The ‘Tech for Trans Summit’ was successfully completed on the 27th of January 2024 at Avocado Cafe, Baluwatar. The session was attended by eleven participants belonging to different queer and trans labels. What we most got out of the session was the importance of creating a community for mutual learning, especially for marginalized groups like queer and trans folks.
This program came about from conversations we were having at Women Leaders in Technology regarding the near invisibility of queer and trans folks in the field of technology in Nepal. We first started with a survey to understand the status quo of queer and trans perception of the field of technology in Nepal back in March 2023. Building on the research, we realized the need to conduct a digital workshop for members of the community and after months of planning, procrastination, and roadblocks, we were able to share open applications for the session and have around twenty-five participants apply for the program of which eleven were able to participate in the summit.
On the day of the summit, the participants first registered their names and details. They then received their notebook and their pens. The participants, along with the facilitators and the organizing team, wore a name card with their names and pronouns for easier communication.
We first began the summit by setting some non-negotiables that we would want all the participants, organizing members, and facilitators to follow. While we did this, we came up with non-negotiables including no judgments, not using jargon, being accommodating of folks with disabilities, respecting people’s identities, and OOPSAAT (Only one person speaks at a time). These safe spaces guidances were built on mutual consensus.
We followed this with an ice-breaker titled ‘Interest Bingo’. On a chart paper, we had nine different boxes where the participants filled in their interests. Anyone who shared the interest wrote their name on the boxes. We believed that this would be a great conversation starter.
I led the first session of the day on ‘Your #DigitalPrivacy Toolkit.’ The resources used were compiled by the team at Safer-I. Several tools and tactics that could be used to build and store strong passwords, keep one’s digital identity safe, and keep one’s data safe were shared during the session. The session ended with an interesting discussion on the idea of the totality of privacy and privacy concerns in late-stage capitalism.
After a quick lunch, we began with the second session of the day. Kshitiz Rimal, a leading data scientist, led the session ‘Getting Started with Generative AI’. In the session, he introduced the participants to types of Generative AI, the trends in the field, and the different tools and platforms used. This session too concluded with an enriching discussion on the ethicality of AI and the need to recognize biases in AI.
The participants participated in an icebreaker following along to ‘A Ram Sam Sam song’. We then started with the final session of the summit. Saurav Thapa Shrestha, the founder of Everything Creatives led the session ‘Basics of Canva Designing: Work with Canva’ and shared the ideas of design principles and design elements with our participants. He then shared how to use those elements and principles while making a design on Canva. He also showed the evolution that he has had with his designs. During the second half of the session, each participant was asked to create a design based on a randomized prompt and the interest participants showed their interesting designs before the group.
And with this, we came to the end of the summit. While enjoying our tea and cookies, we continued the conversations that we were having throughout the day. The team also shared different stickers, badges, bookmarks, totes, and T-shirts that we had designed with the team. The participants also collected their transportation stipends. The participants were also asked to provide their feedback on each session and the summit as a whole. Glad to say, that we received positive feedback including facilitators’ energy, accommodation tools provided, session details, and the discussion surrounding it. Feedbacks that provide constructive needs including a venue with a proper gender-neutral washroom, being too technical, and unclear next direction will be helpful in designing the next edition of the program. The participant and the organizing team who consented to taking pictures captured the final memories in a picture and parted away.
Even after a week, I have been receiving questions and notes related to what was discussed in the summit and that makes me optimistic about seeing a tech field in Nepal that doesn’t actively shut out queer and trans folks and where queer and trans folks can advocate for their spaces in the booming and attractive technology field in Nepal. We hope to continue with such skill-building and community-building events in the future.