1 of 25

Diversity & Inclusion

2 of 25

Diversity Inclusion

Numbers of people
Differences between people

The experiences of people
Being brought together

Diversity should not just be about numbers to fill quotas inclusion is key for expressing ideas

3 of 25

Why are diversity and inclusion important?

Diverse voices = new ideas
Research shows that more diverse board of directors and diverse companies perform better because they have greater variety of opinions and perspectives
Feeling of belonging = more likely to stay with company
Diverse staff understand diverse customers

4 of 25

CodeYourFuture exists to actively end discrimination by giving opportunities to people who don’t have access to tech education or employment.

5 of 25

What gets in the way of diversity and inclusion?

6 of 25

Bias

Having the tendency to have a blinkered/ narrow/ partial perspective
Can prevent you from seeing other points of view
We inherit biases from where and how we grew up

7 of 25

Implicit Bias

Biases that affect us unconsciously
We may not even know we have them

8 of 25

Algorithmic Bias

Systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system
Creating "unfair" outcomes; e.g. privileging one category over another
Without diverse teams, it can be easy to let subtle, unconscious biases in the algorithm
AI automates and perpetuates these biases

9 of 25

Everyone has bias!

There is a lot of information to process at any given time
Brain uses various mental tricks to manage

Drawing on previous experiences
Stereotypes - widely held but fixed or oversimplified idea
Biases - mental shortcuts

We can sometimes make bad decisions unconsciously
Need to stop and take time to assess before we make a decision

10 of 25

Ingroups and Outgroups

Shared group or identity Everyone else

Us Them

Trainees

London

Volunteers

The other regions

11 of 25

Privilege

An “unearned” social advantage - born with or given
A “head start” in life
Can be in the form of education, mental health, childcare, race, religion, family structure, access to transportation, geographic location
Most of us have some kind of privilege; e.g. native English speaker, supportive family, living in a big town, etc.

12 of 25

Microaggressions

A comment or action that is an indirect, often unintentional expression of racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, or homophobia
Can show unconscious bias toward a group
Can make a workplace feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and toxic

Your name is so hard to pronounce!�

You don’t look like a developer. �

Where are you really from?

13 of 25

How to deal with Microaggressions

Understand what is happening
Decide what are your options

Acknowledge that it happened and it’s not right
Do I feel safe to deal with this?
Is this the right time?
Is this someone I interact with often, rarely or never?
What do I want this person to understand?

14 of 25

How to deal with Microaggressions

If you choose to deal with the comment

Use humor not aggression
Schedule a time later to discuss the incident
Practice what you want to say
Use empathy and growth mindset - remember these are unconscious actions
Find an ally to help address it

15 of 25

How to deal with Microaggressions

Take care of yourself

Talk to your social support group (the people who “get it”)
You don’t just have to accept this behaviour
Understand you have options

16 of 25

Instead of covering... Be yourself

Changing how you look, sound and act to blend in
Avoiding showing who you are
Avoiding giving public support for people in your group
Avoiding associating with people in your group

Being proud of how you look, sound and act
Feeling safe to share the other roles in your life
Speaking up for other who are in your situation
Finding and making friendships with others in your group

17 of 25

What is an Ally?

An Ally is a person that has some privilege
And is actively working understand their own privilege
And is actively working to end oppression of others
They know that a privilege in some settings may contribute to oppression in another

18 of 25

Journey to Allyship

There is a process to becoming able to fight oppression

Raise your awareness of issues
Once you become aware of some issues start becoming active to help yourself or others
The more you learn about issues you become better able to help others when asked

19 of 25

Allyship within CYF community

CYF volunteers are actively working to improve diversity and inclusion in the tech sector
As a trainee you are now in a privileged position
When you graduate and get a job you will have more
How can you use your privilege to be an ally?