User:Ijon/Postcard from Greece

Geia sas!

Context

Asaf Bartov (WMF) has just returned from a visit with the Greek Wikimedia community.

Wikipedia in Education: article writing introduced in a technical university in Thessaloniki; secondary school students wrote articles (their principal/headmaster is a very active Wikipedian! :)); adult school students in Kefalonia edited about local flora and history, with their teacher -- featured in Wikimedia Blog.
Outreach: introductory talks were given last year on various occasions, including a 12-meeting series at the Great Musical Library in Athens.
GLAM: conversations have begun with the Great Musical Library and with the General State Archive in Greece. It is likely at least one of them will host a Wikipedian in Residence.
User group: a group of very active editors has begun the process toward recognition as a Wikimedia User Group.

Community tension: beside the usual causes of wikistress, the Greek community faces tension from external politics -- disputes on ethnic and/or nationalist background, a highly controversial political party.
Interference with brand: a Greek non-profit has engaged in some misguided (though well-intended) outreach activities on behalf of "Wikipedia", with much misrepresentation of our norms and values, and has resisted repeated requests to change its ways. This should be resolved now.
Worries about money: currently, no movement funds are used by the community. While this prevents some things from happening, the community is worried about the (social) consequences of accepting movement funds.

Thank you!