Cultural sensitivities

[anelda]

If you are comfortable to post information about cultural sensitivities in your region which visiting instructors should be aware of, please post it here. Alternatively you can email Kari Jordan at kariljordan@carpentries.org or Serah Rono at serah@carpentries.org. The information will be synthesised and made available to the broader community.

[orchid00]

I wanted to share, a repeated episode that I didn't really considered before when organising a carpentries workshop. Twice it happened to me, that people asked me which room they could use to pray (because they have specific times to pray during the day). It just made me feel bad that I didn't think about this in advance. Once I was able to sort it out, as the venue had multiple rooms. The other time this person had to do pray in the toilet, because of lack of facilities and miss-organisation. Maybe we could add this in the template to foresee circumstances that we usually don't think at first.

[anelda]

Thanks @orchid00 for sharing.

My experiences aren't about cultural sensitivities so much as it is about realities and links to your point.

I've traveled to workshops where the workshop was on a higher floor but there was no elevator. There also was no possibility of running the workshop in another venue. In some cases the host simply cannot accommodate specific requests such as special mobility etc.

On the topic of asking whether participants have any mobility or other special needs, it is important to realise that 'mobility' to the non-native English speaker may mean - do you have any specific needs in terms of transport for the workshop (do you need a lift to the workshop)? and other special needs may be interpreted in a wide variety of ways, mostly not in the way it is meant on the registration form.

I've also traveled to workshops where the restrooms were just not in a condition that made me want to use them (on several occassions). That meant not using the bathroom from the morning until the end of the workshop in the afternoon in some cases. There isn't much the hosts can do about that in the places I've visited. It's the status quo of some institutions. That is what our workshop learners endure on a daily basis at these institutions.

How do we prepare visiting instructors for these kind of challenges?

[Clare-eDNA]

I think that these considerations are something that hosts who know the buildings should be aware of. While a visiting instructor can ask about the facilities present, they may not be familiar enough to suggest suitable alternatives.

I would also add that sometimes it would be good to consider having single-use toilets. If there are people who identify as gender neutral or are in the middle of transitioning, they may prefer single-use facilities.

As for cultural sensitivities, I think in the New Zealand space it is traditional to open up with a pepeha to introduce yourself and where you are from. This is because your whakapapa (geneology/where you come from) is a fairly important part of who you are. Potentially, instructors could open up with their pepeha to build rapport with students. Certainly at some of the larger Data Carpentry workshops I've been to in NZ, they've opened up and closed with a karakia (blessing). Also, don't sit on desks or tables (because you wouldn't put your butt somewhere that you would potentially eat off of).

Some resources: https://maimoa.nz/blogs/news/pepeha-for-pakeha-tauiwi-non-maori-foreigners https://www.pepeha.nz/create-pepeha https://www.otago.ac.nz/maori/world/te-reo-maori/karakia-prayers/index.html