Movement reforms at Wikimedia Conference in Berlin

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Group photo of participants at Wikimedia Conference 2012

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 BayerMovement Communications

Archive notice: This is an archived post from blog.wikimedia.org, which operated under different editorial and content guidelines than Diff.

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A big thank you to all involved. I have no doubt that so many chapters signing up for the Association was a critical and historic moment for our global movement, elevating us all to see beyond the false limits of national boundaries and identities. I was deeply moved and honoured to represent the UK alongside our sister chapters, from Kenya to Bangladesh. The changes we will all be part of in the coming year are a bit scary and enormously exciting.

Hi, with all my heart , thank u. TennyNewlite

Nice post and the WCA is a great step. It was momentous occassion signing the agreement in Berlin.