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KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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How diverse is your club? How diverse should it be?

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 09:01 AM PDT https://www.kb6nu.com/how-diverse-is-your-club-how-diverse-should-it-be/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email


One of the knocks on amateur radio is that its not very diverse. While
thats not completely true, I do think that we could do a better job of
being more inclusive. Being  more diverse and inclusive could well be a way
to strengthen already good clubs and help failing clubs stave off
extinction.

To that end, I recently read an article in the February 2022 issue of
Rotary magazine titled Make everyone welcome: How to create a club that
values diversity. The article features a list of dos and donts for Rotary
clubs trying to become more diverse. While I dont see ham clubs doing all
of these things—one of the reasons being they take a lot of time—they are things to think about. Heres the list:
DO

Educate yourself. The article suggests, Provide learning opportunities for
your club members to expand their perspectives and open up meaningful conversations.
Start a committee. Rotary is big on committees. I dont see ham clubs
starting a committee, per se, but discussing how to make your club more
diverse with like-minded club members would be a start.
Be accessible. The article asks, Is your clubs meeting time convenient? Is
the location accessible to people with mobility challenges? If your meeting location isnt accessible, then perhaps its time to change locations.
Create a sense of belonging. The article says, Involved all of your members
in club activities.A buddy or club mentor system can help new members feel
they belong. You wont keep members for very long if they dont feel like
they belong.
Speak up. The article says, Hold yourselves and others accountable when a persons actions dont reflect Rotarys ideals or values. The idea here is to speak up when you see  something that makes people feel uncomfortable or is exclusionary.

DONT

Cling to traditions. Some traditions, like perhaps starting a meeting with
a prayer, are unintentionally exclusionary. You can change those traditions
to make them inclusive.
Speak in ham radio. The article says, Dont speak in Rotaryisms. Basically,
this means to keep jargon to a minimum. While the majority of current
members may understand the jargon, it may go right over the heads of new or prospective members.
Ignore your biases. The article says, Whether conscious or unconscious, our biases prevent us from seeing the qualities in a person that might make
them an excellent Rotary club member. The same is true for ham radio club members.
Be cliquish. Club meetings are social events, and its natural to gather
with the people you know. You need to make an effort, however, to greet newcomers and make them feel welcome. If you can convince a couple of
current members to work with you on this, so much the better.
Fill a quota. I dont like the way theyve worded this item, but the idea
here is that your club should work to reflect the diversity in your
community. Being a technical hobby, this is perhaps more difficult for
amateur radio clubs than it is for Rotary clubs, but making an effort will
pay off.


Becoming more diverse and inclusive isnt going to be easy. David Minster, NA2AA, ARRL CEO, recognizes this in his February 2022 column in QST. He
writes:

I respect the wide points of view on the matter of diversity.  I am very
aware of how these changes will be met with discomfort in the coming years.
I hope that youll hang in there whenever and wherever they appear in the
hobby

Id go a step further and encourage you all not to just hang in there, but
to be proactive in moving amateur radio forward.

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