I am really interested to learn how you come to the conclusion that most projects are quite mature. If anything given the statistics that are available to us all I would come to exactly the other conclusion.
I did not mean language versions of whatever sister projects we have (or their relative success or popularity). I mean sister projects themselves. They been running for quite some time now. Correct me if I am wrong, but Wikiversity is the youngest one and it's already 2 years old.
From my (very limited) experience language versions of the projects really
start with translating basic English policies, instructions, etc and then based on this "template" continue to develop their own rules as the need arise. So in a way we ~might~ have somewhat unified policies -- those of English language (just dated at different times and amended afterward).
And when I wrote "freedom" I meant the right to amend, add, reject, re-write (in other words, edit) those policies copied over from English version when they need it and when the project organically grows up for the task. As Florence said "left free of deciding the path they use to reach the global goal."
<off-topic>
- More then half of our projects, probably two thirds are not involved in
issues that have to do with the Wikimedia Foundation, without their presence we do not have a clue what we can do for these people these projects.
Sorry to tell you, but as long as the website is running and the tools are functioning, the projects do not really need the foundation... That is the strength and weakness of all Wikimedia projects: the community has almost total ownership of whatever is going on (there are of course oddball legal & other issues that need to be overseen from above).
How many times a newcomer would post something on this mailing list relating to one or the other local project (usually asking to resolve a dispute) and would be referred back -- not a foundation issue? What could the foundation do, say, regarding abysmally small Arabic Wikipedia (generating some press after Wikimania)? or regarding a war between admins on x project? Very very little (a local chapter could do much more). </off-topic>
many projects do not have the size and the basic set of values that you would recognise as essential for the success of those projects.
They (language editions) will start by copying goals and values from English projects and then will build their own culture on it. Whenever they feel like. Whenever they are big enough. And they will hold dear those principles built by "we, the people" as opposed to those principles artificially created by "he, the boss" and handed down as ten commandmends in stone to Moses. That will take time, but I don't think we have a deadline.
Renata3