''Techstorming'': ''Brainstorming'' in the most technical way of the wiki. With the '''Women TechStorm''' in May 2018 and the '''Wiki Techstorm''' in October 2018, WMNL and it's Gendergap-volunteers are developing a new way of attracting and engaging newbie techies. A good movement needs diversity and the Gendergap with the developers community stands at 15% women and non-binary. The Wiki TechStorm aims to fight this gap, by inviting mostly women and non-binairy people to their event. It is a hackathon with a low threshold in experience: for most participants it is their first hackathon-like event. The events' focus is on creating a warm and open atmosphere: the introduction evening on Thursday is not about coding and we don't use computers. It's about getting to know each other and feel comfortable and at ease. This way we create a good learning environment, where we offer workshops the next day. We have mentors present all weekend, in a one in three/four ratio. Organisers keep an eye out for people that need extra support and know the talents of the mentors, so they can easily make the connection between the mentor and the needs of a participant. And now we are setting up another TechStorm for November 2019 and are going to combine newbies and experienced developers in one event, without losing our primary focus on diversity and a welcoming and open event! [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wiki_Techstorm Wiki Techstorm on Mediawiki]
Speakers: Danielle Jansen