I agree with the sentiments in here. I'm also not sure that using WMF's
mission statement as the objects is even a particularly good idea.
We have a particular responsibility to UK wikimedians, and a particular
responsibility to fulfil those goals within the UK. I would suggest broadly
sticking to Alison's original objectives.
(Link for convenience:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_UK_v2.0/Objectives )
Tom
-----Original Message-----
From: wikimediauk-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:wikimediauk-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Cates
Sent: 03 October 2008 12:07
To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Objectives Discussion Thread
By all means try but if I were the charity commission (and I am not,
but we have had a lot of problems with seemingly minor changes to our
byelaws) I would raise the question "what happens when the Wikimedia
Foundation changes its vision and mission". By referring this
objective to something whose change does not require charity
commission consent, you are effectively allowing changes to the
byelaws without their permission, which they would not accept.
Explicitly restating the current vision helps, of course, but they may
insist that you tie down the phrase "the vision and mission of the
Wikimedia Foundation" to a particular version in time, for example by
saying:
through helping to creating a world in which every single human being
can freely share in the sum of all knowledge by empowering and
engaging people to collect, develop and effectively disseminate
educational content under a free license or in the public domain
(which is the current vision and mission of the Wikimedia Foundation).
It is not inconceivable that the Wikimedia Foundation could change its
mission to something which would be allowable as charitable in the US
but no in the UK (for example, as far as I know Greenpeace failed to
get charitable status in the UK but succeeded in the US). But if you
wish to avoid this I would fix the wording now explicitly on this
point.
Andrew
2008/10/3 Andrew Turvey <raturvey(a)yahoo.co.uk>uk>:
I've added my suggestion to the meta page at
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_UK_v2.0/Objectives:
"The charity's objects are the promotion of education for all through
assisting the vision and mission of the Wikimedia Foundation: Creating a
world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all
knowledge by empowering and engaging people to collect, develop and
effectively disseminate educational content under a free license or in the
public domain"
Might need a bit of work in terms of getting it to flow.
It's very easy for us to explain how this is exclusively charitable and
for
the public benefit ("promotion of education"
and "for all") and hence keep
the Charity Commission happy. It's expressed in a way that keeps our
autonomy so we are not controlled by a foreign organisation not registered
with the UK Charity Commission.
By explicitly referring to the vision of the WMF, we comply with ChapCom's
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requirements_for_future_chapters which
state
"The mission of the organisation must be in line
with the mission of the
Wikimedia Foundation"
This leaves everything flexible, so projects that WMUK may come up with
in,
say, 10 years time, would not require us to rewrite
the M&As.
The details of what we're actually planning to do - wikimania, schools
etc.
shoudl also be discussed and agreed (I suggest at the
AGM in January) but
I
suggest we leave the Mem&Arts objectives broad.
Andrew
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