Affiliations Committee/Candidates/2023/Մարի Ավետիսյան

Մարի Ավետիսյան

User: Մարի Ավետիսյան (User account list / User page link)
Primary Wikimedia projects: Armenian Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons; Meta-Wiki
Language capabilities (language and level of proficiency): Armenian (5); English (4); Russian (3); Turkish (2/3); Azerbaijani (1/2)
Regional experiences: Central and Eastern Europe and Asia; Northern and Western Europe
What experience do you have participating on committees, within or outside the Wikimedia movement?
I haven't had the opportunity to participate in committees in the past. However, I am eager to get involved in committee work and am willing to learn and contribute effectively. I have been in Wikimedia movement for more than five years and I believe that my knowledge and experience gained during these years, most importantly the experience I gained during the most difficult period for Wikimedia Armenia (before and after the suspension and close communication with AffCom) will help me in this committee. By applying to join this committee, I want to get involved with the movement more than just simply editing Wikipedia or organizing and coordinating local events. I want to be more proactive and make my contribution more tangible and meaningful for the whole movement.
What skills, experience, or perspective would you bring or contribute to the committee, if appointed?
I have been in the movement for more than five years, so my understanding of the principles, values, and challenges that our movement faces will make my on-boarding easier and also help me while working with other groups of Wikimedians.

I've co-managed and participated in several Wikimedia projects and events (local ones), which have improved my management and organizational skills. I have effectively worked with people with different backgrounds (people from rural areas, big cities, towns), ages (children, teens, adults) and social status. I have coordinated the work of Armenian diaspora volunteers from all over the world who were of different background and living in diverse cultural realities. My experience in working with people of all walks of life will be an asset to the committee.

I can work individually but I am exceptionally good at collaboratively working with a team. As someone who speaks several languages and understands regional problems (especially CEE) quite well, I believe that these can be particularly valuable when considering affiliates from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
I am always eager to learn and adapt to new situations so in case of any developments and changes, I am ready to stay updated, continue learning and adjusting.
Is there any other pertinent information that you would like us to take into account when reviewing your application?
Considering Wikimedia movement's inclusivity, I believe that AffCom should have at least equal number of women members and my membership will also help to walk towards gender equality.
Which sub-committee are you interested in working with (Conflict Intervention, Recognitions)?:
Recognitions sub-committee
What do you think are the benefits and responsibilities of functioning as formal affiliates, and when is a group of Wikimedians ready to form an affiliate?
As a member of a formal affiliate, I deeply understand the benefits and responsibilities. Starting from the benefits, I can surely say that when being recognized by Wikimedia Foundation, the affiliate becomes a legitimate structure within a community. Secondly, it may have more access to various resources. As an affiliate, it is more respectable when trying to collaborate with other entities. At the same time, it has much more impact as a formal affiliate. Also, having a formal affiliate is good for community building because first of all it is easier to build and maintain a dedicated community of Wikimedians who have similar objectives and second of all the community knows that there is always a structured body that will help and support them in their initiatives. Moreover, maintaining the community is also less difficult for a formal affiliate considering its human and financial resources and network of organizations and institutes that it is working with.

As a formal affiliate, there are a lot more responsibilities. The affiliate has always to be transparent in its decision making processes, in its projects and initiative, as well as finances. Always striving to have good and effective governance practices is also the responsibility of an affiliate. At the same time being accountable to the Wikimedia Foundation on one side and its members and the whole community on the other side is also vital for an affiliate. Other responsibilities include being compliant with Wikimedia policies and in alignment with the movement strategy and mission.
Please describe your experience working with conflict resolution, and how you have helped build consensus and support diversity.
As in many other communities Armenian wiki community as well had some internal disagreements and disputes over the governance practices of Wikimedia Armenia. I have worked in this situation for three years, trying with my team to deal with internal problems and the external ones rising from it. During these years, I used several techniques, most importantly listening, compromising and communicating. After WMAM's suspension, though technically I wasn't working for Wikimedia Armenia, as a dedicated Wikimedia along with my team I developed some strategies, procedures and practices in order to provide transparency, active communication, and inclusiveness among community members. I believe that my experience in those three years will help me in understanding and resolving conflicts (if any) as a member of AffCom.

Endorsements (Մարի Ավետիսյան)

Oppose For now sorry, but I am not going to endorse anyone who applies for any role in WMF until they explicitly declare their commitment to the Wikimedia Foundation Guiding Principles (even if implicit commitment may be clear) or present a clear critique of them based on reasonable arguments and at least a basic proposal to improve the situation about the principles. If you answer my questions, I may change my endorsement. Thanks for understanding ;-) --KuboF Hromoslav (talk) 22:13, 13 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]