Movement reforms at Wikimedia Conference in Berlin

Wikimedia Conference 2012 – the annual gathering of the various organizations of the global Wikimedia movement – took place in Berlin recently, hosted by the German Wikimedia chapter. The conference produced several important milestones in the continuing maturing process of the Wikimedia movement on its path towards a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.
There were approximately 120 participants, including representatives for Wikimedia chapters around the world, the Board of Trustees, various employees of the Wikimedia Foundation, and several working groups (such as organizers of the annual photo contest “Wiki Loves Monuments”). Check out the “state of the chapters” presentations on Commons, Meta-Wiki (I, II, III) and YouTube, where each chapter gave a summary of its activities during the past year.
In an important step, 25 chapters have signed the Berlin Agreement declaring their intention to join the “Wikimedia Chapters Association” (WCA), formally initiating the founding of this new body (with seven other chapters expressing their support). The WCA will be an umbrella organization for chapters that articulates their common interests, facilitates knowledge exchange and chapters’ organizational development, and promotes standards of accountability and participation among its members. Work is still in progress for selecting a Secretary-General for the new body and choosing its place of registration, preparing for the association’s first meeting at July’s Wikimania conference in Washington D.C. But hopes are high that the WCA will make a huge contribution to help chapters develop, and lift the relationship between WMF and chapters to a new level. The Foundation congratulates the chapters and looks forward to working with the new organization.
Also in Berlin, the Wikimedia Board of Trustees passed several resolutions on fundraising, funds dissemination, and models of affiliation with the Wikimedia movement (“movement roles”), recognizing the increasing diversity of groups contributing to the movement.
Tilman Bayer, Movement Communications