According to the recent Independent Auditors' Report of the WMF [1], at
some point prior to the end of June 2020, an entity called the "Wikimedia
Knowledge Equity Fund" was established, and $8.723 million was transferred
to it by the WMF, in the form of an unconditional grant. The Fund is
"managed and controlled by Tides Advocacy" (a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit
previously led by the WMF's current General Counsel/Board Secretary, who
served as CEO, Board Secretary, and Treasurer there). Given that a Google
search for "Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund" yields zero results prior to
the release of the report, it is clear that the WMF kept this significant
move completely secret for over five months, perhaps over a year. The
Report FAQ additionally emphasizes that the WMF "has no right of return to
the grant funds provided, with the exception of unexpended funds."
The WMF unilaterally and secretly transferred nearly $9 million of movement
funds to an outside organization not recognized by the Affiliations
Committee. No mention of the grant was made in any Board resolutions or
minutes from the relevant time period. The amount was not mentioned in the
public annual plan, which set out rather less than this amount for the
entire grantmaking budget for the year. No application was made through any
of the various Wikimedia grants processes. No further information has been
provided on the administration of this new Fund, or on the text of the
grant agreement.
I am appalled.
-- Yair Rand
[1]
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/f/f7/Wikimedia_Foundation…
Hi all,
Earlier this year when we decided to cancel Wikimania 2020, many of us were
hopeful that we would be able to postpone it a year to 2021. I was looking
forward to connecting with all of you in Bangkok in August for our first
ever Wikimania in Southeast Asia.
However, as we look forward, in spite of promising developments in vaccine
research it seems unlikely that we will all be able to travel freely and
convene together by August 2021. Over the past several months, the
Wikimedia Foundation Events team has been meeting with the Wikimania
Steering Committee[1] and the ESEAP Core Organizing Team (East, South East
Asia and Pacific regions)[2] to discuss how we can move forward with
Wikimania in 2021. Together, these stakeholders have decided that next
year’s Wikimania will be a virtual event. Instead of being hosted by the
ESEAP Core Organizing Team, this virtual Wikimania will be hosted by a
wider group of community members. Since there still is a strong wish to
host Wikimania in the future from the ESEAP team, they will remain the
hosts for the next in-person edition of Wikimania.
For many of us, hearing that we won’t be gathering in person at Wikimania
in 2021 is disappointing news. But I am encouraged by the success and
creativity of all of the recent virtual movement events, from regional
events like itWikiCon to the Wiki 20 event in Asia Pacific event to
celebrate Wikipedia’s 20th birthday and the Movement Strategy Global
Conversations held in December. I have gotten to hear from more of you over
the past months than I could have imagined at the beginning of this
pandemic. As always, Wikimedians have adapted and found new ways to connect
with each other.
We believe that this new virtual format will create opportunities for more
people within our movement to be involved in putting together a movement
event than ever before. We will further build on the collaborative, open
process for creating a Wikimania program that we started during Wikimania
in Sweden last year. Since this is our first virtual Wikimania, we will
also be able to learn from this experience and hopefully include options
for virtual participation in future in-person Wikimanias as well. Wikimania
2021 may not happen as any of us initially imagined, but it will still be
an opportunity for celebration, especially as Wikimania 2021 will happen
during Wikipedia’s 20th birthday year.
We welcome ideas for this virtual Wikimania and in January, we plan to
share more information about how you can get involved in the planning
process. We will also be able to share more information in the coming
months about what this means in terms of invitations, submitting sessions
and scholarships. In the meantime, please share your thoughts, ideas and
suggestions with the Wikimania Steering Committee on Meta[3].
As a movement, we value those opportunities to connect together in person,
and look forward to when we can all gather in person again. Until then,
stay safe and take care!
Janeen Uzzell, on behalf of the
- ESEAP Core Organizing Team
- Wikimania Steering Committee
- Wikimedia Foundation Events Team
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_Committee
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/ESEAP_Hub
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimania_2021
--
------------------------------
*Jáneen Uzzell*
Chief Operating Officer
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
@janeenuzzell
Hello everyone,
TLDR; Wikimedia will soon be applying as a mentoring organization to Google Summer of Code 2021 <https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com> [1] and Outreachy Round 22 <https://www.outreachy.org/> [2]. The application submission deadline for GSoC is February 20th, and Outreachy is March 7th. We are currently working on a list of interesting project ideas to include in the application. If you have some ideas for coding or non-coding (design, documentation, translation, outreach, research) projects, share them here: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429 [3].
Timeline
As a mentor, you will be engaging potential candidates in the application period for GSoC between March 10th – April 13th, and for Outreachy between March 15th – April 16th. During this time, you will help candidates make small contributions to your project and answer any project related queries. You will be working more closely with the accepted candidates during the coding period between May-August.
Project ideas
We have started compiling a list of projects that you can take a look at here:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021 [4],
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22 [5]
If you don’t have an idea in mind and would like to pick one from an existing list, check out these projects: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/ [6]
Through GSoC, you can mentor only coding but with Outreachy also non-coding projects (including design, documentation, translation, outreach, etc.).
Note that GSoC has some changes this year, including:
* Smaller project size ~175 hr project (previously 350 hr)
* Shortened coding period ~10 weeks long (previously 3 months)
* Eligibility criteria redefined; the program is now open to candidates participating in a variety of academic programs (previously accredited university programs only)
Please keep these changes in mind while sharing your project ideas.
Some tips for proposing projects
* Follow this task description template when you propose a project in Phabricator: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects [7]. Add #Google- Summer-of-Code (2021) or #Outreachy (Round 22) tag to it.
* Remember, the project should require an experienced developer ~15 days to complete and a newcomer ~3 months for Outreachy and ~10 weeks for GSoC.
* Each project should have at least 2 mentors, and one of them should hold a technical background.
* When it comes to picking a project, you could propose one that is:
* Relevant for your language community or brings impact to the Wikimedia ecosystem in the future.
* Welcoming and newcomer-friendly and has a moderate learning curve.
* A new idea you are passionate about, there are no deadlines attached to it; you always wanted to see it happen but couldn't due to lack of resources!
* About developing a standalone tool (possibly hosted on Wikimedia Toolforge), with fewer dependencies on Wikimedia's core infrastructure, and doesn't necessarily require a specific programming language, etc.
To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a mentor, visit our resources on MediaWiki.org: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors [8], https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/Mentors [9].
Cheers,
GSoC 2021 and Outreachy Round 22 Administrators
[1] https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com
[2] https://www.outreachy.org/
[3] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429
[4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021
[5] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22
[6] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/
[7] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/
[8] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors
[9] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors
Hi all,
Join the Research Team at the Wikimedia Foundation [1] for their monthly
Office hours next week on 2021-02-02 at 17:00-18:00 PM UTC (9am PT/6pm
CET).
To participate, join the video-call via this Wikimedia-meet link [2]. There
is no set agenda - feel free to add your item to the list of topics in the
etherpad [3] (You can do this after you join the meeting, too.), otherwise
you are welcome to also just hang out. More detailed information (e.g.
about how to attend) can be found here [4].
Through these office hours, we aim to make ourselves more available to
answer some of the research related questions that you as Wikimedia
volunteer editors, organizers, affiliates, staff, and researchers face in
your projects and initiatives. Some example cases we hope to be able to
support you in:
-
You have a specific research related question that you suspect you
should be able to answer with the publicly available data and you don’t
know how to find an answer for it, or you just need some more help with it.
For example, how can I compute the ratio of anonymous to registered editors
in my wiki?
-
You run into repetitive or very manual work as part of your Wikimedia
contributions and you wish to find out if there are ways to use machines to
improve your workflows. These types of conversations can sometimes be
harder to find an answer for during an office hour, however, discussing
them can help us understand your challenges better and we may find ways to
work with each other to support you in addressing it in the future.
-
You want to learn what the Research team at the Wikimedia Foundation
does and how we can potentially support you. Specifically for affiliates:
if you are interested in building relationships with the academic
institutions in your country, we would love to talk with you and learn
more. We have a series of programs that aim to expand the network of
Wikimedia researchers globally and we would love to collaborate with those
of you interested more closely in this space.
-
You want to talk with us about one of our existing programs [5].
Hope to see many of you,
Martin (WMF Research Team)
[1] https://research.wikimedia.org/team.html
[2] https://meet.wmcloud.org/ResearchOfficeHours
[3] https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Research-Analytics-Office-hours
[4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Office_hours
[5] https://research.wikimedia.org/projects.html
--
Martin Gerlach
Research Scientist
Wikimedia Foundation
Hello everyone,
Following up on recent news [1] that was shared in regards to the Events
Refresh [2] ,we are continuing our efforts to improve our processes,
systems, accessibility and reevaluate our strategy.
We are launching our first survey* and we are looking for your ideas,
inputs and suggestions!
With this survey we are zooming in on 4 areas of focus:
-
Capacity building
-
Newcomer strategy for first time event participants
-
Participation accessibility
-
Events team office hours
In this survey you will be asked to identify and prioritize capacity
building practices, identify needs and tools you believe are most needed
for your local community’s development. The information you'll provide will
provide a basis for new tools, training processes, services and resources
we will build in the coming months.
We would like to invite you to participate by completing our survey by *January
31st, 2021* at the latest [3]. The survey has 20 questions and should not
take more than 10-12 minutes. If you wish you could also choose to
participate in Focus Group Interviews, which are scheduled to take place
during the first quarter of 2021. An option to self-select has been
included in the survey.
Please feel free to send this survey through to anyone you think would be
interested.
Thank you so much for your participation!
On behalf of the Community Events Team,
Joël L.
*This survey will be conducted via a third-party service, which may subject
it to additional terms. For more information on privacy and data-handling,
see the survey's privacy statement [4]
[1]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2020-November/095903.html
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Events_Refresh
[3] https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1TdTlK50Z7l6GMJ
[4]
https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Engagement_Survey_Privacy_S…
*Jo**ël Letang* (he/him)
Senior Strategist Events
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
Hi there!
As recently announced, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees is
organizing a call for feedback about community-and-affiliated seat
selection processes between February 1 and March 14. You can find all the
information on Meta:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Boa…
We are offering multiple channels for questions and feedback. With the help
of a team of community facilitators, we are organizing multiple
conversations with multiple groups in multiple languages. I am the
community facilitator for English language communities and Meta discussions
about the Board Governance updates.
During this call for feedback we will publish weekly reports and we will
draft the final report that will be delivered to the Board. With the help
of this report, the Board will approve the next steps to organize the
selection of six community seats in the upcoming months. Three of these
seats are due for renewal and three are new, recently approved.
We are looking for a broad representation of opinions. We are interested in
the reasoning and the feelings behind your opinions. In a conversation like
this one, details are important. We want to support good conversations
where everyone can share and learn from others.
*How to participate*
You can choose your preferred language and way of participation. A team of
facilitators is watching multiple channels and capturing the outcome of
conversations in weekly reports (see below).
- Discuss in the Talk page for each idea, or in this Talk page [1] for
general comments. Translated pages welcome discussions in their respective
languages.
- Discuss in the WM Board Governance Telegram [2] group created for this
call for feedback.
- Join a conversation or an online meeting near you. We are organizing
multiple conversations on wiki projects, with affiliates, and other groups.
If there are no conversations or meetings organized for your project or
your affiliate, contact us here, on Telegram, or via email at
community-board-seats-cff(a)wikimedia.org. A facilitator will contact you to
organize one.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything you suggest to
better help me connect and gather feedback from your community. Thanks for
taking the time to participate in this process.
Best,
Jackie
--
*Jackie Koerner*
*she/her*
Communication Facilitator, Board Governance
*English language communities and Meta*
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees…
[2] https://t.me/wmboardgovernancechat
Dear fellow Wikimedians,
Today I am informing you that I will not be renewing my contract with
Wikimedia Deutschland, which runs until January 2022. This decision was not
easy for me because Wikimedia has been such an important, even central,
part of my life in the past nine years. After thorough introspection, I
feel that this step is the right one for me and for our organisation.
This means that a successor will have to be found for the position of the
Executive Director. The search is managed by our Supervisory Board and me
with support of an external executive search firm. The search process has
been well prepared in recent weeks and I am working closely with our board
on each of the steps.
Together, we will ensure a good handover and transition to my successor.
This point is very important to me, as is the fact that we will continue to
work without losing focus on achieving our goals, on working with the
entire movement, and on collaborating very closely on movement strategy
implementation. That's why I don't want to say a big goodbye right now.
What’s next
-
In cooperation with the external executive search firm Kienbaum, we have
developed a search profile and a job posting that will go online shortly.
-
We strive to have someone on board well before the end of my term in
January 2022. As we have commenced the procedure so early, we are on a very
good track.
-
I also consider it essential to be available for a comprehensive
transition and onboarding of a new Executive Director.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
Abraham
--
Geschäftsführender Vorstand / Executive Director
Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0
http://wikimedia.de
Greetings!
After a different year which made us learn new ways of reaching our goals
and re-discovering what being a Wikimedian is, Wikimedistas de Ecuador is
proud to share our activity report for 2020.
Wikimedistas de Ecuador's 2020 Annual Report
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedistas_de_Ecuador/Reportes>
Even when it went different to planning, we were able to reach most of our
goals this year, and we learned new ways and best practices to accomplish
those that we couldn't reach now in 2021. Also, this past year was a time
for us to cool down for a bit, take a deep breath and take care of
ourselves. With everything going around and most of us living in one of the
cities that were hit the hardest during the initial phase of the pandemic,
we needed to take a step back to reflect and prioritize our mental health
and well being.
Hope this e-mail finds you well, and we're also glad we can share this with
you all for feedback and hopefully it also helps you being inspired somehow.
Best regards,
*Edgar J. Rosero Villacís*
Móvil: (+593) 96 934 4829