I put my name down as a volunteer back in October - October 7, to be
precise. On New Year's Eve I asked the simple question: Is it possible to
start a Wikipedia project that's open to women, or people who identify as
women?

There are a handful of people on this list who are opposed to the idea, but
I for one would have loved such a thing when I first started actively
editing. Further, upon reading WP:PROJECT and nothing jumps out at as
prohibiting a WP:WOMEN project. Sarah Stierch suggested proposing it.
Heather Walls, who designed the Teahouse, could maybe help to make a
similar, women-only space? I would be very much interested in helping with
such a project, but I don't know where to start.

*First thing*, I suppose, would be a broad survey to see if other Wikipedia
women would be interested in a project tasked by women, for women, to recruit,
encourage, and support other women editors. *Not* about any specific
topics, or points-of-view - because I think women's interests and POVs are
as varied as men's - but to increase the numbers of women editing, and to
provide a refuge when you just want to talk *with other women* about
whatever it is you want to talk about that's WP related. Because even
though I believe we may share interests and POVs with men, I think (and the
evidence shows) that women *in general* (that is, far more women than men)
prefer a different communication style than has developed here under 85% to
90% male participation.

Lightbreather

On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 11:06 AM, Siko Bouterse <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Thanks for putting this out here, Risker. I've been waiting for my blood
> pressure to drop a bit before posting a happy announcement of the plan to
> this list  :) Glad to hear that folks are excited. I'm really looking
> forward to what comes next!
>
> We're going to need some help to make this first campaign happen, so next
> week I'll be back with a bit of a more formal ask and some further details
> about ways to get involved in the pre-campaign planning we're doing in
> January and February.
>
> One thing to think about: we'll want some extra volunteers with gender-gap
> experience to serve on the committee helping select these grants. If you
> aren't planning to execute a project yourself, but would like to help
> others develop ideas into proposals and proposals into grants, please be in
> touch with me, or join on the project page:
>
>
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/Inspire_Grants_%E2%80%93_Gender_gap_campaign
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 8:36 AM, Sarah Stierch <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> Yes! Thank you Risker for the positive energy. This is what I want in
>> 2015!!
>>
>> This is GREAT news!! I can't wait to see what happens.
>>
>> -Sarah
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 8:21 AM, Risker <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> (Changing the perspective on the previous thread a bit)
>>>
>>> Well, it's official - the Individual Engagement Grants (IEG) and Project
>>> & Event Grants (PEG) will be focused almost exclusively for a 3-month
>>> period on providing financial support and mentorship for requests focused
>>> specifically at addressing the gender gap.  The funding allocated -
>>> $250,000, roughly equivalent to the annual budget of many large chapters -
>>> is very significant and should help to promote good experimentation
>>> throughout this area.
>>>
>>> If you've been thinking about a project you'd like to organize that is
>>> specifically gender-gap related, now's the time to start drafting your
>>> ideas and asking for support from the broader grants and GG community.
>>> You'll need to describe your idea, set some targets, and collaborate with
>>> others as a team for the best chance of success.
>>>
>>> In particular, IEGs are intended to be experiments, and there's a
>>> recognition that some are going to be successful, while others (even if
>>> they look good on paper) are not going to produce results.  The key is
>>> ensuring that there is some learning derived from the experiments.  Don't
>>> be afraid to try something!
>>>
>>> Risker/Anne
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Sarah Stierch
>>
>> -----
>>
>> Diverse and engaging consulting for your organization.
>>
>> www.sarahstierch.com
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Siko Bouterse
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
>
> [email protected]
>
> *Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
> sum of all knowledge. *
> *Donate <https://donate.wikimedia.org> or click the "edit" button today,
> and help us make it a reality!*
>
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