With everything going on in the world in 2020, we came together as a movement and collaborated virtually like never before.
More than 250 people took part in Global Conversations in November and December to shape the way forward for Movement Strategy and the future of the Wikimedia movement. Together we identified 8 priority areas from the recommendations and began discussing steps for putting those initiatives into action. Discussions are open and conversations continue in January.
By CKibelka (WMF) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
What are the movement’s top priorities?
Through a three-year community-driven process, countless hours of calls, and using any opportunity to work together [very much missing working in person with all of you], we innovated how strategy is done: from the direction set in 2017 to 10 recommendations finalized in 2020, and now priorities identified for action. The top priority initiatives for implementation in 2021 are:
How were the priorities identified?
From September to December 2020, nearly 60 communities, affiliates, and groups met virtually to discuss their unique needs and circumstances, and shared their priorities for 2021. The recommendations and their 45 initiatives were discussed through local, thematic, and regional lenses. From the input received, the top 3 recommendations are:
- Recommendation 1: Increase the sustainability of our movement
- Recommendation 2: Improve the user experience
- Recommendation 4: Ensure equity in decision-making
At the November Global Conversations, online contributors and affiliate community members from around the world discussed their priorities to identify which are the most important to work on together as a movement. Overall, the priorities highlighted during the global events were similar to those previously identified on the local and regional level, such as funding for underrepresented communities, improved user experience across Wikimedia projects, resources for newcomers, regional and thematic hubs, and skill development.
Some initiatives ranked higher for global coordination, such as increasing awareness about the movement, aligning with environmental sustainability, and high-impact topics and content gaps. For more detail, please see the report from November.
Safety and security, including the Universal Code of Conduct, was a top priority for many communities around the world. They saw this recommendation and its initiatives important for nurturing healthy environments for Wikimedians to contribute to our mission, and for our communities to thrive and strengthen. As an initiative with great momentum, discussions on the Universal Code of Conduct are already under way. Please share your thoughts on how to make our movement safe and more inclusive.
Discussions are open
At the December events and afterwards on wiki, Wikimedians asked clarifying questions and discussed the next steps for implementing the top initiatives. They discussed who needs to be involved, what their involvement would look like, and what we should achieve together in 18 months.
There is a dedicated discussion space for each initiative (or cluster of related initiatives). You can find text and video summaries from the global discussions there. Conversations are open and ongoing, so please help to enrich them and also express your interest to participate in follow-up discussions. Based on these and follow-up discussions we will create an implementation plan together.
What’s next?
The Support Team plans to host at least one follow-up discussion for each of the priority initiatives, including a global conversation on the Interim Global Council before the end of January. With clear and widespread community support, the Wikimedia Foundation is committed to resourcing the process that will set up the Interim Global Council. This interim community-led body will draft the Movement Charter and based on it, establish a representative Global Council.
There will also be follow-up discussions for the other top priorities, inviting interested communities and affiliates to come together with different teams from the Wikimedia Foundation to experiment, collaborate, and plan the next steps. The approach to implementation is open and will vary from initiative to initiative, depending on the context. More information will be shared very soon, including exact dates and times for the follow-up discussions as well as easy ways to prepare.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Support Team with your questions, comments, or brilliant ideas, strategy2030{{at}}wikimedia.org
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