Greetings Everyone,
The theme for *WikiConference India* 2026 has officially been
revealed: "Reimagining
the Knowledge Commons." - Community Leadership in an Evolving Wikimedia
Ecosystem
As we gather at Kochi this September (4th-6th), this theme feels especially
meaningful. It’s not just about maintaining and contributing to knowledge.
It's more about rethinking how knowledge is created, shared, and sustained
in the rapidly changing world. This year, we will be gathering together to
reflect, discuss, and shape the conversations around:
-
Community Leadership in the trend of AI: In a time of declining trust in
online information and the rapid rise of AI-generated content,
strengthening community-led, human-created knowledge becomes more critical
than ever.
-
Empowering regional languages and local knowledge: Reimagining the
knowledge commons is not only about tools or platforms- it is also about
leadership. It is about ensuring that regional languages, local knowledge
systems and underrepresented histories remain at the heart of the global
movement.
-
Innovative models for open-access participation: It encourages us to
think beyond traditional editing and explore new ways of participation and
knowledge creation that reflect the diversity of India and South Asia.
Quick Reminder: Apply for the travel scholarship
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Scholarship> [1]
before the deadline tomorrow.
Let’s come together and be a part of the movement that shapes what comes
next for the Wikimedia ecosystem in South Asia!
Read the full announcement on Diff: [Link
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/10/shaping-what-comes-next-reimagining-t…>
][2]
--
*WikiConference India 2026 Organizing team *
*[1] *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Scholarship
[2]
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/10/shaping-what-comes-next-reimagining-t…
Hi everyone,
It’s time for the fifth edition of the Coolest Tool Award!! 🎉
Tools play an essential role at Wikimedia, and so do the many volunteer
developers who experiment with new ideas, develop & maintain local & global
solutions, and enhance the experience for Wikimedia communities.
We’d like to invite you all to nominate your favourite & most used tools
and help us celebrate the people who create them!
To nominate your favourite tools, simply follow this link:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Coolest_Tool_Award#Coolest_Tool_Award_2024.
Feel free to submit multiple nominations by completing the form as many
times as you'd like. The deadline for Nomination is* May 10th 2024.*
For further details on the nomination and selection process, the Coolest
Tool Award Academy, and the upcoming award ceremony, please visit
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Coolest_Tool_Award.
The award is organized & selected by the Coolest Tool Academy. We plan to
award the coolest tools in a variety of categories (see last year’s
categories for an example). Excitingly, we're returning to an in-person
event for the first time since 2019, with winners set to be unveiled at
Wikimania 2024.
Thank you immensely for your participation and recommendations. Together,
let's celebrate innovation and collaboration within the Wikimedia community!
Regards,
On behalf of the Coolest Tool Academy 2024
Dear Esteemed Wikimedians,
We at DCW trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits.
Your unwavering commitment to the Wikimedia movement has played a pivotal
role in shaping the world of open knowledge sharing, and for that, we
extend our heartfelt gratitude.
We are thrilled to extend a special invitation to you to participate in the
"Wikimedia Leadership Development and Skills Enhancement Survey." This
survey has been meticulously crafted to gather your valuable insights and
experiences regarding leadership development and skills infrastructure
within our community.
Survey Details:
Title: Wikimedia Leadership Development and Skills Enhancement Survey
Duration: Approximately 10 minutes.
Purpose: Your input will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to better
support and empower Wikimedians in their leadership journeys.
How to Participate:
Click on the survey link
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdv5ycHRfaod6wbj8zvhIfwO8Mq0pALeBC…>
here
to access the questionnaire.
Thoughtfully and candidly complete the survey by 5th October 2023. Rest
assured that your responses will be held in strict confidence and used
exclusively for research
purposes.
By participating in this survey, you become an integral part of the ongoing
evolution of leadership development and skills enrichment within the
Wikimedia movement and of DCW's ongoing project for the same. Your voice
matters, and your perspectives are essential.
We deeply appreciate your dedication to the Wikimedia community and your
willingness to help us continue to grow and thrive. Your insights will
directly impact the future direction of our project and movement.
Thank you for your time, commitment, and passion for open knowledge
sharing. We eagerly anticipate your participation in the survey.
Warm regards,
Affaf Nasir
Affaf(DCW).
Email address – affaf(a)dcwwiki.org
Hi Everyone,
The Community Resources team and the Let’s Connect Working Group are
excited to announce the launch of the Peer Learning Program – Let’s Connect
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/03/25/lets-connect-register-now-for-the-pee…>.
It is a response to requests gathered during the Movement Strategy process
and for building capacities through knowledge sharing amongst community
members (peers) in a way that promotes collaboration and
people-centeredness.
Let's Connect is bringing you monthly learning clinics and one-on-one
matches around various subjects in the Wikimedia movement. This program is
carefully created with the involvement of community members scattered all
over the various regions in the Wikimedia Movement. The programs can be
based on both regional and cross-regional connections.
Do you want to join? You can register to be a part of the “Let’s Connect”
through this form <https://forms.gle/eySNYTsMBqA5V8sM7>. We will use this
information to match you with others and invite you to learning clinics!
To reach out to anyone on the working group or the WMF concerning “Let’s
Connect” kindly visit the Meta-Page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Knowledge_Sharing/Connect> or you
can send an email to the Working Group at letsconnectteam(a)wikimedia.org
We look forward to engaging with the wonderful Wikimedia movement and we
thank our working group, WMF and Wikimedians across the world for making
sure these programs come to life.
Thank You.
Regards,
“Let’s Connect” Working Group.
[1] Registration Form <https://forms.gle/eySNYTsMBqA5V8sM7>
[2] Let's Connect Meta Page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Knowledge_Sharing/Connect>
[3] Let's Connect Diff Posts
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/03/25/lets-connect-register-now-for-the-pee…>
--
Pavan Santhosh.
Dear Wikimedians,
As you may already know, the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) provides a
baseline of behaviour for collaboration on Wikimedia projects worldwide.
Communities may add to this to develop policies that take account of local
and cultural context while maintaining the criteria listed here as a
minimum standard. The Wikimedia Foundation Board has ratified the policy in
December 2020.
The current round of conversations is around how the Universal Code of
Conduct should be enforced across different Wikimedia platforms and spaces.
This will include training of community members to address harassment,
development of technical tools to report harassment, and different levels
of handling UCoC violations, among other key areas.
The conversation hour is an opportunity for community members from South
Asia to discuss and provide their feedback, which will be passed on to the
drafting committee. The details of the conversation hour are as follows:
- Date and Time: 16 September, 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm NPT
- Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/dnd-qyuq-vnd | add to your
calendar
<https://calendar.google.com/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=NmVzbnVzbDA2Y3BwbHU…>
You can also attend the global round table sessions hosted on 18 September
- more details can be found on this page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultation…>
.
--
Krishna Chaitanya Velaga (he/him)
Movement Strategy and Governance, Wikimedia Foundation
Dear Wikimedians,
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Board election. The
Elections Committee has reviewed the votes of the 2021 Wikimedia Foundation
Board of Trustees election, organized to select four new trustees. A record
6,873 people from across 214 projects cast their valid votes. The following
four candidates received the most support:
- Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight
- Victoria Doronina
- Dariusz Jemielniak
- Lorenzo Losa
While these candidates have been ranked through the community vote, they
are not yet appointed to the Board of Trustees. They still need to pass a
successful background check and meet the qualifications outlined in the
Bylaws. The Board has set a tentative date to appoint new trustees at the
end of this month.
Read the full announcement here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_ele…>
.
--
Krishna Chaitanya Velaga (he/him)
Movement Strategy and Governance, Wikimedia Foundation
Dear Wikimedians of Nepal,
Thank you for participating in the 2021 Wikimedia Foundation Board of
Trustees election
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_ele…>!
Voting closed on August 31 at 23:59. The official data, including the four
most voted candidates, will be announced as soon as the Elections Committee
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_ele…>
completes
its review of the ballots. The official announcement of the new trustees
appointed will happen later, once the selected candidates have been
confirmed by the Board.
6,946 community members from 216 wiki projects have voted. This makes 10.2%
global participation, 1.1% higher than in the last Board elections. In
2017, 5167 people from 202 wiki projects cast their vote. A full analysis
is planned to be published in a few days when the confirmed results are
announced. In the meantime, you can check the data produced during the
election
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_ele…>
.
Diversity was an important goal with these elections. Messages about the
Board election were translated into 61 languages. This outreach worked
well. There were 70 communities with eligible voters voting in this
election for the first time. With your help, next year’s Board of Trustees
election will be even better.
--
Krishna Chaitanya Velaga (he/him)
Movement Strategy and Governance, Wikimedia Foundation