Hi all,

Just wanted to say that while the strategy process probably feels remote and interminable and you could be forgiven for wondering whether we really need another round of workshops on top of the previous 7 stages of the project, there are some very important changes in among its recommendations.

Indeed, if all of them are put into practice it will radically change the relationship between affiliates like Wikimedia UK, and project communities, and the Wikimedia Foundation. 

The effects of some of these could be particularly profound on Wikimedia UK as an organisation:
* Creating a definition of the impact of the Wikimedia movement, and using it as a basis for future decisions about funding
* Work out what communities are currently not well-represented by the Wikimedia movement and how to reach out to them
* The idea of regional 'hubs' which are responsible for developing communities and allocating resources, rather than the Wikimedia Foundation trying to do these things

And these will also have a significant impact on the relationship between Wikimedia communities and the WMF, hopefully reducing the amount of chaos, resentment and uncertainty that is experienced at times:
* a  'Movement charter' setting out shared expectations - a sort of constitution for the Wikimedia movement
* a 'Global Council' created with representation between affiliates, communities and the WMF - able to formally reflect community feedback to the WMF on important issues and shape the future strategy, as well as (in time) having various WMF committees like AffCom and the FDC folded into it.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg! The full recommendations can be found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recommendations

The question now is which of these recommendations happen soonest, and what the path is to their final taking shape. If you are interested in any of them at all, please do get involved!

Chris

On Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 11:26 AM Lucy Crompton-Reid <lucy.crompton-reid@wikimedia.org.uk> wrote:

Dear all


Most of you will be aware that Wikimedia volunteers, communities and affiliate organisations around the world have been working on a movement-wide strategy over the past few years, with final recommendations and accompanying initiatives published this May. The movement strategy has now moved into the transition phase, during which there will be three types of online meetings and events:

  • Preparation events

  • Global events

  • Follow-up events

The aim is that these events will result in an 18 month implementation plan starting in 2021. 


Communities and affiliates are being asked to self-organise preparation events, to take place in September and October, and provide feedback according to a template form (which will hopefully be available later this week). I’m planning to organise a preparation meeting for anyone in the UK who is interested in the implementation of the movement strategy and would like to help to shape this; either in terms of identifying overall priorities, or exploring which aspects of the strategy the UK chapter and community could help to deliver. This meeting will take place online during the week beginning 19th October. Please could you get in touch with me directly if you would like to attend, with an indication of your availability and preferences for a meeting (e.g. if daytime or evenings are better for you). I will be working on an agenda over the next few weeks and will confirm the date, time and platform asap.


I realise that the movement strategy has been in development for a long time and that it has been difficult to sustain engagement with the process. However it would be really fantastic to bring together different voices in this discussion, to ensure that the chapter’s response represents a wide range of community perspectives. 


The meta pages with the full list of strategy recommendations and initiatives is here, and information about preparation events is here. 


Thanks

Lucy




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Lucy Crompton-Reid
Chief Executive
Wikimedia UK
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