From: Andrew Whitworth <wknight8111(a)gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Chapter-selected Board seats - brainstorming
To: birgitte_sb(a)yahoo.com, "Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List"
<foundation-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008, 12:17 PM
On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 11:36 AM, Birgitte SB
<birgitte_sb(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
I am not saying it is impossible for a US
national
chapter to exist. But it will not be created through
grass-roots self-organization as was the case for other
chapters. The WMF looks foolish to sit on their hands and
wait for it to form. And WMF is not credible when they
collect US tax-deductible money, solicit US press, etc. and
then say US Wikimedians have the same opportunity to create
a national chapter as everyone else if they want to
participate in chapter stuff. The honest options are a)
WMF staff organize a US national chapter or b) Chapter
committee approves US subnational chapter where there is
grass-roots activity.
I disagree with this completely. Grass-roots organization
is how the
US chapter(s) will form, it's the way things are
currently
progressing. There are grass roots organizations, that
I've heard of
(which may not be a comprehensive list) starting in many
places: New
York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oregon, California,
Massachusetts, and
other places. Progress has been mostly stagnant in these
groups for
many reasons, all of which are organizational failures on
the part of
the WMF/Chapcom.
It is my personal estimate that there could be as many as
10 or 12
active subnational US chapters operational within a year if
all
barriers to entry were removed. Of course, there are many
logistical
issues to work out before those barriers can be removed
completely.
You misunderstood my message (probably because did a poor job qualifying it). I agree
with you that if subnational *chapters* are allowed there will be the grassroots
organization for them. I speaking of the grassroots organization of a national *chapter*
if subnantional *chapters* are disalowed or required to be subchapters of an existiong
national one.
Birgitte SB
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