[Strategy] May 12: Update on Wikimedia movement strategy process (#16)

Hi all, *Summary: Cycle 2 discussions have started on Meta-Wiki and a wiki near you![1]* The core team and working groups have completed reviewing the more than 1800 thematic statements we received from the first discussion. They have identified 5 themes that were consistent across all the conversations - each with their own set of sub-themes.[1] To be clear, these are not the final themes! They are just an initial working draft of the core concepts. There are more conversations yet to come. Starting this week, you are invited to join the online and offline discussions taking place on these 5 themes. This round of discussions will take place between now and June 12th.[2] You can discuss as many as you like; we ask you to participate in the ones that are most (or least) important to you. For each theme, we are asking five questions. These questions are intended to help us understand the impact of these potential themes and the tradeoffs we will have to make. To succeed in any strategic venture, we must not only declare what we will do, but also what we will not! If you have research and other citable data related to your opinions, please include them! Finally, we ask that you participate in an honest and respectful manner. Each theme has a page on Meta-WIki with more information about the theme and how to participate in that theme's discussion. Here are the five major themes, and their brief descriptions: *== Healthy, inclusive communities == [3]* By 2030, the Wikimedia volunteer culture will be fun, rewarding, and inclusive for both existing contributors and newcomers. We will welcome new volunteers to our movement and mentor them to ensure that they have a great experience and continue to engage in the projects. People from every background will feel included in an ecosystem of unique groups and organizations that deepen connections with each other. As a result, our movement will grow both in size and in character, as our projects flourish from the healthy community we cultivate together. *== The augmented age == [4]* By 2030, the Wikimedia movement will collaborate with learning machines to help our volunteers be much more creative and productive. We will use prediction and design to make knowledge easy to access and easy to use with novel, humanized, intelligent interfaces. Volunteers will collaborate with machine translators to deepen the quality and quantity of content in more languages – at a heightened pace and scale. We will curate knowledge in structured and interactive formats that enhance and reflect the way people learn and contribute — beyond the browser, the app, and the encyclopedic format. We will embrace technological innovation as the most viable path toward meeting our vision. *== A truly global movement == [5]* The Wikimedia movement will turn our attention to the places in the world that were underserved during the first 15 years of our history. We will build awareness of Wikimedia and make it more useful to people. We will overcome barriers to accessing knowledge, so more people can freely share in the Wikimedia projects. We will support communities in underserved parts of the world and make space for new forms of contribution and citations that meet global knowledge traditions. By 2030, we will be a truly global movement. *== The most respected source of knowledge == [6]* By 2030, Wikimedia projects will be regarded as the most trusted, high-quality, neutral, and relevant source of free knowledge in the world. We will uphold the accuracy and verifiability of our content by integrating high-quality secondary sources and supporting the existence of reliable sources in society. We will improve public understanding of the processes that make Wikimedia reliable, and we will invite experts to join us and share their knowledge. We will surface the most relevant information to people when and where they need it. We will expand the depth of knowledge available, while upholding our standards for verifiable, neutral and comprehensive knowledge. *== Engaging in the knowledge ecosystem == [7]* By 2030, the Wikimedia Movement will have dramatically improved the quality, diversity, and global availability of free knowledge by working with diverse institutions and organizations that collaborate toward free knowledge for all. Wikimedia content, technology, and communities will be embedded in formal and informal learning throughout the world, in partnership with the world’s leading institutions in education, the arts, entertainment, civil society, government, science, and technology. Through strategic partnerships across our movement, we will build a diverse new generation of knowledge providers and seekers who will build and care for a growing body of freely accessible knowledge. We will make Wikimedia an integral part of a global knowledge ecosystem. On the movement strategy portal on Meta-Wiki, you can find more information about each of these themes, their discussions, and how to participate.[2] We also have efforts underway to collect feedback from people who are not currently involved with Wikimedia - and may not even have internet access. We will be summarizing how we’re collecting this information, and the perspectives themselves, and sharing them on Meta-Wiki as they become available.[2] One more thing - hopefully you are already aware that we are in the final days of the community selection process for the Wikimedia Foundation's Board of Trustees![8] If you are eligible to vote and have not already done so, please consider doing so before voting ends at 23:59 (UTC) on Sunday, 14 May 2017. You can find out more information about the candidates and how to vote on Meta-WIki: https://meta.wikimedia.org/?curid=10240438. Thank you! مع أطيب التحيات (Arabic translation: “Best regards”) Katherine PS. A version of this message is available for translation on Meta-Wiki.[9] [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2 [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Participate [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/He… [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/Th… [5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/A_… [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/Th… [7] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Cycle_2/En… [8] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_o… [9] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017/Updates/12… -- Katherine Maher Wikimedia Foundation 149 New Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94105 +1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 +1 (415) 712 4873 kmaher(a)wikimedia.org