Dear Wikimedia Community,
The Community Affairs Committee (CAC) [1] of the Wikimedia Foundation Board
of Trustees assigned the Sister Projects Task Force (SPTF)[2] to update and
implement a procedure for assessing the lifecycle of Sister Projects — wiki
projects supported by Wikimedia Foundation (WMF)[3].
A vision of relevant, accessible, and impactful free knowledge has always
guided the Wikimedia Movement. As the ecosystem of Wikimedia projects
continues to evolve, it is crucial that we periodically review existing
projects to ensure they still align with our goals and community capacity.
Despite their noble intent, some projects may no longer effectively serve
their original purpose. Reviewing such projects is not about giving up—it’s
about responsible stewardship of shared resources. Volunteer time, staff
support, infrastructure, and community attention are finite, and the
non-technical costs tend to grow significantly as our ecosystem has entered
a different age of the internet than the one we were founded in. Supporting
inactive projects or projects that didn’t meet our ambitions can
unintentionally divert these resources from areas with more potential
impact.
Moreover, maintaining projects that no longer reflect the quality and
reliability of the Wikimedia name stands for, involves a reputational risk.
An abandoned or less reliable project affects trust in the Wikimedia
movement.
Lastly, failing to sunset or reimagine projects that are no longer working
can make it much harder to start new ones. When the community feels bound
to every past decision—no matter how outdated—we risk stagnation. A healthy
ecosystem must allow for evolution, adaptation, and, when necessary,
letting go. If we create the expectation that every project must exist
indefinitely, we limit our ability to experiment and innovate.
Because of this, SPTF reviewed two requests concerning the lifecycle of the
Sister Projects to work through and demonstrate the review process. We
chose Wikispore as a case study for a possible new Sister Project opening
and Wikinews as a case study for a review of an existing project.
Preliminary findings were discussed with the CAC, and a community
consultation on both proposals was recommended.
== Wikispore ==
The application to consider Wikispore as a new Sister Project was submitted
in 2019 [4]. SPTF decided to review this request in more depth because,
rather than being concentrated on a specific topic, as most of the
proposals for the new Sister Projects are, Wikispore has the potential to
nurture multiple start-up Sister Projects.
After careful consideration [5], the SPTF has decided not to recommend
Wikispore as a Wikimedia Sister Project. Considering the current activity
level, the current arrangement allows better flexibility and
experimentation while WMF provides core infrastructural support.
We acknowledge the initiative's potential and seek community input on what
would constitute a sufficient level of activity and engagement to
reconsider its status in the future.
As part of the process, we shared the decision with the Wikispore community
and invited one of its leaders, Pharos, to an SPTF meeting.
Currently, we especially invite feedback on measurable criteria indicating
the project's readiness, such as contributor numbers, content volume, and
sustained community support. This would clarify the criteria sufficient for
opening a new Sister Project, including possible future Wikispore
re-application. However, the numbers will always be a guide because any
number can be gamed.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Public_consultation_about_Wikispore
== Wikinews ==
We chose to review Wikinews among existing Sister Projects because it is
the one for which we have observed the highest level of concern in multiple
ways.
Since the SPTF was convened in 2023, its members have asked for the
community's opinions during conferences and community calls about Sister
Projects that did not fulfil their promise in the Wikimedia movement [7, 8,
9]. Wikinews was the leading candidate for an evaluation because people
from multiple language communities proposed it. Additionally, by most
measures, it is the least active Sister Project, with the greatest drop in
activity over the years.
While the Language Committee routinely opens and closes language versions
of the Sister Projects in small languages, there has never been a valid
proposal to close Wikipedia in major languages or any project in English.
This is not true for Wikinews, where there was a proposal to close English
Wikinews, which gained some traction but did not result in any action [6;
see also Section 5 from 9], as well as a draft proposal to close all
languages of Wikinews (see on the relevant meta discussion page).
Initial metrics compiled by WMF staff also support the community's concerns
about Wikinews (see on the relevant meta discussion page).
Based on this report, SPTF recommends a community reevaluation of Wikinews.
We conclude that its current structure and activity levels are the lowest
among the existing sister projects. SPTF also recommends pausing the
opening of new language editions while the consultation runs.
SPTF brings this analysis to a discussion and welcomes discussions of
alternative outcomes, including potential restructuring efforts or
integration with other Wikimedia initiatives.
Options mentioned so far (which might be applied to just low-activity
languages or all languages) include but are not limited to:
*Restructure how Wikinews works and is linked to other current events
efforts on the projects,
*Merge content of Wikinews into the relevant language Wikipedias, possibly
in a new namespace,
*Merge content into compartibly licensed external projects,
*Archive Wikinews projects.
Your insights and perspectives are invaluable in shaping the future of
these projects. We encourage all interested community members to share
their thoughts on the relevant discussion pages or through other designated
feedback channels.
Public consultation about Wikinews - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Public_consultation_about_Wikinews>
== Feedback and next steps ==
We’d be grateful if you want to take part in a conversation on the future
of these projects and the review process. We are setting up two different
project pages:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Public_consultation_about_Wikispore and Public
consultation about Wikinews - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Public_consultation_about_Wikinews>.
Please participate between 27/06/25 and 27/07/25, after which we will
summarize the discussion to move forward. You can write in your own
language.
I will also host a community conversation 16th July Wednesday 11.00 UTC and
17th July Thursday 17.00 UTC (I'll send the call links later) and will be
around at Wikimania for more discussions - unfortunately, SPTF application
for a workshop was rejected, but I'll try to set a meetup.
Kind regards,
Victoria
—
1) Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…>
2) Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Sister Projects Task
Force - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…>
3) Wikimedia projects - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_projects>4) Wikispore - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikispore>
5) WikiSpore - Google Docs
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1foUeLwY6Y7SSXchrbt9F4or6x-gP5Phcgwag87m…>
6) Proposals for closing projects/Closure of English Wikinews - Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_closing_projects/Closure_of_E…>
7)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WCNA_2024._Sister_Projects_-_openin…
8)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…
9)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConvention_francophone/2024/Programme/Q…
10)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yxf7dZOZDG5ZblADi3872UvnLQXd1fX63pGS354…
--
Kind regards, Victoria
Victoria Doronina
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/profile/dr-victoria-doronina/> (she/her)
Trustee
Sister Projects Taskforce Lead
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
"Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. Please help us make it a reality."
Dear Wikimedians
I have been thinking more about my message to this mailing list and the
reactions it caused, and I want to offer my apologies. People who know me
know that I always speak my mind and I am a direct person. I think this is
one of the reasons people voted for me on the Board.
When we had the Movement Charter vote last year and people were questioning
the Board’s decision, I wrote a message to explain my personal reasons for
my vote, especially since this was one of the campaign issues in my
election to the Board. I felt it was important to keep my promise.
So I did that again here. But my mistake was that this board decision is
about people, not about a document, and people don’t deserve to be drawn
attention to in ways that can cause harm. I also understand that the
Board’s code of conduct requires Trustees to coordinate their public
communications on collective decisions, which I did not do this time.
I am frustrated by what I see as inaccurate information about some aspects
of the election but understand that sometimes not all forms of official
communications can satisfy everyone.
First and foremost, I would like to apologise to Ravan and Lane for any
harm I may have caused them as people. In hindsight, it sounds naive that I
did not intend it. I will tell them more personally but a public apology is
essential. I would also like to apologise to any Wikimedian who experienced
any negative emotions as a result of my letter. And I apologise to the
Board and staff as well for breaking the agreed commnucation strategy.
I have decided to immediately suspend myself from most of the board
activities until the end of the year, in coordination with Board officers.
I will continue my Wikimedia activities such as editing, uploading photos
etc.
Thank you for reading this letter.
--
Kind regards, Victoria
Victoria Doronina
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/profile/dr-victoria-doronina/> (she/her)
Trustee
Sister Projects Taskforce Lead
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
"Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. Please help us make it a reality."
Hi,
GLAM Wiki 2025 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM_Wiki_2025> starts on
October 30 in Lisbon—and you’re invited to join from anywhere. We’ll stream
all Auditorium sessions live on Zoom
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/10/29/from-lisbon-to-you-tune-in-for-glam-w…>,
with simultaneous interpretation between English and Portuguese.
Under the theme *“Resilience: Shaping the Future Through Community and
Openness*”, Wikimedia Portugal and Wiki Editoras Lx
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/01/28/wikimedia-portugal-and-wikieditoraslx…>
invite participants to dive into the challenges and opportunities of the
Wikimedia ecosystem as a digital infrastructure for open culture throughout
the conference.
Across the Auditorium track, conversations will touch on:
- *Collections beyond GLAM:* Expanding the broadness of what GLAM can
encompass and narrow the digital divide - collections outside of formal
institutions, gender gap, decolonization, restitution, minority and
underrepresented languages, traditional knowledge, and restitution.
- *Community and sustainability of the movement:* Global GLAM Strategy &
GLOSS, governance, development and resilience of institutional
partnerships, community engagement.
- *Emergency and recovery:* Natural catastrophes, climate change, war
zones, culture-averse governments, human rights and other urgent challenges
that jeopardize GLAM work in a time-sensitive manner.
- *Tools in practice:* Innovative and good practices, tool innovation,
WMF tech infrastructure, metrics, AI.
*How to join online:*
-
*Register for the live Zoom stream (EN–PT interpretation):* Zoom
<https://apportugal-tech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M-6olaFuQEeDNQmxlDWPeQ#…>
-
*See the full program (times in UTC+0):* https://w.wiki/FSLZ
We look forward to seeing you online!
Warm regards,
Érica Azzellini
*on behalf of the GLAM Wiki 2025 Organizing Team*
Dear Wikimedians,
We hope this email finds you well. We invite you to join the next episode
of WikiAfrica Hour "Quand les écoles africaines prennent la plume du futur:
le WikiChallenge 2025”
We are very excited to discuss this topic with the episode guests and your
joining is very valuable.
*What can you expect from the episode?*
This episode of WikiAfrica Hour celebrates the remarkable journey of
WikiChallenge
Écoles Afrique 2025 — a unique contest that empowers African schoolchildren
to share stories from their communities on Vikidia, the encyclopedia for
young people.
Through this episode, we’ll explore how the initiative blends education,
free knowledge, and creativity, while addressing key themes such as copyright
and open access, partnerships that make it possible, and the challenges and
opportunities ahead — including AI, distance learning, and multilingual
expansion.
Join us as we celebrate this year’s winners, highlight the partnerships
that make WikiChallenge possible, and feature insights from local
organisers across Africa in a special In Focus segment.
*Who are the guest speakers?*
-
Florence Devourd: A Wikipedian since 2002, a former Chair of Wikimedia
Foundation and a founding member of Wikimedia France. She is the
Co-Executive Director of Wiki in Africa. Since 2013, Florence is the
co-leader on projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, such as Wiki Loves
Africa.
-
Konan N'Da N'Dri: Member of Wikimedia Côte d'Ivoire, project manager,
and Wikimedia trainer. He joined Wikimedia Côte d'Ivoire as a volunteer in
2023. He support the Wikichallenge African Schools project.
-
Tchuileu Ngangom Alexandra: a Wikimedian within the Wikimedians of
Cameroon User Group community. Responsible for several projects within the
community, she has led local projects such as WikiCiné, WikiKwatt and
international campaigns such as Wiki Loves Folklore and Wiki Loves Earth.
Since 2023, Alexandra has been coordinating the activities of Wikichallenge
Écoles d'Afrique in Cameroon, with deployment across all of the Orange
Foundation's digital schools.
-
Tafsir FALL: Educational Mediator for Senegal, in charge of deploying
projects related to digital technology in collaboration with the Orange
Foundation.
*Hosting them*, Minette Lontsie: a creative entrepreneur, trained
journalist and wikimedian from Cameroon with over 10 years of experience
working in the fields of technology, cultural and creative industries and
digital marketing. She started contributing to Wikimedia projects in 2016
and has been a member of the Wikimedians of Cameroon User group since 2017.
She is passionate about filling the online content gap about Africa, with a
strong interest in arts and culture, gender equality and IT.
.
When and where will the episode take place?
Data: Wednesday 29th October
Time: 16:00 UTC
Join us LIVE on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVEJw_o574&feature=youtu.be
You can also register in the event tool
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:WAH_Episode_51_-_Quand_les_%C3%A9cole…
Looking forward to seeing you!
--
*Donia*
WikiAfrica Hour Production Coordinator
& Wiki In Africa Tools Community Facilitator
BESIDES....
I'll host a workshop this Friday at 17h UTC+2 during which I will
present the first sketches propositions of the tool.
Please join to talk about it, criticize, propose changes, push for some
features over others, and so on.
👉 *Register to the sketches workshop here :
*https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:VIZWP_24_10_2025
IF YOU CAN NOT join the event (or do not want to), please have a look
directly at the sketches proposed and give a feedback about each
proposition. Please {{bebold}} !
👉 *Look and comment the first sketches here :
*https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Visual_Analytics_for_Sustainability_and_Climate_Change/Tool/Co-design_activities
Cheers
Anthere
---------
*Context*/
Visualizing Sustainability and Climate Change/is a research project
aimed at identifying and visualizing knowledge gaps related to
sustainability and climate changeon Wikipedia. The project helps
visualize these knowledge gaps, supports communities in improving
content on this important topic, facilitates collaboration among
multilingual communities and partners, and strengthens the capacity of
Wikipedia contributors to document and share information on climate
change (as well as sustainability and SDGs).
In practice, in collaboration with Wikimedia projects focused on
sustainability and climate change,*the initiative will produce a visual
tool*that allows users to evaluate and monitor the quality and quantity
of articles related to sustainability and climate change on Wikipedia
across different languages.
In the long run, the tool is expected to serve beyond the specific «
Climate change » topic ;)
The projet is developped as part of a research project, promoted by
SUPSI, funded by the SNSF, with the patronage ofWikimedia Italia
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Italia>.
On the Wiki Community side of things, the organizations involved
areWikimedistas de Uruguay
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedistas_de_Uruguay>,Wiki in Africa
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_In_Africa>, andWiki Education
Foundation.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Education_Foundation>
If you are interested in knowing more of the project, I suggest you head
here :
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Visual_Analytics_for_Sustainability_and_Cli…
If you want to see the first sketches, first definition of user
requirements, the dataset we are working on, go there :
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Visual_Analytics_for_Sustainability_and_Cli…
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Visual_Analytics_for_Sustainability_and_Cli…>
*
*
Warm Regards,
Anthere for the VIZWP tool team
Dear all,
Applications for the *Wikimania 2026 Paris scholarships
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Wikimania>* are open until *31
October 2025*. There’s still time to apply and seize this opportunity! We
strongly encourage you to submit your application *before the deadline*.
Recordings of the orientation sessions are also available. If you would
like to learn more about the application process or get tips on preparing
your application, you can access the recordings here
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Scholarships>.
Best regards,
Afek Ben Chahed, Communications Lead, on behalf of the Wikimania 2026 Core
Organizing Team
*Dear friends and partners, *
The *WikiHeritage Initiative* invites experienced English Wikipedians to
serve as *Lead Reviewers* in the upcoming *Live Review of Unpublished
Articles* session, an interactive event marking the conclusion of the
WikiHeritage Fellowship program.
This session offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate, in real time, how
unpublished Wikipedia articles are evaluated and improved before
publication. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses that define a
high-quality encyclopedic entry.
The event reflects our mission to promote *editorial excellence*, *knowledge
equity*, and *capacity-building* within the Wikimedia
ecosystem—particularly in cultural heritage documentation.
*Objective*
The two-hour session will feature a live review of unpublished WikiHeritage
articles, allowing the audience to observe and learn from experienced
Wikipedians as they analyse real drafts. Participants will gain insights
into:
- The criteria that determine whether an article meets English
Wikipedia’s publication standards.
- How to identify weaknesses in structure, tone, or sourcing.
- The importance of neutrality, verifiability, and notability.
- Real-world editorial decision-making and collaborative improvement.
Draft articles will be shared with the selected reviewers before the
session. This format fosters a transparent, hands-on learning experience
that deepens understanding of Wikipedia’s editorial culture.
*Why Participate*
Joining as a Lead Reviewer provides an opportunity to:
- Contribute to improving WikiHeritage articles on cultural heritage.
- Share expertise with new and emerging editors.
- Showcase editorial best practices in a live educational environment.
- Strengthen Wikimedia’s culture of mentorship and community learning.
- Support open access to quality, verifiable, and balanced information.
*Role of the Lead Wikipedian*
As a Lead Reviewer, you will:
- Evaluate selected unpublished articles live, explaining your editorial
reasoning.
- Demonstrate how to apply Wikipedia’s key content policies (Notability,
Neutrality, Verifiability, and Reliable Sources).
- Provide constructive feedback and editing guidance.
- Engage with the audience through discussion and Q&A.
- Encourage quality improvement and ethical content development.
*Eligibility*
We welcome Wikipedians who:
- Have significant editing experience on the English Wikipedia.
- Are familiar with review processes such as *Articles for Creation
(AfC)* or *Peer Review*.
- Can clearly explain and apply core content policies.
- Value collaboration, mentorship, and open knowledge.
*Privacy and Data Protection*
The WikiHeritage Initiative prioritises your *data protection, privacy, and
identity security* in compliance with international data protection
standards and Wikimedia’s privacy policy.
- You may participate anonymously using only your Wikipedia username or
pseudonym.
- No personal data will be made public without your explicit consent.
- All information submitted through the Google Form will be stored
securely and used solely for coordination purposes.
- Participants may request a private discussion with the organisers to
clarify any privacy preferences before or after submission.
We are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment
that safeguards contributors’ rights and encourages open, honest
participation.
*Event Details*
📅 *Date:* November 7–8
📍 *Venue:* Zoom
⏰ *Duration:* Maximum of Two (2) Hours
🎯 *Format:* Live review, editing demonstration, and audience interaction
*Register Your Interest*
To express your interest in serving as a Lead Reviewer, please complete the
registration form below:
👉 *Fill out the Google Form here <https://forms.gle/btXphQ3zRsvzyn3VA>*
- Your Wikipedia username (real name optional).
- A short biography (150–200 words).
- A summary of your editing or review experience.
- Any privacy or anonymity preferences you wish to be respected.
All data will be securely stored and used only for participant coordination
and event communication.
*About WikiHeritage*
The *WikiHeritage Initiative* documents, preserves, and promotes cultural
heritage through Wikimedia platforms—ensuring that local knowledge,
traditions, and stories are accessible to the world. You can learn more
about the program here
<https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiHeritage_Fellowship>.
The Live Article Review Session exemplifies our commitment to *transparency*,
*mentorship*, and the *continuous improvement* of open knowledge.
On behalf of WikiHeritage
Amb. Olaniyan Olushola
One feature of our voting system is that some editors will have more than
one account that qualifies them for a vote. If the emails and notifications
that were encouraging people to vote included an option along the lines of
"this is a secondary account, I have already voted using my main account"
then we might get a better idea as to what the real turnout was among the
people in the community as opposed to among the qualifying accounts. These
days I only have one account that qualifies for a vote, eleven years ago I
might legitimately have had three.
It would also be useful to have an option for "not voting as this election
has not been translated into any language I understand". That assumes of
course that the notification emails had been translated and sent out in
every language, or at least to be fair every language where one of the
final candidates is active.
I suspect it is currently too much of an overhead to translate the election
into over 300 languages, or even to promote the election in over 300
languages. But it would be good to get an idea as to which languages most
need a translation in order to take part. We also need to be conscious that
promoting the vote more frequently in some languages than others could be
discriminatory, especially where that involves a language that a candidate
is active in.
Regards
WSC
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:16:50 +0100
> From: Andreas Kolbe <jayen466(a)gmail.com>
> Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Re: Final hours: 2025 Board of Trustees Voting
> Period to close
> To: Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> Message-ID:
> <CAHRTtW_+zFU3usaS6CZAwx2ta2DtOvywu+U=
> 1zeoSBsYCTXHsg(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> boundary="0000000000007862b20641e75d82"
>
> Hi Risker and all,
>
> It is true that the very controversy may have increased awareness of the
> vote (we shouldn't call it an "election" any more). This might have led
> some to vote who otherwise wouldn't have.
>
> In addition, some users reported receiving more emails for this vote than
> previous ones, including some direct emails from Meta-Wiki.
>
> These Meta-Wiki mails appear to have been planned long ago, rather than as
> a response to the boycott calls:
>
> https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T392232 (hat tip to Tilman/HaeB)
>
> There were also "Your vote is missing" emails from the Elections Committee
> (also a misnomer). I believe this year is the first time that specific
> messaging has been used.
>
> Altogether I myself got five "official" emails about this year's vote, vs.
> two last year.
>
> This should be borne in mind. If there was indeed a more intense email
> campaign designed to encourage participation this year, then the
> participation rates may not be statistically comparable.
>
> Andreas
>