- Teach #ASKnet community new skills which help enable women empowerment and support to build networks in their communities.
- Provide participants with concrete strategies and tools for creating inclusive spaces for women
- Discuss best practices for maintaining women's participation in media activities and workshops.
- Develop practical skills and tools for implementing these best practices in their own organizations and work.
- Offer strategies for addressing the challenges faced by the women and organizations themselves
During this session, a collaborative process will be employed to generate three key questions: 'What,' 'Why,' and 'How.' The session will delve into the 'what,' focusing on the core content or subject matter. It will address the 'why' to emphasize the significance and relevance of this content. Most importantly, the primary focus will be on sharing the 'how,' offering concrete strategies and actionable steps to empower and support women within their communities and facilitate the creation of inclusive spaces.
Answers from the webinar participants:
- What do I think of first? Great stories, great experiences that want and need to be shared.
- It´s giving everyone sitting on the table and letting their voices be heared
- Creating room for equity.
- Share stories and experiences.
- It´s all about inclusivity and making sure the obstacles that may be in the way of woman in tech and media are removed.
- What comes to mind is not just including women, but making sure that they are actually empowered and bringing results to the tabel.
Answers from the participant in form of a tag cloud
Answers from the participant in form of a diagram
"The greates poverty that anyone can ever have is lack of access."
by the unknown cousin
Inclusion inherently entails providing access and opportunities. In various programs and projects, the aspiration is always to maximize inclusion. However, the absence of the necessary expertise can often lead to challenges. This is where the Gender Inequality Triangle tool comes into play, offering a solution to "The How?", to bridge the gap and enhance inclusivity.
The Inequality Triangle
It consist of three sites and has four simple steps that one can take.
1. Scan:
Scan the room to ensure representativeness. Look around to check if we are all here (this creates self-awareness).
"Is everyone here? Are we all represented?"
"Do we have women from minority / ethnicity groups? Are they represented?"
2. Awareness:
-
Create corporate awareness (the fact that you know that not everyone is represented does not mean that the next person is aware). You do this by asking the next person if we are all represented.
"Neighbour are you aware that not everyone is represented? There are people who are missing." -
Come up with solutions to address gender inequality.
"Ask your employee to reach out to people who aren`t part of the program / course / etc. yet."
3. Solutioning:
Actioning - actually putting the solutions into actions.
“Finding a hundred solutions and implementing none is an exercise in futility” (Warren Buffett)
Reference: Gender inequality starts in the home | Matshepo Msibi | TEDxLytteltonWomen
Complete the Inequality Triangle [S.A.M.A]
- Develop effective strategies for scaning the room concerning your programs or organization.
- Create a comprehensive plan for raising awareness, considering the channels and methods to be employed.
- Identify the specific audience(s) to whom you intend to raise awareness, ensuring clarity on demographics and characteristics.
- Formulate practical solutions and actionable steps aligned with your awareness-raising goals, contributing positively to the community or cause.
The recording of the first webinar session can be found here
Community of Practice
A Community of Practice comprises three essential elements:
-
Domain:
This involves a group of individuals sharing a common interest. For instance, consider fans of the English football club Liverpool. These fans, easily identified by their red jerseys, unite under the hashtag #ynwa (acronym for "you never walk alone") on social media. -
Community:
This represents a group of individuals with a shared objective of improvement, exemplified by groups like #ASKnet. -
Practice:
Within this community, there exists an opportunity for individuals to exchange experiences.
To enhance participation in a Community of Practice, the following toolbox elements should be applied:
- Individual / Institutional Brainstorming from lived experiences
- Community Sharing – Case Studies and Scenarios
- Collecting and collating experiences
- Expert Guidance / Intervention
- ToolBox Development + Additional Resources
The following tool box was developed within a role play (starting at 19:10 min.) during the webinar.
| CHALLENGE | SOLUTION | PRACTICAL STEPS |
|---|---|---|
| Women have no access to meeting places. | Meet where many of them are already gathered. | Secure an already available host/ess in the community. Go to places women fetch water, do laundry. |
| Resources / funding is scarce. | Accept in kind donations. Work with community based partners. | Openly request for venues, stationery, refreshments, internet, equipment. Partner with other organizations |
| Women cannot attend events due to socialization of community. | Let community leader open doors for you. | Lobby existing community leaders. |
| Women attend once and do not return. | Follow up and send home material. Co-create content with participants. | Use sign in details to contact them. Develop a buddy system so they can be accountable and supported. Print material for home activities. Offer hybrid sessions – in person and online. Allow community members to lead some sessions. |
The recording of the last webinar session can be found here