Grants talk:IdeaLab/Encourage formal diversity training by trained presenters

Usefulness of diversity training

Diversity training will give benefits only when participants are invested in the idea of changing themselves. It is not something that can be forced on anyone.

Diversity training is most commonly offered as a corporate or business response in large organizations either as a response to sexual harassment or as a preventative measure to reduce instances of lawsuit. For this reason, in standard channels it is expensive and bland. For Wikimedia community needs ideally a provider could be identified which works mostly with smaller nonprofit activist groups, and which can create a program which matches the Wikimedia community's particular needs. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:57, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

Scaling this

Whatever kind of diversity training is developed has to be converted into published presentation materials, a video demonstrating how to present these kinds of talks, documentation on giving this kind of training, and localized versions of all these things. Eventually this will need to be something which can be offered internationally, even though right now the need in the English speaking world seems most urgent because that is where negative media attention is most likely. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:57, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

Conflict of interest check

Does the proposing user have any family, friends, or other people who he'd like to have owe him a favor who are, or expect to soon be, diversity trainers? Apologies if checking for this sort of thing is supposed to happen later in the process. Dingsuntil (talk) 03:43, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Dingsuntil Yes, I have friends who are diversity trainers. None of them would be fit for this role. I have asked a lot of people if anyone anywhere has experience doing diversity training for online communities. There are a few organizations which provide these services but they are all problematic. In my opinion, it would be easier to train someone who understands online communities how to do diversity training than to train someone who does diversity training how to communicate to online communities. I also have friends who work in communications to online communities - but really, I have no intention on recommending this position to anyone in particular.

I proposed this grant but I have no intention on managing it. I wish someone else would see this posting, claim the proposal, apply for the grant, then start doing the work themselves. Perhaps several people should. Blue Rasberry (talk) 02:08, 15 March 2015 (UTC)