Dear Community Members,
We hope this email finds you well and filled with anticipation! We are thrilled to inform you that the time has finally come to unveil the highly anticipated results of Wiki Loves Folklore 2023.
After an overwhelming response from talented photographers and enthusiastic participants from all corners of the globe, our esteemed panel of judges has meticulously reviewed each submission, taking into account their cultural significance, artistic excellence, and storytelling potential.
We are delighted to announce that tomorrow, 15th of July 2023, we will be declaring the winners of Wiki Loves Folklore 2023! This momentous occasion will showcase the finest folk images captured throughout the world, highlighting the diversity and beauty of various cultural traditions.
Make sure to keep an eye on our Social Media platforms exclusively unveiling the winning images. Additionally, the results will be published on Wikimedia Commons and shared across all our social media platforms.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to all participants for their incredible contributions. Each photograph has played an integral role in fostering global understanding and celebrating the rich tapestry of folklore.
So, let's join together in celebration tomorrow as we recognize and applaud the exceptional talent and the mesmerizing folklore-themed images captured by our passionate community.
Thank you once again for your support and involvement in Wiki Loves Folklore 2023. We look forward to sharing this memorable moment with you!
Warm regards,
Tiven Gonsalves.
Chief Coordinator.
On behalf of Wiki Loves Folklore International Team.
Hi everyone,
Just a reminder to *register for Wikimania*
<https://eventyay.com/e/8f889410>! If you are attending in person, please
register by the end of day July 16, anywhere on earth.
You may go to https://wikimania.org for further information.
Kind regards,
*Butch Bustria*
On behalf of the ESEAP Wikimania 2023 Core Organizing Team
*This message is being translated into other languages on Meta-wikiالعربية
• español • français • português • 中文
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/June…>*
*You can help with more languages
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/June…>*
Dear all,
Following the June 21 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees meeting,
Maryana and I wanted to share outcomes from the meeting as well as other
updates from the Board of Trustees and the Foundation.
== June board meeting outcomes ==
The board held its regularly scheduled June meeting, focusing on approval
of the Wikimedia Foundation’s annual plan as well as other governance
matters and strategic topics
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Agendas/2023-06-21>. As the Board is
making its work more visible, three observers from the Movement Charter
Drafting Committee joined the board meeting once again, and there was also
an open Q&A session with Wikimedia Foundation staff immediately following
the board meeting.
As a part of housekeeping, the Board approved the March meeting minutes
[1]. Operational and committee updates were shared with the Board prior to
the meeting itself as a pre-read and did not require Board action; you can
see the board committee reports here [2].
Trustees unanimously approved the Wikimedia Foundation’s 2023-2024 Annual
Plan
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024>.
This year’s plan remains anchored in the 2030 strategic direction, and
builds on movement strategy recommendations ranging from improving the user
experience to safety and inclusion to equity; it also expands focus on
product and technology as well as the Foundation’s own effectiveness.
The plan was informed by a month-long community feedback process that began
in April. The Foundation collected feedback both off and on-wiki, with
translations provided on projects in 30+ languages (an increase from 14
languages last year). The long-form narrative plan also saw a 203% increase
in page views on Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/…>
from last year to 34,604 this year. Nearly 700 Wikimedians across the world
also participated in five online conversations with interpretation support
in 14 languages (AR, EN, ES, FR, HI, ID, PA, PT, PL, RU, SW, UR, JA and
ZH). I want to thank all volunteers and Foundation and affiliates’ staff
who helped shape the feedback
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/…>
to improve this year’s plan.
Following this, the Board considered a number of topics that support the
multi-year strategic planning process that I shared in my March email [3].
In reflecting on Wikimedia’s financial model, the Board received a briefing
on Wikimedia Enterprise’s governance processes [4], and heard about the
success of increased collaboration between the Foundation’s fundraising
team and various language communities on regional banner campaigns. The
fundraising team will soon be launching its collaboration page for the
English campaign, building on what was learned last year.
As part of a global socio-technical knowledge ecosystem, Wikimedia’s
approach to generative AI (artificial intelligence) has been a topic of
interest amongst many of you, as well as with Wikimedia partners, allies,
and the public. Chief Product and Technology Officer Selena Deckelmann
reflected
on emerging opportunities and challenges
<https://medium.com/freely-sharing-the-sum-of-all-knowledge/wikipedias-value…>
we face as a movement, a vision informed by volunteer-led discussions in
May that highlighted the critical role of human motivation in the field of
machine learning / artificial intelligence.
== Board recruitment ==
Board recruitment is one of the responsibilities of the Governance
Committee. The Committee has also spent time on proactively considering how
future Trustees can learn more about the role and its expectations. This is
helping to improve the selection process for community- and
affiliate-selected seats (the updated Elections Committee membership was
mentioned here [5]) and build a pipeline for board-selected seats
recruitment
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees/Recruiting_procedure>
.
Currently, the Board is reviewing candidates for a seat as Audit Committee
Chair, as Tanya Capuano’s term ends next year, and it would be good to
identify and have a future replacement “shadowing” her for a bit in the
Committee. This particular role requires specialised financial expertise,
and familiarity with U.S. non-profit and tax laws and regulations. Please
read the materials and nominate potential candidates that can be considered
alongside the ones that are identified by the board itself. If you have a
potential nominee, please email recruitment(a)wikimedia.org by July 31 with
“Audit Chair” as a reference with some information about them (a resume or
LinkedIn profile) and a rationale why they would be a good fit. More
information is on Meta:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Governance_Committee/B…
== Foundation updates ==
The Board additionally receives regular updates from Maryana on her
priorities; she communicates directly about them on this list and on Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Office…>,
and will continue to do so. Her current goals have focused on
strategy/planning, leadership, and culture/values.
On leadership, the Foundation’s executive team
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/role/executive/> reflects Maryana’s goal
to promote internally where possible and hire externally when necessary. In
addition to Stephen LaPorte’s
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/02/28/stephen-laporte-becomes-the…>
recent elevation to General Counsel, Anusha Alikhan
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/27/wikimedia-foundation-appoin…>
has now been promoted to Chief Communications Officer after ably leading
the Foundation’s communications department since 2021. Maryana will be
handing over management of the Foundation’s human resources team to a new
Chief Talent & Culture Officer, Courtney Bass Sherizen
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/27/wikimedia-foundation-appoin…>,
who starts in August and brings prior experience from big tech and also
non-profits.
The Foundation is also investing in a broader leadership team that better
reflects its global footprint. Recent elevations of both long-tenured and
newer staff living outside of the United States include 17-year Foundation
veteran Mark Bergsma
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mark_Bergsma_(WMF)> as Vice President
of Site Reliability Engineering, and Jean Delage-Sié
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:JDelage-Si%C3%A9_(WMF)> as Vice
President of People Experience.
Finally, the Wikimedia Foundation staff recently completed their values
refresh <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Values>,
which is intended to grow a culture of accountability, learning, and mutual
respect for how the Foundation conducts itself and engages with others.
The Board of Trustees will meet next on August 15 in Singapore. Following
this meeting, there will also be an open session with the Wikimedia
Foundation and Endowment Boards during Wikimania to answer questions on
these topics or others you may have. We hope to see some of you either
virtually or in-person at Wikimania.
Regards,
Nat and Maryana
[1] https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Minutes:2023-03-09
[2] https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Minutes:2023-06-21
[3]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise/FAQ#Why_is_this_being_…
[5]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…
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!*
Hi everyone,
We are excited to share with you important new draft chapters of the Wikimedia
Movement Charter. <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter> As a
diverse committee of contributors from around the world, we have worked
collaboratively to create these documents, and now we need your feedback.
Help us improve the drafts on wiki until August 31 and join us on calls or
for informative sessions at various events. Learn more on Diff
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/07/13/a-global-council-for-our-movement/>, talk
to us on Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Movement_Charter/Content/Global_Council>,
and join an upcoming conversation to share your thoughts.
The first set of draft chapter that we are sharing today focuses on the *Global
Council
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Charter/Content/Global_Council>*,
with Hubs coming later in July. We would greatly appreciate your thoughts
and suggestions in particular on funds dissemination, Global Council
structure and membership, and for other key open questions. Additionally,
drafts for chapters on Decision-Making, Roles and Responsibilities, and a
glossary document are being developed.
You can share your feedback on the wiki, during calls, or at upcoming
virtual and in-person community events. We value your participation and
look forward to working together.
Best regards,
The Wikimedia Movement Charter Drafting Committee
Dear all,
One year ago, the Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team at the Wikimedia Foundation launched<https://forum.movement-strategy.org/t/movement-strategy-forum-community-rev…> a proposal for a new Movement Strategy Forum<https://forum.movement-strategy.org/>. The proposal was open for a 2-month community review period, ending on 24 July 2022. Many users expressed their doubts on this Forum, not because we don't need a place to discuss, but because this should happen inside our ecosystem (ideally, on Meta). Nevertheless, the MSG continued with their proposal and launched the Forum itself using an external platform. Their main argument was that we didn't have the tools for a forum-like discussion on Meta, but embracing Discourse was easier, cheaper and more feasible.
Some months later, starting on September 2022, a monthly report was posted in the forum: https://forum.movement-strategy.org/t/monthly-report-of-forum-activity/1665…. This monthly report come, as the name suggests, every month till April: https://forum.movement-strategy.org/t/monthly-report-of-forum-activity/1665…. The last one showed evidence that after the first months, interest, posting and usefulness had declined: 15 new users per month, 8 users engaged per day and only 6 new contributors per month. More than a third of the 49 topics created in March were done by the staff members. There's only one topic that could be counted as active and thriving, and I think it is a very interesting one: "Japanese connection" (https://forum.movement-strategy.org/t/japanese-connection/203).
As in this year there hasn't been any improvement in our platforms to have a better discussion forum (having a place where online discussion could happen should be the main goal of the MSG team), and we don't have any clue about how the MS Forum is going, I wonder if the lack of monthly statistics is because the forum is itself shrinking, or because the WMF doesn't have resources to continue with the reporting.
I whid that we could have a better platform to discuss and that the WMF invested money, resources and staff in this goal. Let's hope we see that in the near future.
Galder
Dear all,
It's my pleasure to invite you to the episode 28 of WikiAfrica Hour
titled,"*The state of diversity, equity & inclusion*."
This episode is aimed at engaging some amazing wikimedians working in the
diversity, equity & inclusion space in one way or another, as they
share their thoughts on the current state of things and prospects.
*Guests include:*
- Camelia Boban - Coordinator, 2030 Movement Strategy Diversity Working
Group
- Željko Blaće - Wiki researcher
- Ciell - Member, Movement Charter drafting committee & Central notice
admin
- Manav Kaur - Co-lead, WikiWomenCamp 2023
Date: 14th July 2023
Time: 4pm UTC
Details: http://w.wiki/5dft
Regards,
Ceslause Ogbonnaya
*Host, WikiAfrica Hour*
“Your dedication, leadership, and commitment to helping our Wikimedia
communities within the Movement will always be remembered.”
Hello dear Wikimedians,
Wikimedia Tanzania
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Community_User_Group_Tanzania>
and Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Jenga_Wikipedia_ya_Kiswahili> User groups
are in particular, deeply saddened following the passing of our beloved
fellow Wikimedian *Ingo Koll (user: Kipala)*, who according to the
information shared by his wife with us, he has passed away on the 10th July
2023 at his house in his home country, Germany.
Ingo Koll was a German who happened to live in Tanzania and Kenya for many
years. Being a pastor and a lecturer, he learned Swahili and became one of
the super-active Swahili Wikipedia contributors and administrators. He was
a reliable cornerstone in the development of Swahili Wikipedia. He was a
knowledgeable person who collaborated closely with the Astronomy and Space
Science Association of Tanzania (ASSAT) to contribute much on Astronomy
topics in Swahili language on Swahili Wikipedia, was one of the great
mentors who helped the formation of Wikimedia Tanzania and also was a
co-founder of Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili (Build Swahili Wikipedia).
Tanzanian and East African Wikimedians benefited much from his unwavering
support, leadership, mentorship, and coaching when it came to training them
on Wikimedia projects, especially about Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Tanzania, Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili User Groups, and all other
Wikimedians who interacted with him within the Wikimedia Movement will
always remember his valuable contributions to the Movement.
May his soul rest in peace. Amen!
#RIP #INGOKOLL
*On behalf of Wikimedia Tanzania and Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili,*
Antoni Mtavangu (He/Him)
Cofounder-Wikimedia Tanzania
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Community_User_Group_Tanzania>
Hello,
We are happy to inform you that the call for submissions[1] for the Turkic
Wikimedia Conference[2] is now open for the conference program, which will
take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 20-22 October 2023. We will be
accepting submissions until August 31, 2023.
You can apply and speak at the conference in three languages: English,
Turkish, and Russian, online or in person. Session proposals can be
submitted in 6 different types with standardized durations. The session's
main topic should be related to Movement Strategy, Hubs, Collaboration,
Wikipedia, and sister projects (Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, etc.). You can
also present your achievements or topics related to developing the
Wikimedia projects and the Wikimedia movement. For more information, please
visit - https://w.wiki/6zJ9
We would like to learn and provide more information about Turkic
communities, and we hope you will help us achieve this goal.
Kindly,
Mehman.
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turkic_Wikimedia_Conference_2023/Submissions
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turkic_Wikimedia_Conference_2023
Greetings,
Our Conversation Hour for July 2023
<https://hour.dcwwiki.org/event/dcw-conversation-hour-july-2023/> is
scheduled tomorrow July 9 @ 8:30 - 9:30 PM IST. The topic of the
conversation hour is Navigating The Wikipedia Library (TWL), and the
speaker is Sam Walton from the Wikimedia Foundation.
The conversation hour will cover an overview of TWL, including its purpose,
usage guidelines, and tips for maximizing its benefits. The speaker will
provide a live demonstration, showcasing how to access the library’s
collections and utilize advanced tools such as integrated search.
Please check your local time using this link.
<https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1688914809> You can join the event through
our Conversation Hour website <https://hour.dcwwiki.org/>.
Best regards
Aafi
Hi everyone,
The Core Organizing Team would like to invite you to register for Wikimania
2023 <http://wikimania.eventyay.com/>.
Register for the in-person event by July 16 and for the online event
anytime.
Wikimania will be held from 16—19 August, in person at the Suntec
Convention Centre and online on eventyay <https://eventyay.com/>, an open
source virtual and hybrid event platform.
Eventyay has been partnering with us to implement new features for
Wikimania, and we look forward to working together to deliver an engaging
virtual experience on an open source platform. Eventyay was recently used
for the FOSSASIA Summit, take a look at how it worked there
<https://summit.fossasia.org/>.
We look forward to welcoming you to Wikimania Singapore!
Please refer to the registration privacy statement
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal:Wikimania_2023_Registration_Pri…>
.
Note: the in-person ticket is subsidized by the Wikimedia Foundation and
costs $100 USD, which covers opening and closing events, plus lunches on
the core conference days. Scholarship recipients will receive codes to
register for the in-person event.
Kind regards,
*Butch Bustria*
On behalf of the ESEAP Wikimania 2023 Core Organizing Team