Dear all,
Do you care about safety, inclusivity, and friendliness in the Wikimedia
movement? Are you interested in the guidelines and policies that guide it?
Do you have any experience with how they are applied? Do you have ideas
about well-functioning enforcement pathways in general? This is your chance
to get involved!
We are looking for volunteers to join the Drafting Committee for the
guidelines of enforcement for the Universal Code of Conduct. If you are
interested, please read the following important information for candidates
and our essay on an ideal committee
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee#The_ideal_drafting_committee_paradox_-_a_short_essay>
[1].
-
Who will be on the committee? - eight or nine volunteers, two or three
affiliate staff members, and three or four Foundation staff members
(depending on how many candidates apply)
-
When will the committee be active? - April 26 - November 30, 2021.
Please be aware that we will prioritize a comprehensive community review
over a hard deadline, so the active period for the committee might get
extended. There will be a break in Committee duties for a rest period while
community discussions are active. For a more detailed timeline see here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee#Phase_2_drafting_committee_timeline>
[2].
-
What will they do? Understand the current Universal Code of Conduct
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct> [3].
Read background material and draft the enforcement strategies for the
Universal Code of Conduct that will outline pathways of implementation. See
more information here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct> [4].
-
How will they work? They will meet online and work on shared documents.
A facilitation team will help them to organize the work, and experts in
different areas will be available to provide support. Sessions will include
a combination of teamwork and asynchronous work and will have elements of
multimedia, facilitated activities, discussion and collaborative work.
-
How much time should I plan to spend per week? There will be online
meetings (1-2 hours per week), as well as background reading in the early
phases resulting in up to 5-8 hours each week. There will be a full break
and a period of reduced activity over the summer. For more details see the
timeline here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee#Phase_2_drafting_committee_timeline>
[2].
-
What skills should I bring to the process? Ideally you would have
experience in policy drafting as well as in the application of policies and
enforcement of rules, experience in cooperating online and in writing in
English. We would also love our candidates to have empathy; for example,
experience in mentoring, resolving difficult disputes, and communicating
with compassion are valuable. Experience applying a trauma-informed lens
and working within anti-racist and anti-oppresisve frameworks would be
highly valued.
-
How will the committee members be selected? The Trust and Safety Team
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety> [5] together
with the Legal
Team <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal> [6] of the Wikimedia
Foundation will vet all candidates. Then, the Vice president of Community
Resilience and Sustainability, Maggie Dennis
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mdennis_(WMF)> [7], will choose
committee members based on the level of skills and experience of candidates
in combination with diversity factors.
If you are interested in applying, please let us know before April 19 by
signing up below or mail to Christel Steigenberger
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:EmailUser/CSteigenberger_(WMF)> [8].
Please include your username and link to your userpage of your home wiki
and provide links demonstrating your experience. Let us know about the
roles you hold or held in Wikimedia or similar organizations. Feel free to
add any additional information that will help us make an informed choice.
Please forward this message to any volunteers or affiliate staff members
you think might be interested, and encourage them to apply and help us
spread the word. We also welcome your help translating this message on meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee#Phase_2_call_for_applications>
[9].
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Christel Steigenberger
Senior Trust and Safety Specialist
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committe…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committe…
[3]
https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety
[6]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal
[7]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mdennis_(WMF)
[8]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:EmailUser/CSteigenberger_(WMF)
[9]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committe…
Christel Steigenberger (she/her)
Senior Trust and Safety Specialist
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>