Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/Transition/Global Conversations/Program

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For historical purposes, you can find here the schedules for the events on November 21/22, December 5/6 and January 23/24.

Program of the third set of events, focusing on the Interim Global Council (January 23/24)

Here is a short version of the program for the third set of events on January 23 + 24. Timings are tentative and approximate. The third set of events will cover only the implementation of the (Interim) Global Council (often abbreviated as "IGC"). Please check the summary of the current conversation.


Timing (approx.)	Program details
00:00-00:20	Welcome remarks & scene-setting; group photo
00:20-00:40	Explaining the main functions of the Interim Global Council from the recommendation
00:40-00:55	Preparing for Discussions in Thematic Rooms. Time for participants to discuss, clarify, and ask questions to prepare for the discussions in the thematic rooms.
00:55-01:05	10 min break
01:05-01:25	Present list of thematic rooms & Explanation of Discussion: Structure: What should the structure of the IGC be? Discuss size and possible architectures for the IGC. Representation: Who should be on the council? Discuss measures to ensure diversity of representation. Selection Process: How will IGC members be selected? Discuss the IGC selection process.
01:25-02:15	Discussion: Interim Global Council Format Round 1. Purpose of this round: Discuss thematic areas.
02:15-02:45	Share back, 3 minutes per room. Survey.
02:45-02:55	10 min break
02:55-03:45	Explain and transition to 2nd round. Discussion: Interim Global Council Format Round 2. Purpose of this round: Propose amendments to polling of design elements + plan for implementation.
03:45-03:55	Share back, 3 minutes per room.
03:55-04:00	Wrap-up & next steps (END).
1 hour after event	Mingling in virtual corridors: time for participants to mingle and get to know others

Thematic rooms summary

Below is a summary of the discussion topics that will be tackled in the four thematic rooms during the Interim Global Council events. In round 1, we will discuss the aspects "Structure", "Representation" and "Selection Process" of the future (Interim) Global Council. In round 2, rooms will be rearranged, and we will discuss the aspects "Structure", "Representation + Selection Process" (combined) and "Timeline".

Structure

Task:

Question: What should the structure of the IGC be?
Framing: Discussing size and possible set up for the IGC (Three committees/One main council/something else?)

Option 1: One Council for all tasks	Option 2: 3 specific committees	Option 3: Movement Charter and Global Council only
One coherent body to advance both the governance design tasks (develop the Movement Charter process and negotiate transfer of responsibilities to set up the Global Council) and oversee the implementation of movement strategy All the decisions made by the full assembly	3 separate committees to manage different outlined tasks: a) Movement Charter process, b) Transfer of responsibilities / Global Council, c) Implementation oversight Task relevant decisions made by sub-committees, fundamental decisions made by the full assembly	The Interim Global Council tasked only with governance design (developing the Movement Charter process and the transfer of the responsibilities) The implementation oversight sits with another body (e.g. a Steering Group for implementation)
Pros Ensures coherence of the discussions and processes; Ensures diversity of perspectives and good representation around all decisions	Pros Better distribution of workload; Focuses on the essentials of the topic areas; Better progress of all work areas	Pros More clear task for the body; Need for less categories of expertise in the group; Focuses on governance, transfer of power, and the set up of the actual Global Council
Cons Work will be more time consuming; Increased risk of burnout and dropout - too much to ask for members to be present for all the work; Most of the work will be probably carried by a small group of people	Cons Risk of some incoherence between different work tracks; Working groups less representative of the diversity of perspectives	Cons Need for setting up / negotiating additional structures; Unclarity regarding movement oversight for implementation for time being

Representation

Task:

Question: Who should be on the IGC?
Framing: Measures to ensure representation of the communities and diversity of representation (quotas)

Stakeholder group	Reasoning
Affiliate leads (chairpersons, EDs)	To ensure that governance and executive leadership of affiliates is represented in the conversations and the work is aligned with organizational expectations in the movement
Affiliate members	To ensure that there is a wider representation of the affiliates that goes beyond the leadership (i.e. level usually represented in the global discussions)
Online project communities	To ensure good representation of the diversity of our global communities in governance discussions and that the work is aligned with the needs and expectations of online communities
Underrepresented /-served communities	To ensure contact with potential future communities and widen the perspectives in governance conversations. To make space more groups and individuals in the Wikimedia world in the future
Movement committees (e.g. Affiliations committee)	To ensure that the existing governance structures are present in the design of the future governance structures
WMF: Board of Trustees	To ensure that existing structures are present in the design of future governance structures and for a smoother handover and negotiation in transfer of responsibilities
WMF: Staff	To ensure good representation of knowledge and expertise in the Foundation in the conversations and to ensure good understanding regarding the functions of WMF in the governance design
External stakeholders: Experts	To ensure high level of governance and equity expertise in the conversations and decision-making of the IGC
External stakeholders: Partners	To widen the perspective in the conversations and better accommodate partners in our ecosystem
Major language groups	To ensure that the perspectives of non-English speaking communities is taken into account in the global governance design
Regional groups	To ensure that the diversity of contexts is accounted for in global governance design and we have a wide representation of the diversity of the movement

Selection Process

Task:

Question: How will the IGC be set up?
Framing: Define the process for the set up of the Interim Global Council.

Option 1: Election/Nomination	Option 2: Appointment	Option 3: Mixed model
Run an election or nomination process for the set up of the IGC It can be uniform process across the movement or have different approaches for specific organizations and online projects	Use an appointment model to set up the Interim Global Council The appointment process would need clear criteria and definition of the responsible groups for the appointment	Run an election process for some of the seats and use the appointment model for others Mixed model needs a clear definition of where and why elections or the appointment will be used. This model worked well for the Transition Design Group
Pros Transparency and general uniformity of the process; Agency in the communities and organizations to nominate/elect their representatives; Clear accountability of the body to the communities and organizations.	Pros Members being appointed based on their competency; Potential to ensure a high level of representation in the body; Appointment processes are usually leaner than elections.	Pros Mixed approach can tap into strong sides of both approaches: provide agency for the communities and organizations while ensuring additional competency and representation through appointment.
Cons Process might be too “heavy” for the tasks ahead and might create too high expectations for a temporary body; An almost certain probability of elections being based on popularity rather than competency; Depending on the process design, there might be gaps in terms of representation	Cons Potential of insufficient transparency that might lead to questions regarding legitimacy; Defining the group(s) responsible for appointment might lead to long negotiations and make the process cumbersome; May not provide communities and organizations with full agency and can reduce accountability of the members	Cons Discussions regarding set up (i.e. where and why one model or another model would need to be used) will probably take time and create confusion There is a heavier administrative burden due to running both processes, particularly if they happen simultaneously

Timeline

Task:

Question: What are the steps in setting up the IGC?
Framing: Define the steps in timeline for the set up of the Interim Global Council.

Step	Timing
Definition of the scope and mandate Facilitate a widely accepted agreement regarding the scope and the mandate of the IGC , including its role in ratification of the Movement Charter and set up of the Global Council If anything is removed from the defined scope in the recommendations, define the ownership for the responsibility	January - February 2021
Clear timeline and next steps Agree upon clear next steps for the process Establish responsibilities and accountabilities for the process moving forward Ensure proper resourcing to deliver the process as planned	January - February 2021
Definition of the set-up process Define the approach to set up the IGC (i.e. election or appointment or mixed model) Define the details of running the process Set up an election or appointment committee	January - February 2021
Set up process for the IGC Run the agreed upon set up process Ensure outreach and engagement around the process	March - April 2021
IGC up and running Set up the administrative and support systems for work Onboard the members of the IGC Start the work according to the defined scope Ensure good communication and transparency regarding the work	April - June 2021

Program of the second set of events (December 5/6)

Here is a short version of the program for the second set of events on December 5+ 6. Timings are tentative and approximate.


Timing (approx.)	Program details
00:00-00:30	Welcome remarks & scene-setting; group photo; Where are we now? Overview of data by Kaarel Vaidla and Abbad Diraneyya
00:30-00:40	10 min break
00:40-01:25	Ideas for Implementation - Round 1. Discussion in 8 breakout rooms: A) 23. Interim Global Council/22. Movement Charter/24. Global Council (Governane Cluster) B) 9/11 - UX cluster C) 31 + 32 + 33 - Skill development cluster D) 25. Regional & thematic hubs E) 2. Funding for Underrepresented communities F) 3. Increase awareness about the movement G) 8. Align with environmental sustainability initiatives H) 36 + 37 + 38 - High-impact topics and content gaps Guiding question: What are the next steps to be taken?
01:25-02:10	Ideas for Implementation - Round 2. Discussion in breakout rooms (same breakout rooms as in Round 1)
02:10-02:30	Sharing Back (First 5 groups)
02:30-02:40	10 min break
02:40-03:00	Sharing Back (Last 5 groups)
03:00-03:15	Social Break (conversation in breakout rooms)
03:15-03:45	Lightning Talks (5 talks, 5 min per talk)
03:45-04:00	Wrap up + next steps (END)
1 hour after event	Mingling in virtual corridors: time for participants to mingle and get to know others

Program of the first set of events (November 21/22)

Here is a short version of the program for the first set of events on November 21 + 22. Timings are tentative and approximate.


Timing (approx.)	Program details
00:00-00:30	Welcome remarks & scene-setting: remarks from the Wikimedia Foundation (Saturday: María Sefidari & Ryan Merkley; Sunday: María Sefidari & Katherine Maher) to set the tone for the Global Events, update on the prioritization of recommendations, and instructions on how to interact on Zoom.
00:30-00:40	10 min break
00:40-02:00	Cross-pollinating community conversations: 3 rounds of small group discussions between participants across regions. Participants will discuss the question: “Which 5 (at least) initiatives are important to coordinate globally?” Participants will “travel” to each round with a partner, meaning that participants will remain in their pair for the entire 3 rounds while they meet 2 new participants in each round.
02:00-02:10	10 min break
02:10-02:15	Keynotes: short remarks by Sandister Tei (Wikimedian of the Year 2020)
02:15-02:30	Deliberation: each pair will fill out a prioritization form to capture what the 5 initiatives they think need to be prioritized through global coordination.
02:30-02:45	Social events: time for participants to mingle and get to know other participants
02:45-02:55	10 min break
02:55-03:05	Tour of heatmap: showcase a visual heatmap that accumulates the prioritization of initiatives from the deliberation.
03:05-03:40	Open discussion: discuss the heatmap, provide feedback, and explore what might be missing.
03:40-03:50	Wrap up + next steps (END)
1 hour after event	Mingling in virtual corridors: time for participants to mingle and get to know others