We were really happy to have Kats Conf 2 supporting our workshop by including it in their workshop programme and to Workday for hosting and providing refreshments that evening.
Following are the slides which has been adapted from Ada Initiative's Allyship skills workshop, which is free for people to use. If you are thinking of running a workshop, please check out the content there.
I want to highlight what being an ally is about and why it would be good to be aware of certain situations if they arise and how to react.
This is from the worksheet taken from our previous allyship workshop:
Often, when a sexist incident happens, we are so busy being shocked and amazed that we can’t quickly react. Other times we have plenty of time to react but can’t figure out what to do, or we do something but it turns out to be more harmful than helpful. This is true even for people who have a lot of experience and education in supporting women in their communities.
The solution is education and practice. By discussing theoretical scenarios and coming up with answers in a friendly environment, we have a better chance at responding in the real world. In the workshop section of this event, facilitators will lead participants in group discussions about creating a friendly environment for all, responding to casual sexism, opposing advocacy of sexism, reacting to harassment of people, influencing organisations, and continuing their education after the class.
Scenarios
We have 8 scenarios that was discussed that evening. I won't share what was discussed as it was private, but I want to share with you the scenarios and what is your initial reaction if you encounter any of the following?
Scenario: A woman is standing near your group at an event
- A woman you don’t know is standing near your group at a conference or similar event in a male-dominated field. She is alone and looking like she would rather be talking to people.
Scenario: “An individual says “This is so easy even your mother would understand it”.
Scenario: A co-worker comes out as trans. Someone says that they are uncomfortable using the co-worker’s new name and pronoun.
Scenario: Someone tells you that you have done something racist.
Scenario: Choosing a location to host an event.
Scenario: I asked a woman and she said it wasn’t sexist.
Scenario: You are attending a conference and you notice a booth with sexist advertising
- You are attending a conference your company is sponsoring, and you notice a booth with “booth babes” or sexist advertising
Scenario: You receive an invitation to speak on a panel. You are male and so is everyone else on the panel
There's also recommended reading material from our previous workshop with Etsy, if you have more to add, please share in the comments below (thanks in advance): https://codeascraft.com/2016/08/10/recommended-reading-for-allies/
Thank you
Thank you to all those who came along a participated, and to the facilitators who lead each discussion group, it has been an eye-opener and we learnt a lot from one another. If you are interested in having Coding Grace run another Allyship Skills Workshop, drop us an email via contact@codinggrace.
