Hello LK usergroup,
If anyone is interested in leading this year's WLE, please let me know. My hands are quite full this year due to RL matters as well as some long pending Wiki matters - unfortunately I don't think I would have the necessary time to put into this.
Thank you!
Yours truly,
Rehman<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Rehman>
Dear Wikimedians of Sri Lanka,
As a result of the first three weeks of the call for feedback on WMF
Community Board seats, three topics turned out to be the focus of the
discussion. Additionally, a new idea has been introduced by a community
member recently: Candidates resources. We would like to pursue these focus
topics and the new idea appropriately, discussing them in depth and
collecting new ideas and fresh approaches by running four panels in the
next week. Every panel includes four members from the movement covering
many regions, backgrounds and experiences, along with a trustee of the
Board. Every panel will last 45 minutes, followed by a 45-minute open mic
discussion, where everyone’s free to ask questions or to contribute to the
further development of the panel's topics.
Topics and Panels time are:
- Skills for Board work
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…>[1]
- Friday, March 12, 23:30 Sri Lankan time (18:00 UTC)
- Support for candidates
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…>[2]
- Saturday, March 13, 19:00 Sri Lankan time (13:30 UTC)
- Board - Global Council - Hubs
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…>[3]
-
Saturday, March 13, 21:30 Sri Lankan time (16:00 UTC)
- Regional diversity
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…>[4]
- Sunday, March 14, 18:30 Sri Lankan time (13:00 UTC)
To counter spamming, the meeting link will be updated on the
Meta-Wiki pages and also on the Telegram announcements channel
<https://t.me/wmboardgovernanceannounce>[5], 15 minutes before the official
start.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Krishna Chaitanya
Dear Wikimedians of Sri Lanka,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees is organizing a call for
feedback about community selection processes
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…>[1]
between February 1 and March 14. While the Wikimedia Foundation and the
movement have grown about five times in the past ten years, the Board’s
structure and processes have remained basically the same. As the Board is
designed today, we have a problem of capacity, performance, and lack of
representation of the movement’s diversity. Direct elections tend to favor
candidates from the leading language communities, regardless of how
relevant their skills and experience might be in serving as a Board member,
or contributing to the ability of the Board to perform its specific
responsibilities. It is also a fact that the current processes have favored
volunteers from North America and Western Europe. As a matter of fact,
there had only been one member who served on the Board, from South Asia, in
more than fifteen years of history.
In the upcoming months, we need to renew three community seats and appoint
three more community members in the new seats. This call for feedback is to
see what processes can we all collaboratively design to promote and choose
candidates that represent our movement and are prepared with the
experience, skills, and insight to perform as trustees? In this regard, it
would be good to have a community discussion to discuss the proposed ideas
and share our thoughts, give feedback and contribute to the process. To
discuss this, you are invited to a community meeting that is being
organized on March 12 from 8 pm to 10 pm, and the meeting link to join is
https://meet.google.com/umc-attq-kdt. You can add this meeting to your
Google Calendar by clicking here
<https://calendar.google.com/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MDNqcjRwaWxtZThnMXB…>[2].
Please ping me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Krishna Chaitanya
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[2]
https://calendar.google.com/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MDNqcjRwaWxtZThnMXB…
Dear Wikimedians of Sri Lanka,
Since the call for feedback[1] regarding the community-sourced Wikimedia
Foundation Board seats began on 1 February, it has been quite interesting.
Since it has been a couple of weeks, I would like to share a few updates
with you all:
-
First weekly report[2]: This report covers activity between 1-7 February.
-
Second office hours[3]: There will be four sessions to cover various
time zones, on 20 February. Three of them will be feasible for Sri Lanka
(according typical day timings) - 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 9:30 pm [all in Sri
Lankan time zone].
-
Anonymous feedback form[4]: This form provides an option for people who
may not wish to publish feedback publicly themselves.
I also had several interesting conversations with several communities all
through this week, which will reflect in the second weekly report. If you
want us to organize a conversation or a meeting for your wiki project or
your affiliate, please write to me.
Best,
Krishna Chaitanya
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Boa…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[4]
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdX1grF37WvJVZ1VHYDyKvzH1ErEsN1I9K…
Hello folks,
It's that time of the year again! If any of you would like to add projects to our annual report, please do reach out to me here or via private message. A short message with the link to the project page would suffice.
As a non-APG funded volunteer-run usergroup (i.e. we usually only have a maximum of 1 WMF-funded project per year - for WLE), our activity is usually limited to what our members do in their volunteer capacity. So, it is possible to add most of your projects/participations as per previous reports (from the English/Sinhala/Tamil communities). Adding such to the annual reports are a great way to centrally record local events!
Of course, the past year has been very difficult/different/busy to most of us. So I wouldn't be surprised if it would only be the WLE in this year's report. Nevertheless, please do reach out if you have anything that you'd like to add.
Take care and stay safe!
Yours truly,
Rehman<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Rehman>
*(long email incoming)*
Dear Wikimedians of Sri Lanka,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees is organizing a call for
feedback about community selection processes between February 1 and March
14. Below you will find the problem statement and various ideas from the
Board to address it. 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.
During this call for feedback we publish weekly reports and we 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.
*Participate in this call for feedback and help us form a more diverse and
better performing Board of Trustees!*
*Problems:* While the Wikimedia Foundation and the movement have grown
about five times in the past ten years, the Board’s structure and processes
have remained basically the same. As the Board is designed today, we have a
problem of capacity, performance, and lack of representation of the
movement’s diversity. This problem was identified in the Board’s 2019
governance review, along with recommendations for how to address it.
To solve the problem of capacity, we have agreed to increase the Board size
to a maximum of 16 trustees (it was 10). Regarding performance and
diversity, we have approved criteria to evaluate new Board candidates. What
is missing is a process to promote community candidates that represent the
diversity of our movement and have the skills and experience to perform
well on the Board of a complex global organization.
Our current processes to select individual volunteer and affiliate seats
have some limitations. Direct elections tend to favor candidates from the
leading language communities, regardless of how relevant their skills and
experience might be in serving as a Board member, or contributing to the
ability of the Board to perform its specific responsibilities. It is also a
fact that the current processes have favored volunteers from North America
and Western Europe. Meanwhile, our movement has grown larger and more
complex, our technical and strategic needs have increased, and we have new
and more difficult policy challenges around the globe. As well, our
Movement Strategy recommendations urge us to increase our diversity and
promote perspectives from other regions and other social backgrounds.
In the upcoming months, we need to renew three community seats and appoint
three more community members in the new seats. What process can we all
design to promote and choose candidates that represent our movement and are
prepared with the experience, skills, and insight to perform as trustees?
*Ideas:* The Board has discussed several ideas to overcome the problems
mentioned above. Some of these ideas could be taken and combined, and some
discarded. Other ideas coming from the call for feedback could be
considered as well. The ideas are:
1. *Ranked voting system*. Complete the move to a single transferable
vote system, already used to appoint affiliate-selected seats, which is
designed to best capture voters’ preferences.
2. *Quotas*. Explore the possibility of introducing quotas to ensure
certain types of diversity in the Board (details about these quotas to be
discussed in this call for feedback).
3. *Call for types of skills and experiences*. When the Board makes a
new call for candidates, they would specify types of skills and experiences
especially sought.
4. *Vetting of candidates*. Potential candidates would be assessed using
the Trustee Evaluation Form and would be confirmed or not as eligible
candidates.
5. *Board-delegated selection committee*. The community would nominate
candidates that this committee would assess and rank using the Trustee
Evaluation Form. This committee would have community elected members and
Board appointed members.
6. *Community-elected selection committee*. The community would directly
elect the committee members. The committee would assess and rank candidates
using the Trustee Evaluation Form.
7. *Election of confirmed candidates.* The community would vote for
community nominated candidates that have been assessed and ranked using the
Trustee Evaluation Form. The Board would appoint the most voted candidates.
8. *Direct appointment of confirmed candidates*. After the selection
committee produces a ranked list of community nominated candidates, the
Board would appoint the top-ranked candidates directly.
*Call for feedback:* The call for feedback[1] runs from February 1 until
the end of March 14. 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. We want
to hear from those who understand Wikimedia governance well and are already
active in movement conversations. We also want to hear from people who do
not usually contribute to discussions. Especially those who are active in
their own roles, topics, languages or regions, but usually not in, say, a
call for feedback on Meta.
You can participate by joining the Telegram chat group[2], and giving
feedback on any of the talk pages on Meta-Wiki. We are welcoming the
organisation of conversations in any language and in any channel. If you
want us to organize a conversation or a meeting for your wiki project or
your affiliate, please write to me. I will also reach out to communities
and affiliates to soon have focused group discussions.
An office hour[3] is also happening tomorrow from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm (Sri
Lanka time) to discuss this topic. Access link will be available 15 minutes
before the scheduled time. In case you are not able to make it, please
don't worry, there will be more discussions and meetings in the next few
weeks.
Regards,
Krishna Chaitanya
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[2] https://t.me/wmboardgovernancechat
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
(Apologies for cross-posting!)
The Community Resources team is inviting you to an exciting opportunity to
be a committee member as part of the grants programs' participatory
grantmaking practice.
Participatory grantmaking ensures that resourcing community efforts in the
movement is diverse, equal and inclusive. This practice aligns with
movement strategy recommendation 4. Ensure Equity in Decision-making:
Establishing shared responsibility and accountability for decision-making
and distribution of resources.
Serving committee members will have the opportunity to inform and advise
funding decisions and proactively share recommendations and mentorship to
support grantees worldwide in their development, growth, and sustainability
strategies; that contribute to a world in which every single human being
can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.
You will also strengthen your capacity in participatory decision-making
processes while learning about our community's incredible work and the
different contexts that influence their work.
Here is statement by a current committee member, Thepwnco, on their
experience;
My experiences with Wikimedia Foundation grant programs have been very
rewarding, and I feel fortunate to have served as a volunteer committee
member since 2014. Grant programs contribute to equity and sustainability
in our movement through funding unmet and under-resourced needs. Under our
participatory approach to grantmaking, volunteers play a key role in
decision-making. Volunteers also help support and strengthen community-led
initiatives by reviewing grant proposals for impact and providing feedback
and other support to prospective grantees. But being a volunteer committee
member is much more than just a way to share your knowledge and insights,
it’s also an incredible opportunity to learn and be inspired by the breadth
of amazing and innovative work taking place across the movement and in
diverse communities and regions.
Here are the committees that are currently soliciting new members:
* Project Grants:* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project
** Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals: This
committee reviews proposals for projects that inspire and coordinate
volunteers, via campaigns, training, contests and other forms of community
organizing. You can learn more about Project Grants here:
** Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals: This
committee reviews proposals for projects that create or maintain software
that supports the Wikimedia movement, or that conduct research to answer
questions important for Wikimedia communities and projects. *Simple Annual
Plan Grants: *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/About
** Simple APG Committee: This committee reviews proposals to fund a group
or organization's programs and operating expenses for 12 months. The groups
and organizations need to have experience managing programs and grant
funding already.
Orientation and training is provided for new members, and you don’t have to
have previous experience to sign up.
Committee responsibilities include:
- Providing review and constructive feedback to help support applicants
and strengthen grant proposals
- Evaluating and recommending promising proposals for funding
- Helping recruit and spread the word about grants
- Optional: Becoming a project advisor for proposals that interest you
Eligibility requirements for committee members can be found here:
* Project Grants:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Eligibility#commit…
* Simple APG: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee
You can sign up as a candidate for a committee here:
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Candidates
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee/Candidates
Deadlines for submitting committee candidacy:
- Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals
--February 5, 2020
- Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals --
March 5, 2020
- Simple APG Committee -- February 5, 2020
Please reach out to projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the
Project Grants Committee and simple(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the
Simple APG Committee.
Warm regards,
Veronica Thamaini, Program Officer for Simple APG
Marti Johnson, Program Officer for Project Grants
--
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/> *Veronica Thamaini *(She/Her)
Senior Program Officer, Community Resources
Wikim <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>edia Foundation
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
Dear Wikimedians of Sri Lanka,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has discussed and approved some
governance improvements in two recent meetings, on December 9 and January
8. As the governing body for the Wikimedia Foundation, the Board wants to
improve capacity, performance, and representation of the movement’s
diversity. The call for feedback regarding changes to WMF Board’s
governance structure and processes, is going to start on 1 February and
will run until March 14. Information about the same will soon be available
at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[1].
All through the call for feedback, there will be three rounds of office
hours. The first round will be on 2 February (Tuesday). While there will be
three sessions with the same content (to be inclusive of various time
zones), the most feasible one for Sri Lanka would be from 5:30 pm to 6:30
pm (Sri Lanka time). I will follow-up with actual joining instructions
soon. During the session, we will introduce this call for feedback and will
be available for any questions and comments.
A Telegram chat group[2] to discuss and a channel[3] to receive updates
regarding this have been created. You are welcome to join them.
We are welcoming the organization of conversations in any language and in
any channel. If you want us to organize a conversation or a meeting for
your wiki project or your affiliate, please write to me.
Regards,
Krishna Chaitanya
Links:
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees/Call…
[2] https://t.me/wmboardgovernancechat
[3] https://t.me/wmboardgovernanceannounce
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Krishna Chaitanya Velaga <kcvelaga(a)gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 16, 2021 at 12:15 PM
Subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] SWT South Asia 2021
To: Wikimedia India Community list <wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Hello everyone,
Hope you are all doing well, and keeping safe.
I am happy to share with you all an update about the Small wiki toolkits
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits> initiative in India,
and the larger South Asian region. As part of the Small wiki toolkits
initiative, in the second half of 2020, Indic-TechCom, in collaboration
with WMF's Developer Advocacy team, designed and conducted a technical
workshop series: "Small wiki toolkits - Indic workshop series 2020.” A
report of the same can be seen at https://w.wiki/Yqf.
There has been positive response from community members, as the workshops
have been helpful in understanding basic to intermediate level technical
processes on wikis. Two more workshops have been conducted towards the end
of last year. So, we are now planning to continue to run these workshops
(one per month on average) and expand them to the Wikimedia communities in
the South Asian region. The objective is to impart basic to intermediate
level technical skills for volunteers working on Wikimedia projects of
languages in the South Asian region. More information can be found at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SWT_South_Asia/Overview, and we have also
applied for rapid grant to support this initiative through 2021, the
proposal for the same can be seen at https://w.wiki/tWE.
The first session will be a brainstorming session on technical challenges
faced by contributions on their wikis, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm (IST) on 24
January 2021. It will be facilitated by Birgit Müller (Director of
Technical Engagement at WMF). If you are interested, please register at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SWT_South_Asia/Registration. This
discussion will be crucial to decide topics for future workshops. Community
members are also welcome to suggest topics for future workshops anytime at
https://w.wiki/t8Q.
These workshops are being organized with the help of a handful of
volunteers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and if anyone is interested to
help in organizing, please let us know.
Regards,
Krishna Chaitanya
on behalf of SWT South Asia organizers
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SWT_South_Asia/Organization>
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