, It would be just a pilot to see if people get interested on sharing their experiences. It can even start before flock, discuss at flock the info gathered and continue after. Could become a yearly report, if people starts interacting, on the overall community health.
Tatica, do you plan to attend Flock this year? Would you be interested
in organizing and leading this? Let us know – I am happy to support and
be a part of this idea with you. :D
I would love to, I'm not gonna lie... but I've been away from the community for so long that I don't know if I could deserve the expenses.
Living in my country makes me need full funding and probably someone who has been contributing on a more regular basis could use better the money. If somehow the proposal looks attractive enough, and my background experience can be useful to organize the sessions, information and such, then I would love to go. However, I would rather to leave that decision to the Diversity Team itself.
Thanks for bringing this idea to the list.
thank you all for doing a terrific work while I was AFK :)
--
Cheers,
Justin W. Flory
justinwflory.com
TZ=America/Chicago
Pronouns: he/him/his
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