Understand your group
The starting point for improving diversity and inclusion is understanding community groups.
In order to improve diversity and inclusion, we first need to understand our community groups. This means listening to the range of diverse voices and identities that are represented, and being aware of the impact that a lack of diversity and/or inclusion has on individuals and groups.
In order to define your goals, decide what action to take, and effectively allocate resources you need to gain insight on:
- Which demographic groups are over and underrepresented in your community group?
- Do people feel comfortable participating at ICANN because they feel they belong?
- What benefits does your community group expect from increased diversity?
- How included do people from underrepresented groups feel?
- What kind of barriers do members from different backgrounds and social groups experience?
- How widespread are experiences of bias and discrimination, and which social groups are particularly affected?
This toolkit contains two surveys which your group can use to evaluate diversity.
The survey templates are designed to assist you and your groups in assessing the diversity of your structures, per Recommendation 1.3, and the additional guidance in this toolkit is intended to help your groups with Rec 1.4, which states that each group must define and publish their Diversity Criteria objectives and strategies.
The first asks basic questions that reflect the seven diversity elements. This survey was reviewed and adapted over several months by the WS2 Community Coordination Group (CCG) to ensure its relevance to varied community needs, so it will hopefully be used by all ICANN community groups.
It can be customized to each group’s needs: some groups may choose to use all the questions, and some may choose to ask only a few questions; some may choose to ask about additional diversity elements. Where possible, for the questions that are relevant to your group, we encourage you to use the wording as provided, so that data sets will be comparable across the community.
The second survey contains sample questions that are based about perceptions of diversity in a given community group – for example: What are the perceptions of inclusion/exclusion? Do members feel that certain diversity elements post potential barriers to participation/advancement? Is there fair/equal treatment across diversity categories?
This survey is optional and was likewise reviewed by the CCG. This template includes sample questions and is entirely customizable by community groups.
The Community Coordination Group (CCG) kept survey best practices in mind in developing the survey templates included in this toolkit, and ICANN org will work with individual community groups to ensure best practices are followed in implementing the diversity surveys.
As your community groups tailor the surveys to fit your unique needs, here are important tips on how to gather, analyze, and report on diversity data in a sensitive and inclusive manner.
One way to understand both the composition and lived experiences of community groups is an in-depth survey collecting data on high-level issues, gaps and biases.
These surveys help you to determine positive actions with maximum impact. Use the survey templates as regular assessments to help you determine the actions with the maximum impact.
Ideas for collective action
In addition to these longer surveys, here are some other methods you might consider using, to generate a deeper understanding of the more qualitative aspects of this information:
Ideas for individual action
How you as an individual can support and reinforce the principles of understanding your community group and the wider ICANN community: