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Affiliations Committee/News/Issue 2

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Welcome to the second issue of the AffCom News! The newsletter distributes relevant news and events about the work of Wikimedia's Affiliations Committee. This issue covers April-June 2024.

Affiliations Committee News
AffCom group photo at Wikimedia Summit 2024 in Berlin, Germany

The AffCom News is delivered quarterly to all Wikimedia Affiliates and individual subscribers. You may leave comments or ideas for future newsletter on the talk page. You can also help us by translating the newsletter into your language(s). Subscribe to the newsletter by adding your talk page to this list.

If you have an interesting story about what your Affiliate has been doing, feel free to reach out to us at cst@wikimedia.org.

Affiliate Strategy Updates

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On June 12, 2024, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees chair and liaison to the Affiliations Committee Nataliia Tymkiv posted the following update on Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy work to Wikimedia-l:

  • Adoption of a new affiliate health criteria: The AffCom charter tasked the committee with “promoting community health and growth”, including by “monitoring affiliates' continued compliance with affiliate rules and criteria” and by “provid[ing] support to affiliates as they attempt to grow in membership, build programs to further the Wikimedia mission, and improve their governance practices”. As a result from the Affiliates Strategy conversation since 2023, AffCom has voted to adopt the following 10 criteria for affiliates, grouped into four main areas:
Goal Delivery Organisational Development Leadership & Inclusion Engagement & Collaboration
Follow through and communication of expectations and goals
Good governance and communication Diverse, skilled, and accountable leadership Internal (membership) engagement
Financial and legal compliance Diversity balance (especially gender) Community connection
Affiliate health and resilience Universal Code of Conduct compliance Partnerships and collaboration
  • Changes to User Groups recognition process: AffCom has adopted the revised process for User Group recognition, adding to the recognition process:
1) a live interview (by video call) with AffCom members;
2) the requirement that user group applicants publish a public letter of intent to affected wikis/projects and affiliates; and
3) the creation of a one-year trial period for applicants to demonstrate their activities and effectiveness.

Read more details about the Affiliate Strategy implementation.

Affiliate Recognition and Derecognition

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AffCom is responsible for overseeing the recognition and derecognition process for Wikimedia movement affiliates (Chapters, Thematic Organizations, and User Groups).

Here are the new Wikimedia Affiliates that were recognized in the past quarter:

Chapters Recognition Status Report

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The following report covers the Chapters recognition pipeline:

Application Status
 
 The Bylaws review is complete. The Criteria review by AffCom is complete. Review by Trust and Safety and Human rights is complete. The next step is drafting recommendations for BoTs by AffCom.
 
 The Bylaws review is complete. The Criteria review by AffCom is complete. Review by Trust and Safety and Human rights is complete. The next step is drafting recommendations for BoTs by AffCom.
 
 AffCom has prepared recommendations for the Board of Trustees on Chapter application. The next step is the overall process & status review by staff and drafting recommendations before the application is submitted to the Board.
 
 The Bylaws review is complete. The Criteria review by AffCom is complete. Review by Trust and Safety and Human rights is complete. The next step is a Criteria review by staff.
 
 The Bylaws review is complete. The templates for the Criteria review and Trust and Safety and Human rights review were shared with the affiliate. The requested details are awaited from the affiliate.
 
 Pre-Application prep work with AffCom for recognition as a Chapter.

User Group Recognition Status Report

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In the third quarter of 2023-24, the Affiliations Committee received 5 new User Group applications.

There are no new recognitions, as the Wikimedia Board of Trustees approved a soft moratorium on applications. All applications received before June 12, 2024, can be processed for recognition using the current recognition requirements. All applications after this date will have to follow the new process for recognitions.

See the pipeline archive page for the third quarter on Meta-wiki.

Affiliate Activities and Compliance Report

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As of July 1, 2024, 35 Wikimedia Chapters (95%), 2 Thematic Organization (100%), and 126 active User Groups (84%) were compliant with the required reporting.

This represents a decrease in compliance trend for Chapters (87% last quarter), a decrease for User Groups (64% last quarter), and increase for Thematic Organizations (50% last quarter). See the detailed quarterly compliance archive on Meta-wiki.

Here are the activity reports from Wikimedia Affiliates published within the past quarter:

Chapter reports

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Annual Chapter reports:

Grant reports:

User group reports

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User Groups' annual reports:

User Groups' grants reports:

AffCom scope of work

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AffCom frequently receives requests for intervention from affiliate staff and members for situations outside AffCom's ability to intervene, requests that involve questions around serious abuse, harassment, or legal questions around conflict of interest and employment policies.

Due to the volunteer nature of AffCom and their limited expertise in legal matters which are bound by local laws, the committee is often required to decline cases on the basis that they cannot directly intervene in such issues. It is the responsibility of affiliates to engage local legal experts to resolve these matters. Despite their limitations, AffCom remains available for guidance on broader strategic and operational concerns. This approach underscores the importance of understanding AffCom's scope and the need for affiliates to handle local legal issues independently.

AffCom Conflict Intervention

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AffCom is managing six (6) active conflicts, with no new reports in Quarter 4 2023-24. The AffCom safeguards good governance and collaboration within the Wikimedia network of chapters and user groups. Recent cases highlight their diverse interventions, addressing issues like misrepresentation in leadership, disengagement, restricted community participation, and potential conflicts of interest. They facilitate communication, review bylaws, and uphold standards of conduct within user groups.

Additionally, AffCom addresses internal conflicts regarding representation in grant access, reviews membership suspensions, and ensures compliance regarding engagement with banned user policies. AffCom strengthens the Wikimedia movement through these efforts by fostering transparency, communication, and a culture of inclusivity and respect within its affiliates.

AffCom Movement Contribution

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Wikimedia Summit 2024 group photo
 
AffCom members Suyash Dwivedi and Agus Damanik
 
ESEAP Conference 2024 group photo

AffCom participates in Wikimedia movement conversations that relate to the affiliate system or where the Committee's experience and expertise would be otherwise beneficial, including answering questions about the affiliate system, providing advice relevant to affiliates or potential affiliates, and sharing knowledge and lessons related to operating as a committee with other movement bodies.

In the past quarter, AffCom members or the committee as a whole participated in these conversations:

Wikimedia Summit 2024

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The Wikimedia Summit 2024, held in Berlin from April 19–21, 2024, focused on two primary objectives:

  • Bringing people together to make significant progress on designing future Wikimedia governance, including generating outputs on the Movement Charter; and
  • Discussing the future of global affiliate gatherings, as the Summit marked its final occurrence in its current form.

By the Summit's conclusion, a group of affiliates was formed with the commitment to design a new concept for future affiliate gatherings, with the working assumption that the next gathering would take place in 2026.

AffCom members actively participated in discussions on affiliates' perspectives, relationships between affiliates and hubs, capacity development, and future gatherings. These discussions provided invaluable feedback for AffCom's role within the Wikimedia ecosystem. The summit also allowed AffCom to strengthen relationships with affiliates, address challenges, and explore new opportunities. It served as a platform to connect with new members, Maor Malul and Aleksey Chalabyan, and build strong bonds with advisors HakanIST and Johnny Alegre.

ESEAP Conference 2024

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This year's ESEAP Conference was the third regional conference for Wikimedia communities throughout the East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific (ESEAP) region. The conference took place in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on 10–12 May 2024 with the theme "Collaboration beyond the horizon".

As part of AffCom's role in ensuring recognition, compliance, and collaboration among affiliates, AffCom vice chair and treasurer Suyash Dwivedi gave a presentation at the conference titled "Fostering Collaborative Growth: Non-Conventional Approaches to Engaging, Networking, and Affiliate Advancement."

In addition to his presentation, Suyash participated in a roundtable discussion on "ESEAP Perspectives in Wikimedia Global Governance". This conference was instrumental in building strong community connections and clarifying participants' doubts related to AffCom's recognition and conflict intervention processes. It also provided an opportunity for in-person meetings with AffCom members Agus Damanik and Johnny Alegre, who are from the ESEAP region.

AffCom Administration

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AffCom Diff Blog

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AffCom published a Diff blog in April 2024, introducing the new members and advisors and outlined the evolution of its approach for advisor engagement.

Officers Elections

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In Quarter 1 2024-25 (July-September 2024), AffCom will hold its regular officers elections. The officers positions up for election are chair, vice-chair, and secretary.

AffCom advisors Aarya Joshi, Johnny Alegre, and Lucas Teles will serve as members of the officers elections committee.

Departing Members

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The terms of two AffCom members, Basak Tosun and Joy Agyepong, ended in Quarter 4 of 2023-2024. AffCom expresses its gratitude for their long association with the committee and their significant contributions to advancing the affiliate strategy and supporting the usual workflows and beyond.

Communications Subcommittee

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As governed by the relevant provision in its Charter, AffCom has created a Communications Subcommittee to oversee its communications, outreach, and engagement functions. The inaugural roster of this subcommittee consist of Johnny Alegre, Harriet Bayel, Aaryaa Joshi, and Mari Avetisyan, which have started their work with the second edition of this newsletter.

Upcoming AffCom Events

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In Quarter 1 2024-25 (July-September 2024), AffCom will be participating in the following events:

Wikimania 2024

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Wikimania 2024, the 19th edition of Wikimania will be held in Katowice, Poland from 7–10 August 2024, hosted by Wikimedians of the Central and Eastern Europe region. Among AffCom attendees are members Mari Avetisyan and Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz, as well as advisors Delphine Ménard and HakanIST.

Other Movement News

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2024 Board of Trustees election

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In 2024, the term of 4 (four) Community- and Affiliate-selected Trustees on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees will come to an end. This is a volunteer position, with each Trustee serving a three-year term. The Board of Trustees oversees the Wikimedia Foundation's work, most importantly by approving its Annual Plan. This year, there are twelve eligible candidates, out of fifteen submitted applications during the call for candidates period. Campaign period is ongoing until late August 2024, and the voting period will be in the first two weeks of September 2024. Read more about the process on Meta-wiki.

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