Fostering Gender Inclusiveness in AI Tinkerers: Lessons from Medellín

At AI Tinkerers, we believe that diversity and inclusiveness are crucial for driving innovation and progress in the field of AI. Today, we’re excited to share some valuable insights and experiences from our Medellín chapter on fostering gender inclusiveness in our community.

Remember, AI Tinkerers is a community for all active builders in AI. By fostering a more inclusive environment, we’re not only doing the right thing, but we’re also enhancing the quality and diversity of ideas and innovations in our field.

The Journey Towards Inclusiveness

1. Recognizing the Challenge: In our first event in Medellín, we noticed a significant underrepresentation of women attendees. This observation sparked a commitment to actively work towards a more balanced and diverse community.
2. Proactive Outreach: For the second event, we took a more proactive approach. We personally reached out to women in tech communities, encouraging them to join our meetup. While this effort showed some improvement, we realized more substantial changes were needed.
3. Leadership and Representation: The key insight came when we understood that true inclusiveness starts from the top. We needed women in leadership roles, giving talks, and helping others grow within our community.
4. Diversifying the Organizing Team: We invited a senior woman data scientist to join our organizing team, bringing valuable perspectives and networks to our planning process.
5. Setting Concrete Goals: For our third event and moving forward, we set a goal to always have women presenting at each event. This ensures consistent representation and provides role models for other women in the field.

Lessons Learned

• Start from the Top: Inclusiveness in attendance follows inclusiveness in leadership and presentation roles.
• Set Concrete Goals: Having specific, measurable objectives helps drive real change.
• Personal Outreach Matters: Direct invitations and encouragement can make a significant difference in participation.
• Continuous Effort: Building an inclusive community is an ongoing process that requires consistent attention and effort.
• Strengthen connections: Through the discussion and networking spaces at our events, women can strengthen their relationships, find mentors, or become mentors themselves. These interactions help women feel supported and develop their skills, increasing their participation and retention in the community.

Moving Forward

We’re committed to applying these lessons across all AI Tinkerers chapters. We encourage all our organizers and members to:

1. Actively seek out and invite women in AI to participate in our events. We believe the best way to close gaps and mobilize women as agents of change is through role models.
2. Ensure diverse representation in organizing teams and among presenters.
3. Set specific goals for gender inclusiveness and track progress.
4. Create a welcoming environment that encourages participation from all attendees.

Call to Action

We invite all AI Tinkerers members to contribute to this important initiative:

• If you’re a woman in AI, we encourage you to consider presenting at our upcoming events. Your insights and experiences are invaluable to our community.
• If you know talented women in the field, please invite them to join our community and consider presenting.
• Share your ideas on how we can further improve inclusiveness in our meetups.
• Actively participate in our networking and mentorship initiatives, and support other women in their professional journeys.

Let’s work together to make AI Tinkerers a leading example of inclusiveness in the tech community!

Yours truly,

Carolina and Felipe from Medellín Chapter