Introduction
When we carried out Community Research in 2020, a few hurdles that hindered community engagement were identified — power dynamics, lack of clarity about where the road leads or who members are travelling with, and a general lack of understanding around the identity of the community and its goals.
As a result, we prepared this document that aims at uniting the Open Heroines community by sharing the values that members will uphold while interacting with each other. It also highlights our mission and vision, which are crucial to the success of Open Heroines’ initiatives.
This document serves as a reference point of what Open Heroines aims to achieve presently and in the future, and will be amended when necessary.
PART A: ABOUT OPEN HEROINES
WHAT IS OPEN HEROINES?
Open Heroines is a global intersectional community of women and non-binary people working in the Open+ spaces i.e. Open Data, Civic Tech, and Open Government.
We were born during the 2015 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit in México when a group of women attending the conference expressed concern over the lack of representation at the conference, and in the Open+ spaces generally. As a result, we started a Slack channel in 2016 where we created a safe space for sharing experiences and providing a gender perspective in the open+ spaces. The Slack channel has grown into a community of over 700 individuals.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF BEING AN OPEN HEROINE?
- You are part of an international and intersectional feminist community that amplifies feminist voices in the open+ spaces.
- You are in a safe space: Open Heroines does not tolerate discrimination and judgement. All members should adhere to the Code of Conduct and must respect others.
- You are part of a diverse network that can be instrumental in enhancing your career or projects: Open Heroines has members from diverse backgrounds, training and working experiences. Some Heroines work in policy, advocacy and/or philanthropy; others do coding, data mining, and data architecture; some are activists; while others are researchers and more. This variety enriches your work through consultations and debates, collective action, mentorship and shared opportunities.
WHAT CAN YOU FIND IN THE OPEN HEROINES COMMUNITY?
- Brilliant and experienced minds for consultation
- A space to share new ideas and get feedback
- A platform to catalyse collective action
- A platform to express your ideas through written and visual formats
- A community to get and give mentorship/advice and uplift each other
- A platform to share job and learning opportunities
- A platform to spark feminist conversations among peers
WHAT ARE THE CORE VALUES OF THE OPEN HEROINES COMMUNITY?
- Diversity: Open Heroines is a global and intersectional feminist community that appreciates, respects and values diversity (backgrounds, age, gender, etc.).
- Inclusion: Everyone’s voice and experiences are important.
- Participation: The community is alive when its members contribute, care for it and take part in co-creating activities.
- Collaboration: Iron sharpens iron. Open Heroines encourages members to work together on ideas/projects as well as give each other feedback.
- Transparency and Accountability: Open Heroines believes in transparency, openness and accountability. Its communication is open and transparent. The leadership team commits to sharing statements on how resources are allocated.
WHAT ARE OPEN HEROINES’ MAIN GOALS?
- To be a safe platform where community members can express their ideas, feelings and concerns about their work and find support if needed.
- To drive thought leadership in policymaking and strategy in the fields of Open Data, Open Government and Civic Tech across the globe from a gender perspective.
- To be a platform that gives visibility and enhances the work done by community members.
PART B: VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS
To have collective action, a community needs a narrative, a story that every community member knows and believes in and that reaffirms our identity and our sense of belonging. Behind every effective narrative nests a strategy that marks a specific horizon and aligns interests, energies and actions. Therefore, this strategy must be driven by a mission and vision.
These are our mission and vision statements:
Vision Statement
To build Open+ spaces that are inclusive, diverse, and feminist by design to better serve women and non-binary people.
Mission Statement
To amplify the voices of women and non-binary people in civic tech, open governance and, open data.
