Over the past years, we’ve hosted sessions at State of the Map, we had some online discussions, and the diversity mailing list provided a space for some discussion and planning. The work of Geochicas has done tremendous headway on what might be possible.

Here are some of the ideas around Diversity that were collected from a small group that met between 2016 - 2018:

Opportunities

• OSM Women Chapter- space, mailing list
• Code of Conduct, guidance for OSM
• Consultation spaces - SOTM global, SOTM Asia, Digital
• Co-Created Draft - what is needed in it
• Implementation - How to get there
• Timeline between 2 - 3 years

Programmes

• Gender-sensitivity training for men / coaching & mentoring for male allies
• Focus on recognition / celebration of women’s accomplishments (versus just opening up positions that have “duties” associated for example)
• Review and revise historical narrative of how OSM / HOT came to be to be sure to include the contributions of women who helped pioneer it but have been overlooked (OSM wiki page?)
• More mapping campaigns around issues of women & girls
• Talking points, recipes for diversity to assist supporters
• Ambassadors to help guide the tone to positive and inclusive [HOT resolution process(http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Humanitarian_OSM_Team/Working_groups/Community/HOT_Resolution_Process)
• Promote more leadership by women and individuals from underrepresented places

Challenges

• Tone of the mailing list
• Backlash
• History of the community / momentum
• Bureaucracy of OSM, Working Groups
• Vote approved?
• Enforced how?
• Cultural differences / communication, language
• Lack of familiarity with gender and inclusion best practices
• Timezones
• To keep evolving as the challenges that OSM faces continuously change, along with the challenges that women face change too

Actions

• See some examples of past programs (for more info, Patricia): http://www.aag.org/cs/programs/diversity & Diversity Ambassadors http://www.aag.org/cs/programs/diversity/ambassadors
• [“Walking the Tightrope” annual women’s workshops] (https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B__q8NWi2W2CaXNKMjhtdTZETDQ&usp=sharing )
• How to define diversity and inclusion in a culturally sensitive, clear, and compelling way that speaks to the particular needs of the OSM community
• Read [OSM at a crossroads) [http://mike.teczno.com/notes/openstreetmap-at-a-crossroads.html ]
• Consider who we should consult with before we widen the circle
• What are the rollout plan for even opening the topics
• Communication mode
• Deepen and legitimize knowledge on this issue: compile bibliography of OSM and Gender (presentations, ppts, articles, white papers, blogs, etc. that address participation rates, gender issues, or inclusion in OSM.)

Discussions of late shine the light on ways forward and gaps:

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
• Discussion around SWOT
• Diversity in OSM

The SWOT analysis highlights the need for professional, dedicated research and consultation planning to support OSM and OSMF to prioritize, gain more evidence, plus aid the community to build a plan and way forward. I stated this previously, but want to reiterate that while an open conversation is an excellent start, there needs to be a plan to build trust and not just ‘talk about it’. This onus is not only on the board.

What will this community do to move from talking to next stages?