Wiki Movement Brazil User Group/Diversity Plan

Diversity Plan

The Diversity Plan is a document that guides the actions of Wiki Movimento Brasil in terms of knowledge equity and community inclusion. In it, we acknowledge the absence of people and knowledge within the Wikimedia Movement and commit to proactively working towards reversing this situation by establishing and promoting safe and welcoming spaces for diverse identities.

Context

Brazil is a diverse, unequal, and exclusionary country. This implies structural issues regarding how people access and participate in Wikimedia projects—and consequently, in activities promoted by Wiki Movimento Brasil. It also brings implications regarding which knowledge is or is not represented in Wikimedia projects.

As an association, Wiki Movimento Brasil critically recognizes that these absences reinforce exclusionary structures within the realm of free knowledge, distancing us from the common vision of promoting knowledge equity. We also recognize the need to take action to help reverse this scenario.

In 2019, Wiki Movimento Brasil drafted the first version of the Diversity Plan. In line with developments in discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Wikimedia Movement, and aligned with the Wiki Movimento Brasil Strategy 2023-2025, the Diversity Committee critically evaluated the 2019 Diversity Plan and met periodically in 2024 to create a new version. The document was restructured to include resolutions and implementation indicators, as well as a governance model for the Diversity Committee. It also sought to align with the strategic actions described in the Wiki Movimento Brasil Strategy 2023-2025, especially in areas such as Coordinating Brazilian Wikimedia agencies, Promoting knowledge equity, and Strengthening and directing governance networks within the Wikimedia Movement.

After presentation and discussion with the members of Wiki Movimento Brasil, the new Diversity Plan was approved at a General Assembly on November 2, 2024.

Mission

The mission of the Diversity Plan is to guide the practices of Wiki Movimento Brasil to ensure that both the associative space and its activities promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in safe and welcoming environments.

Analysis

Wiki Movimento Brasil is sensitive to the different socio-demographic and identity markers that define diversity in Brazil, such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, disability, generation, social class, education, region, and nationality. Our view on diversity is intersectional and contextualized, critical of exclusionary structures, and attentive to positive divergences.

We highlight the value of all individuals who, in a country like ours where intellectual volunteerism is the exception, manage to contribute to Wikimedia. As an association, we have limited control over the asymmetries that permeate the cultural, socio-economic, and political life of our country. However, it is our responsibility to recognize how these asymmetries create barriers to contributing to Wikimedia and to commit to enhancing the voluntary capacity, with special attention to the diverse repertoires, experiences, and identities of individuals.

Our stance will be one of protection and encouragement of diversity within our spaces and in Wikimedia, with the humility to recognize that this is a constant journey without a perfect solution. It is within the direct reach of Wiki Movimento Brasil to take steps to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion that pertain to our associative space and professional team, as well as to guide our engagement with partners and our actions within the Wikimedia Movement.

When addressing diversity, we are concerned with both the knowledge gaps in Wikimedia projects and the groups that participate in or are represented (or not) in these spaces. We understand that diversity should not be solely a quantitative measure but rather a set of practices that enable different social and identity groups to effectively participate in both activities promoted by Wiki Movimento Brasil and its spaces for organization and decision-making. We also recognize that the secure collection of data on identity profiles remains a challenge, and therefore, we must collectively seek the best practices and methodologies to understand scenarios and guide and prioritize actions for diversity, equity, and inclusion within Wiki Movimento Brasil.

Objectives

Identify and proactively address knowledge gaps in Wikimedia projects.
Encourage and facilitate the effective and safe participation of underrepresented groups and knowledge in Wiki Movimento Brasil and Wikimedia.
Develop methods for monitoring and tracking progress in measures that promote content and people diversity in our spaces.
Strengthen internal structures of inclusion and critical thinking to promote epistemic justice.
Expand collaboration with initiatives and institutions that can contribute to best practices on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Wiki Movimento Brasil.
Contextualize knowledge equity in Brazil with emancipatory practices within Wiki Movimento Brasil.
Integrate, contribute to, and learn from global spaces in the Wikimedia Movement that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Resolutions

The following resolutions will serve as foundational measures to achieve the objectives of the Diversity Plan:

Purposeful organization of campaigns and activities that contribute to creating and improving content on diversity themes and social impact topics in Wikimedia projects, as well as periodic evaluations to assess our progress on knowledge gaps.
Systematization of welcoming protocols aimed at different dimensions of diversity, including documentation of best practices for accessibility and inclusion.
Periodic evaluations of self-declared data from members and the professional team at Wiki Movimento Brasil to understand the socio-demographic and identity evolution of the organization.
Participation and promotion of strategic spaces for dialogue with other entities, such as affiliates and partners, on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the free knowledge ecosystem.

Indicators

The indicators outlined in this document aim to support the commitment to advancing diversity issues through the intentional actions of Wiki Movimento Brasil and establish basic parameters for evaluating their implementation.

In this regard, Wiki Movimento Brasil will commit to:

Dedicate at least 60% of the content generated from its activities to topics of social impact and diversity.
Dedicate at least 40% of its activities and campaigns to diversity issues in Brazil.
Organize at least one training per year on the Wiki Movimento Brasil Friendly Space Policy.
Organize at least one annual discussion or training session led by the Diversity Committee on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, with the participation of partner organizations and initiatives.
Adopt diversity criteria in recruitment processes for the professional team.
Conduct periodic internal surveys on self-declared data within the association and the professional team to map the socio-demographic and identity profile of Wiki Movimento Brasil, and conduct climate surveys focused on hierarchy and participation in decision-making spaces.

As a complementary form of evaluation, and considering the limitations and sensitivities around collecting self-declared data, Wiki Movimento Brasil may seek to identify:

The percentage of participation and retention of different socio-demographic and identity groups in campaigns and activities promoted.
The degree of diversity of individuals in leadership roles and committees within Wiki Movimento Brasil.

Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee is a voluntary body of Wiki Movimento Brasil. Initially formed in 2019 to draft the first version of the plan, the committee aims to support the implementation of the Diversity Plan outlined here.

Responsibilities of the Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee is responsible for:

Regularly monitoring and evaluating the progress of the Diversity Plan's implementation.
Advising and supporting members in organizing activities on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Fostering and leading internal formative spaces aligned with the objectives of the Diversity Plan.
Advising Wiki Movimento Brasil in discussions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Supporting WMB events with risk assessments related to the Diversity Plan resolutions, as well as in processes for distributing grants.
Advising the annual Activity Plan of Wiki Movimento Brasil, in coordination with the Strategy Subcommittees.
Promoting and applying the Friendly Space Policy, potentially supporting the resolution of violations.
Supporting the resolution of violations of the Code of Conduct of Wiki Movimento Brasil, when applicable.
Integrating strategic discussion spaces within the Wikimedia Movement that focus on diversity.

Governance

The Diversity Committee is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Diversity Plan of Wiki Movimento Brasil, as delegated by the General Assembly.

The committee will consist of at least three members and no more than seven members from Wiki Movimento Brasil.
The committee will have operational support from the professional team of Wiki Movimento Brasil, with the appointment of a designated person for organization and documentation purposes.
If applicable, the Diversity Committee may invite other members and external individuals relevant to its discussions.
There will be an open call for new members every two years, starting in 2025, to encourage turnover in the committee and the participation of members in internal decision-making spaces.
Preferably, selected members of the Diversity Committee should be familiar with the themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Diversity Committee is responsible for organizing the process and determining criteria for member renewal, ensuring turnover while maintaining the memory of committee resolutions.
Active members may serve up to two consecutive terms on the Diversity Committee.
Board members may not run for the Diversity Committee to avoid power overlaps.
Inactive members of the committee may be removed due to absenteeism after contact attempts.
Members who violate the Friendly Space Policy, whether within the Diversity Committee or in situations where they represent the committee, may be removed from the committee.
Committee members may step down at any time during their term, with the possibility of replacement before the biennial renewal period.
The committee will regularly report to the General Assembly of Wiki Movimento Brasil.

Contact

The Diversity Committee can be contacted by email: diversidade wmnobrasil.org.