Hello NC Wikipedian friends!
Mark your calendars: Our user group will hold a summer wiknic event on
*Tuesday,
Aug. 6, from 5 to 7pm, at Boxyard RTP <https://boxyard.rtp.org/>*. Join us
for a mellow summer hangout and grab dinner while you're there. (I've heard
there's an excellent barbecue place on site.)
Here's the official meetup page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/NC/Triangle_Wiknic_2024 Add
your name if you're planning to attend!
We'll hold our next meeting on Sept. 10 at 7pm.
Emily
Hi NC Wikipedians,
I'm hosting our next meeting this Tuesday, July 9, at 7pm. Zoom link to
follow.
Glad to hear plans for the Wiknic are already in motion.
I've submitted our affiliate's vote for the Movement Charter. If anyone
would like to vote individually as well, vote here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter/Ratification/Voting> by
July 9.
See you soon,
Max
Hi NC Wiki folks,
The Wikimedia Summit Organising Team sent this message to Summit participants. They've created a tool for evaluating the Final Charter draft, in relation to the revision requests that were drafted by affiliates during the summit.
Just sharing this in case it's helpful for folks to get a sense of what other affiliates' priorities were. I'm also keeping an eye out in case there's more discussion among participants about the Final Movement Charter .
Morgan
Subject: Fwd: Wikimedia Summit Statements: Final Movement Charter scoring
Dear Wikimedia Summit participants,
The MCDC has recently published the final movement charter in English: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter
At the Wikimedia Summit, after three days of deliberation, you as participants came up with a series of statements that the groups deemed important to be included in the charter. Even though some of these “dealbreaker” statements were drafted under extreme time constraints, all of them received a majority support by Affiliates and Hub representatives at the closing session.
We developed a simple tool to compare the final charter against the Summit statements: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dg6T7bH47mLIeS320YxU20RzBUmAkfHKK0o…
How to use the tool:
This table lists all the “dealbreaker” statements, weighs them by the support they got at the summit and calculates a total score.
The weighing is based on # of people who voted “support” subtracting # of people who voted “oppose”, multiplied by the number of people who responded (as in, did not abstain).
Simply enter “yes” or “no” in the Final Charter column, based on your own assessment of the charter content.
Of course, you can adjust it with your weighing method, based on the preferences of your organization. Alternatively, you could just pick the statements that are important to your affiliate or hub, and create a score based on those only.
The ratification will run from 25 June - 9 July. We hope many of you will take part in it!
/!\ Do not reply to this email, please direct all your questions to wmsummit(a)wikimedia.de<mailto:wmsummit@wikimedia.de> /!\
Kind regards from Berlin,
The Wikimedia Summit Organising Team
Hello again NC Wikipedians!
I'm forwarding along a message about the newly established criteria for
"affiliate health" -- aka the criteria that we, as a user group, will be
expected to meet going forward. I'll also add this to a future meeting
agenda for discussion.
Emily
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Nataliia Tymkiv <ntymkiv(a)wikimedia.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 12, 2024 at 12:39 PM
Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy: affiliate
health criteria and changes to User Group recognition process
To: Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Dear all,
I would like to thank all of you who shared feedback with us during this
phase of the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process that started
in November 2022 [1], both on- and off-wiki [2]. Please find below the approved
1) affiliate health criteria; and 2) changes to the Wikimedia User Group
(WUG) recognition process, as well as a tentative implementation timeline
and next steps.
== Affiliate Health Criteria ==
The Affiliations Committee (AffCom) is a volunteer committee responsible
for making recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the recognition,
approval, and de-recognition of Wikimedia movement affiliates, and for
facilitating the creation of those organizations or groups. It is tasked in
its charter with “promoting community health and growth”, including by
“monitoring affiliates' continued compliance with affiliate rules and
criteria” and by “provid[ing] support to affiliates as they attempt to grow
in membership, build programs to further the Wikimedia mission and improve
their governance practices” [3]. In 2023, insights from AffCom members,
affiliates, community members, and Foundation staff, reflected in a report
with immediate recommendations [1], surfaced a number of ways to improve
how the Foundation works with affiliates, how collaboration can happen, and
which criteria can help to ensure that all affiliates are healthy.
Since that point, AffCom has been working with the Board of Trustees,
Foundation staff, affiliates, and wider community members to enable them to
provide appropriate guidance to affiliates regarding what it means to be an
active and healthy Wikimedia organisation. As a result of those
conversations, AffCom has voted [4] to adopt the following 10 criteria for
affiliates, grouped into four main areas:
1.
Goal delivery;
2.
Organisational Development (Good governance & communication; Financial &
legal compliance; Affiliate health & resilience);
3.
Leadership & Inclusion (Diverse, skilled, and accountable leadership;
Diversity balance (especially gender); Universal Code of Conduct compliance
);
4.
Engagement & Collaboration (Internal (membership) engagement; Community
connection; Partnerships & collaboration).
You are encouraged to read more details about each of these criteria here
[5], including guidance on how each can be met. All criteria will be
tracked for all affiliates, except for the criteria around financial and
legal compliance, which only apply to those affiliates receiving funds
and/or that are incorporated.
Staff and AffCom are working on streamlining affiliate reporting
requirements, and responding to feedback raised during the community
feedback period about the reporting burden. The new requirements of data
collected in reports would be useful also for different Foundation teams
and departments, and allow for the creation of detailed regional or global
reports that demonstrate affiliate health and impact.
In July 2024, AffCom will work to finalise the implementation plans for the
changes to the affiliate requirements and application process. In August
2024, updates will be made to Meta-wiki and other supporting platforms. You
can follow the process here [7].
== Changes to User Groups recognition process ==
The insights from the 2023 process also included recognising a need to
strengthen AffCom processes for evaluating potential User Groups’
furtherance of shared movement goals, sustainability, and general ability
to be healthy and active movement participants. According to its charter,
AffCom is charged with “establishing recognition criteria and processes for
different models of affiliation” [3]. AffCom adopted the revised process
for User Group recognition, adding to the recognition process: 1) a live
interview (by video call) with AffCom; 2) the requirement that user group
applicants publish a public letter of intent to affected wikis/projects and
affiliates; and 3) the creation of a one-year trial period for applicants
to demonstrate their activities and effectiveness [6]. You can follow the
process here [7].
To implement the new requirements, AffCom finds it necessary to pause new
User Group recognitions. This does not apply to those already in the
pipeline as of 12 June 2024. During this pause, AffCom will share
documentation about the new criteria with the community and emerging User
Groups, and ensure streamlined reporting systems. Even after the
documentation is released, AffCom will remain sensitive to needed
adjustments that may become clear during the implementation process and
will take any necessary steps to update the documentation to elaborate on
the criteria.
AffCom currently expects to resume User Group recognition work in September
2024.
== Appreciation and next steps ==
On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board, I would like to express
appreciation for AffCom’s dedication and work to to support these goals: 1)
the overall health of the ecosystem of affiliates; and 2) strengthening its
processes around evaluating potential User Groups’ support of shared
movement goals, sustainability, and general ability to be healthy and
active movement participants and to build a system where affiliates can be
set up for success.
No immediate changes are happening, except the pause of considering new
User Group recognitions until September, for applications received after
today, June 12, 2024.
Once more detailed implementation plans are developed, there will be an
update here [7] and on the relevant Meta pages with the next steps after
Wikimania.
To provide your feedback, please leave a comment on the main talk page on
Meta [8]. Alternatively, you can join Open AffCom office hours on June 19
at 14:00 UTC or request a conversation as a part of Talking:2024
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…>.
You can use the Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Talking:
2024#Let’s Talk|Let’s Talk
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…'s_talk>
feature to sign up for a time to speak with me and/or other trustees.
Looking forward to your feedback!
Best regards,
Nat & Mike & Lorenzo
Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Liaisons to the Affiliations
Committee
[1] If you are just joining the conversation and wish to learn more, you
can read the report from the first phase here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Re…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strate…
[3]
https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Committee:Affiliations_Committee_Char…
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Resolutions/2024/Ado…
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Im…
[6]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Resolutions/2024/App…
[7]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Im…
[8]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strate…
Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
On Wed, Feb 7, 2024 at 5:56 PM Nataliia Tymkiv <ntymkiv(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I would like to share with you the outputs of the Wikimedia Foundation
> Affiliate Strategy process [1], and to invite you to give feedback on the
> proposed changes to requirements for all affiliates & to user groups
> recognition process (more below).
>
> The 2017 Strategic Direction
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017> says
> that we, the Wikimedia Movement, would build “the services and structures
> that enable others to … advance our world by collecting knowledge that
> fully represents human diversity” while carrying on “our mission of
> developing content”. As Wikimedia affiliates are a key and integral part of
> the Wikimedia movement and have knowledge and expertise to share, the
> movement’s success depends greatly on affiliates as they help people join
> us in doing mission-aligned work. The Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates
> Strategy report [2] identified a need to streamline the role of the
> Affiliations Committee (AffCom) on recognition of Wikimedia Affiliates, and
> identified issues with the current state of the process.
>
> After conversations with AffCom, the Board liaisons to AffCom identified
> two areas for improvement. These areas are about the relevant work and
> mandate of the Board related to affiliate recognition:
>
> 1) requirements for affiliates; and
>
> 2) improving the workflows around the process for the creation and
> recognition of a user group.
>
> The proposal on Meta [3] is suggesting to change the requirements for all
> existing Wikimedia affiliates, not just the legal entities. There are ten
> proposed criteria for a healthy affiliate. Examples include focusing on
> continuity by being an active group and welcoming new users, having good
> governance, and actively delivering on mission goals. Compliance with these
> requirements would be self-reported by the affiliates. The Board liaisons
> will work with the Affiliations Committee to publish a resolution outlining
> how affiliates would be expected to fulfill these requirements to remain in
> good standing.
>
> Throughout the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy process, there was
> also feedback about user groups. Initially, user groups were meant as a
> first step toward creating chapters or thematic organizations. Over the
> years, user groups have evolved and there are now legally incorporated user
> groups, user groups with boards, etc. Getting started does need to be easy,
> but also needs to make sense, and so there is a proposal for changes to the
> current workflow. The recommendations [3] include an outline of the
> sequential steps of a revised process.
>
>
> The feedback can be given from today up till March 20, 2024 (Anywhere on
> Earth). Hopefully a fairly long feedback period will allow affiliates to
> consult with their membership, thinking it through practically.
>
> To provide your feedback, please review the page here, on Meta, [3] and
> leave comments on the talk page. Alternatively, you can join an open call (February
> 14 and 28 at 14:00 to 14:30 UTC) or request a conversation as a part of
> Talking:2024
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…>.
> You can use the Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Talking:
> 2024#Let’s Talk|Let’s Talk
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…'s_talk>
> feature to sign up for a time to speak with me and other trustees about
> this conversation or any other topic regarding the Wikimedia Foundation
> Board, Movement Strategy, and more.
>
> Note: New user group applications will be placed on hold for the duration
> of this conversation – but the ones received before will be reviewed
> according to the current process.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Nat & Mike & Lorenzo
> Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Liaisons to the Affiliations
> Committee
>
> [1]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy
>
> [2]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Wiki…
>
>
> [3]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Re…
>
> Best regards,
> antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
> Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
>
> *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
> hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
> should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
> advance!*
>
> _______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
Public archives at
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Hello NC Wikipedian friends!
Our June meeting is scheduled for tomorrow evening at 7pm. I'll be
facilitating and Max has signed up to take notes.
Zoom link: https://unc.zoom.us/j/97239318719
So far we have just one agenda item, but it's a big one: discussing the
ratification of the Wikimedia Movement Charter. The full text of an email I
received about it is copied below. The short version is that we, as an
affiliate, will need to select one person to vote on our behalf in the
ratification process, and then we'll be asked to vote on whether or not to
ratify the charter.
The English version of the final Charter text
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter> is available now.
We will have from June 25 to July 9 to vote.
So, at tomorrow's meeting, we'll:
1) Select someone from our group to be our voter
2) Discuss how we'd like to vote
This is a big deal, and given the timeline, tomorrow's meeting is likely
our one chance to discuss it in real time. If you have thoughts on the
charter and aren't able to attend, please feel free to send me your
thoughts, on or off list, and I will bring them to our discussion.
Lastly, we need folks to sign up for facilitating and note-taking at future
meetings. Any and all are welcome and encouraged to do so. You can do that
here, on our Etherpad:
https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/North_Carolina_Wikipedians
It's fun and easy, and complete instructions can be found at that Etherpad
link.
See you tomorrow!
Emily
-----
*Dear Affiliates,*
> *As you are aware, the ratification vote for the Wikimedia Movement
> Charter is scheduled to start on June 25, 2024. We ask that you take the
> necessary steps to ensure that your affiliate is in a position to
> participate in the vote process.*
>
> *General information about the vote**The affiliate vote will be carried
> out using SecurePoll, with only the designated voters able to access the
> voting interface. The SecurePoll for the affiliate vote will be hosted as a
> local election on Meta, and the list of voters will be publicly visible.
> The personal information of the designated voter will be treated with the
> same level of confidentiality as is detailed in the WMF Privacy Policy
> <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Privacy_policy> as the vote
> will take place on a WMF site. The vote will be managed by the Charter
> Election Commission
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter/Ratification/Voting#Electo…>,
> with the technical assistance of WMF staff who are responsible for
> SecurePoll. *
> *The voting period is from June 25 at 00:01 UTC to July 9, 2024 at 23:59
> UTC. *
>
>
>
>
>
> *Affiliate eligibility and designation of individual to vote on its behalf
> - Only affiliates who are currently in compliance on the Wikimedia
> Affiliates Data Portal
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Affiliates_Data_Portal/Reports> are
> eligible to vote - Each eligible affiliate is responsible to select a
> single individual to vote on its behalf (the designated voter).- Once the
> individual is selected, the affiliate will notify the Charter Election
> Commission of the individual’s details by sending an email
> to cec(a)wikimedia.org <cec(a)wikimedia.org> as follows: - Name of individual
> (this will not be public)- Wikimedia user name of the individual (this is
> the account they will cast the vote under; this will be public)- Email
> address of the individual (we will use this email address to send them the
> voting link and reminders)- The affiliate will be responsible for
> instructing the designated voter on how to vote on its behalf.- The
> affiliate may also instruct the designated voter to add a prepared comment
> of up to 1000 words in the comment field of the vote. Comments should be
> constructive and actionable.- The affiliate may request that the designated
> voter provide it with a copy of the vote receipt generated after the vote
> has been accepted.- NOTE: Any individual can act as the designated voter
> for ONLY ONE AFFILIATE*
>
>
>
>
> *Actions that affiliates can take now - Ensure that the affiliate’s
> compliance is correctly reflected on the Data Portal. If there is an error
> or concern, contact cst(a)wikimedia.org <cst(a)wikimedia.org> to determine next
> steps. - Begin the process of selecting the designated voter. The CEC is
> not dictating the process by which that selection is made because there are
> many different affiliate structures. - Once the designated voter is
> selected, email the individual’s information to the CEC. - Affiliates are
> urged to provide this information as soon as possible, at the latest by 24
> June 2024, to ensure that the designated voter receives the voting link in
> time for the vote. - Develop a plan to review the final charter text, which
> is scheduled to be published on June 18, 2024, so that the affiliate can
> determine its vote and draft any comment.**The Charter Election
> Commission looks forward to working with the affiliates to ensure a smooth
> voting process. Please send any questions to the CEC at cec(a)wikimedia.org
> <cec(a)wikimedia.org>.*
> *Thank you.*
---
Typed on a tiny phone.
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Pharos <pharosofalexandria(a)gmail.com>
> Date: June 10, 2024 at 7:53:25 PM CDT
> To: "Wikimedia U.S. Chapter" <wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> Subject: [Wikimediaus-l] Great North American Wiknic in your state or province!
> Reply-To: "Wikimedians Active in Local Regions of the United States (WALRUS)" <wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
>
>
> On Sat June 8 we celebrated the first two Wiknics of the summer, in both New York City and Los Angeles!
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Wiknic_June_2024
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/LA/Wiknic2024
>
> We had high turnouts this year, as we were able to use the CentralNotice banner (far more powerful than geonotice!) to target, e.g. particular U.S. states.
>
> Please add your picnic location and date, and we'll be glad to help set up the CentralNotice for you!
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiknic#Great_North_American_Wiknic_…
>
> Thanks,
> Richard
> (User:Pharos)
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimediaus-l mailing list -- wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimediaus-l-leave(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Kevin Payravi <kevinpayravi(a)gmail.com>
> Subject: [Wikimediaus-l] WikiCon North America 2024: Registration open + last chance for scholarships!
> Date: May 29, 2024 at 3:47:53 PM EDT
> To: "Wikimedians Active in Local Regions of the United States (WALRUS)" <wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> Reply-To: "Wikimedians Active in Local Regions of the United States (WALRUS)" <wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
>
> Hello,
>
> Registration is now open for WikiConference North America 2024 <https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2024/Main_Page>, taking place in Indianapolis, October 3-6! Visit here to register: https://register.wcna.wiki/
>
> Individual tickets are $25, and professional tickets for those attending on behalf of a company or organization are $100. All proceeds will go towards this and future WikiConference North America events. We also offer free tickets to enable everyone to participate regardless of financial constraints.
>
> As a reminder, scholarship applications are due May 31! This is a firm deadline as we need to start planning lodging and travel ASAP. Any active Wikimedian in North America is eligible to apply to have their travel and/or accommodations covered for the event. If interested, please visit https://scholarships.wcna.wiki <https://scholarships.wcna.wiki/> to apply.
>
> Program submissions are also open through May 31. If you'd like to submit a lecture, panel, roundtable, workshop, lightning talk, or other meetup, please visit https://submissions.wcna.wiki <https://submissions.wcna.wiki/>.
>
> If you plan to travel to the conference from outside of the United States, please review entry requirements through the U.S. Visa portal <https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resour…>. Document applications and renewals can take a while during this busy travel season, so you're encouraged to check them now!
>
> If you have any questions, please reach out to the team at info(a)wikiconference.org <mailto:info@wikiconference.org>. You can also chat with organizers and attendees in our Telegram group at https://chat.wcna.wiki/.
>
> Sincerely,
> The WCNA organizing team
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimediaus-l mailing list -- wikimediaus-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimediaus-l-leave(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Dear North Carolina Wikipedians,
We are inviting the North Carolina Wikipedians to participate in Wikipedia
Pages Wanting Photos 2024
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Pages_Wanting_Photos_2024>, a
global contest scheduled to run from July through August 2024:
Eligible participants will choose among Wikipedia pages without photos,
then add a suitable photo from among the many thousands of photos in the
Wikimedia Commons, especially those uploaded from thematic contests (Wiki
Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Folklore, etc.) over the years.
In the previous edition, more than 60 Wikimedia communities in 52 countries
joined the campaign. Media files were added to more than 265,000 Wikipedia
articles in more than 190 languages.
Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos (WPWP) offers an ideal task for recruiting
and guiding new editors through the steps of adding content to existing
pages. Besides individual participation, the WPWP campaign can be used by
user groups and chapters to organize editing workshops and edit-a-thons.
We also have some new changes for this year's edition to improve the
contest. For participants to be eligible for the contest they need to have
registered an account for at least a year before the official start date of
the contest. That is, for the 2024 edition, they must have registered an
account on or before July 1, 2023. The account can be from any Wikimedia
project wikis.
The organizing team is looking for a contact person to coordinate WPWP
participation at the Wikimedia user group or chapter level (geographically
or thematically) or for a language WP. We would be glad for you to reply to
this email, or sign up directly at WPWP Participating Communities
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Pages_Wanting_Photos_2024/Partici…>
With kind regards,
Jackson Dandy
Global Coordinator, Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos campaign 2024.