Wiki Indaba Steering Committee/Wiscom guidelines

Wiki Indaba Steering Committee (WISCom)

The Wiki Indaba Steering Committee is responsible for supporting the organization of future Indaba(s), providing a unified voice for all organisations and will provide non-financial resources to all who associate with Wiki Indaba. The committee is made up of a representative of all past organizers of Wiki Indaba, a representative from the current LOC, 3 volunteer slots opened to all members from the continent and 2 WMF liaison roles.

The committee was formed as a result of constant burnout from previous organizers of the conference. A process was announced at the 2018 Wiki Indaba to initiate a steering committee to support future organizers.

Positions

• Country Representation (Previous Organizers of the Conference)
• 3 available slots for volunteers
• 1 representative from the current organising committee.
• 2 liaisons from the WMF

Selection Criteria & Guidelines

Country Representatives

• The term of office is 2 years after which their organisation can have new elections to select a rep.
• The affiliate is completely responsible for selecting this person
• Can be replaced at the discretion of the affiliate, but a notice must be sent to the committee 3 months and accepted before any change is made. This applies only in cases of non-performance or no-confidence.

Volunteer

• Volunteers will be appointed by the steering committee through an open application process.
• Most volunteer roles span a tenure of only one year.
• The role of the volunteer coordinator spans a tenure of one and half years maximum. This role is automatically awarded to the best candidate during the application process.

Representative from the current local organising committee

• The representative will be appointed by the LOC through an election.
• Representatives tenure is terminated at the end of the organising period, unless renewed by the host country/affiliate towards the capacity of a country representative.

Liaisons

• Program officer of any grant project at the WMF
• One other selection by the preference of the WMF

Roles of WISCom

1. Focus on the programme and annual theme of the conference
2. Management of scholarships application and awarding process
3. Programmatic support between conferences
4. Championing cross collaboration and cross affiliate partnerships across the continent and beyond.
5. Gather learning patterns and share best practices
6. Ensuring participation from the continent in other relevant regional collaboration programs
7. Facilitate a bidding process for the selection of future hosts
8. Marketing the event in countries that do not have a Wikipedia presence
9. Support with the grant making process of the LOC