General questions about gaming organisations and diversity

[Regert]

Hi alla Neowinians!

My name is Regert (IRL Mark Kesper) and I've been hanging aroud on Neowin for a couple of years. After a long break I'm back.

I'd like to ask you gamers a couple of questions about something related to gaming, but not entirely about gaming.

I am currently a board member of a organisation called Sverok which translates roughly as the Swedish association for roleplaying- and conflict games.

It's a non-commercial, non-govermental (howver receivening goverment grant) youth gaming association. We have amongst us people who do roleplaying, Live action role-playing (LARP) and re-enactment, board-gaming, card gaming, cosplay, computer games, airsoft and paintball mainly, but everyone are welcome of course (however not card play for money).

We are about 170 000 - 190 000 people and Swedens largest non-political youth organisation.

Now to the essentials.

Not all is good of course. As I have noticed, as actually the only immigrant board member as I know, most of the members and especially those active in the community are native swedes, even thought there are in Sweden about 1 million immigrants and a part of them are kids. So you'd think that a part of them would be interested in any of the activities that our groups/unions do?

Now the other part is a quite common as I believe problem. Girls & Women. There are girls that game and play, but they are too few. Also, it seems (my personal point of view here) they don't always feel welcome due to a more "male" atmosphere.

So we making a sort of restart on the work with diversity, equiality and gender and trying to lower the tresholds for not only joining us, but also participate in the internal political and community life.

I thought about bringing up this questions to you at Neowin since you are a wider geographical audience and maybe you have some ideas? Any of you who know of similar organisations in the US, UK & the Commonwealth, Europe or for that matter anywhere else on the globe?

So

1. Any similar organisations you know of that don't have or have theese problems?

2. Any ideas of suggestions of how such issues an be solved?

3. Anything else?

Oh, yes, Sverok can be found at www.sverok.se

Kind Regards!

Regert aka Regert.