Hello everyone,
On behalf of the Celtic Knot Conference organising team, I have some
exciting news to share about the event dedicated to Celtic languages on the
Wikimedia projects.
The Celtic Knot Language Conference is a gathering that acknowledges the
diversity of Celtic language communities and their presence within the
global Wikimedia ecosystem. Rooted in the spirit of collaboration and
community empowerment, it serves as a nexus for language enthusiasts,
Wikimedia contributors, cultural advocates, academics and researchers to
come together and explore innovative approaches to language preservation,
promotion, and recognition of Celtic and minority languages in the digital
space.
The conference will take place on 25-27 September 2024, onsite in Waterford
City, Ireland. Keep an eye on the event page for more updates including
details about the venue, programme and registration soon! details about the
venue, program, registration and other updates will be added to the event
page in due time. [1]
As we are currently building the program for the conference, we would love
to invite community members to contribute to the event by giving a
presentation, a lightning talk, running a workshop or submitting a poster. The
call for program proposals is now open until Sunday 14 July. You can make a
proposal directly on Wiki or using a form. You will find all the details
and instructions on the Call for submissions page. [2]
To support participants coming from Ireland or Europe to attend the event,
we are offering scholarships to cover event tickets, travel and
accommodation. For people located in other areas of the world or people who
cannot join onsite, we are offering e-scholarships covering data packages
to watch the conference from home. The scholarship application process is
now open until Sunday, June 30th. You can find the form and the
instructions on the Attend page. [3]
We are looking forward to receiving your contributions to the program and
scholarship requests!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the organising team:
Richard Nevell (WMUK), Amy O'Riordan and Sophie Fitzpatrick (Wikimedia
Community Ireland), or Léa Lacroix. [4]
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Knot_Conference_2024
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Knot_Conference_2024/Call_for_submis…
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Knot_Conference_2024/Attend
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Knot_Conference_2024#Organising_team
--
Dr Richard Nevell (he/him)
Programme Manager
<https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/>
Wikimedia UK <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>, and Twitter
<https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>,.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England and Wales No.1144513
and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.
Registered Office Ground Floor, Europoint, 5-11 Lavington Street, London
SE1 0NZ
<https://maps.google.com/?q=5+-+11+Lavington+Street,+London+SE1+0NZ&entry=gm…>
.
Dear all
I'm very pleased to introduce Wikimedia UK's new Head of Development and
Communications, Belvin Tawuya. Belvin joined us two weeks ago (replacing
Natasha Iles) and is already settling in well, getting to know the team and
thinking about how to amplify our work and secure additional funds.
Belvin's most recent role was Chief Digital, Communications and Marketing
Officer at the Africa Centre, and his career includes strategic
communications and digital roles at organisations including the Financial
Ombudsman Service. He is strongly committed to Wikimedia UK's vision and
mission and has personally benefited significantly from open access to
knowledge. I know that Belvin is looking forward to getting to know the
volunteer community in the UK, and I'm sure he would welcome your insight
and input into how we can communicate to the world about our work and the
Wikimedia projects more broadly.
Best wishes
Lucy
--
Lucy Crompton-Reid
Chief Executive
Dear all
On *Friday 12th July from 2 - 4pm* there will be an informal meetup event
in London for Wikimedians in the UK and Wikimedia Foundation's London based
staff, plus senior leadership and trustees.
I will confirm the venue nearer the time but it's likely to be in the South
Bank area, near Waterloo and/or London Bridge.
It would be great to see contributors and volunteers there! Please could
you let me know if you think you can make it, so we have an idea of
numbers.
Best wishes
Lucy
--
Lucy Crompton-Reid
Chief Executive
Dear all
Earlier this week the Wikimedia Foundation, along with twelve Wikimedia
affiliates including Wikimedia UK, published an open letter
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2024/04/23/open-letter-protect-wikiped…>
calling on UN Member States to include commitments in the Global Digital
Compact that can allow online public interest projects, such as Wikipedia,
to thrive. This was accompanied by emails to specific dignitaries—including
(for example) the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UK Mission
to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward—as well as a media and social media
campaign.
Signatories of the letter call on the UN Member States to embrace a
positive vision for the internet’s future in which diverse communities
anywhere are empowered and supported to build and operate free and open
knowledge projects.The letter
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2024/04/23/open-letter-protect-wikiped…>
currently
has over 100 signatures and we are hoping for volunteer editors to sign in
an individual capacity, as well as for organised groups to sign. *Please
consider signing yourself, and perhaps sharing via social media. *
The Global Digital Compact is a UN initiative to create an international
doctrine to help ensure that digital technologies are used responsibly and
for the benefit of all, while addressing the digital divide and fostering a
safe and inclusive digital environment. The Global Advocacy team at the
Wikimedia Foundation is working with a core group of affiliates
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_Digital_Compact_Wikimedia_Advocacy_C…>
on
our response to this initiative and our first project together has been the
creation and distribution of the open letter.
Thanks for your support for this initiative.
Best wishes
Lucy
--
Lucy Crompton-Reid
Chief Executive