Hail Cascadians,

You probably know about https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cascadia

Our contact at TA3M Seattle is assembling a list of FOSS organizations in the Seattle area. If you know of FOSS, GLAM, or other organizations in our region which would have common interests with Wikimedia Cascadia, please add them to the Cascadia page on Meta. This will help us to think about where we can do outreach.

One idea I am currently thinking seriously about is how to have a Wikimedian in Residence position made available at the Gates Foundation, if they are willing to host one. I think that will be easier to do once we are officially a user group or thematic organization.

Does anyone have thoughts to share about us becoming a recognized user group or thematic organization? I think this would benefit us because we would be allowed to use the Wikimedia trademarks and would provide easier access to other organizations like the Gates Foundation, other FOSS organizations, events which are only for journalists, and other opportunities. I am *not* proposing that we become a chapter because we are too small at this time. That might come later. For now, I think being an officially recognized Wikimedia user group would serve our needs well.

Pine