Chapters Committee/Resolutions/Advice to the board of Trustees concerning Wikimedia Brasil - April 2010

Background edit

  • In 2008 (August-October), a group of Brazilian volunteers worked on a set of bylaws for a Brazilian association, which were reviewed by the chapters committee, amended in coordination with the group of Brazilian volunteers, and finally presented for approval to the Board of Trustees.
  • A resolution was passed, which approved a Brazilian organisation-to-be to be a Wikimedia Chapter. (http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Approval_of_Wikimedia_Brasil) in October 2008
  • In April 2009, it came to the attention of the chapters community that the volunteers who had worked on the bylaws and the recognition of Wikimedia Brasil had decided that they would not incorporate into a legal entity (see [1]).
  • Since then, the group of Brazilian volunteers calls themselves a "Wikimedia Chapter", and wishes to be considered as such, and benefit from chapters rights (use of the trademarks, participation in the chapters meeting etc.) without incorporating.
  • This "discussion" about being a chapter without incorporating has been going on for a year now, without anyone issuing any kind of official statement to the real status of the "Brazilian Group" within the Wikimedia constellation.

After careful consideration, long discussions within the chapters committee, with the Brazilian volunteers and various parties interested in the issue, the Chapters Committee would like to communicate the following decision to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.

Decision edit

  • The resolution recognizing Wikimedia Brasil as an official chapter applies to bylaws and a structure that never existed, and will probably not exist, at least under the current state of mind of the volunteers animating the Brazilian group. The Chapters Committee therefore recommends to the Board of Wikimedia Foundation that it rescind its resolution of October 2008 approving Wikimedia Brasil as a Wikimedia Chapter.

Resolution passed at unanimity at the Chapters committee meeting in April 2010 in Berlin, at the Chapters meeting.