2023:Program/Equity and Community Health/BJX9ZH-The challenges of volunteer committees in the movement

Title: The challenges of volunteer committees in the movement

Speakers:

Ivan Martinez

My name is Ivan, from Mexico, Spanish Wikipedia and Wikinews admin and Wikimedia Commons frequent contributor. Wikimedia Mexico chapter founder, permanent seat of the Wikimania Committee since 2015. Wikimania 2015 chief coordinator, former member of the Grant Advisory Committee, from 2016 part of Conference Support Grants Committee. Volunteer of the Universal Code of Conduct Draft Committee last stage, former member of the Diversity working group of the Wikimedia Strategy 2030, member of the Ombuds Commission, 2021. Since 2021, part of the Leadership Development Working Group

Pretalx link

Etherpad link

Room: Room 324

Start time: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0800

End time: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 12:45:00 +0800

Type: No (pretalx) session type id specified

Track: Equity, Inclusion, and Community Health

Submission state: confirmed

Duration: 45 minutes

Do not record: false

Presentation language: en

Abstract & description

Abstract

This panel seeks to discuss the current working conditions and characteristics of the volunteer committees in charge of governance, funding, resources and admissions decisions within the Wikimedia movement. What are the challenges within their current structure and formation?

Description

Wikimedia movement began to integrate voluntary committees practically from its foundation as a way to give certainty, transparency and confidence to the organizational, financial and structural processes of the movement. Two decades later, the committees have changed, becoming bodies with different types of policies, rules and internal workings. The panel aims to address the following questions.

How much of the movement’s work rests on the committees, are they still guarantors of certainty, transparency and trust to the outside world, how much influence do both the foundation and the movement itself have in the formation and functioning of the committees, and what support is needed for this work, which can overwhelm the volunteer movement with its needs? In this panel we seek to address some of these questions with community members who have served on these committees.

Proposal of panelists:

Iván Martínez - Leadership and UCOC
Anna Torres - Strategy 2030
Andrew Lih - SWAN (pending of confirmation)
Kassia Echavarri-Queen. Wikimedia Foundation
Butch Bustria - Wikimania Committee
Mónica Bonilla - Iberoconf organizer

Further details

Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?

This session seeks to analyze an internal component in the movement that is elemental to its functioning. The panel is directly related to the three topics raised. Having diverse committees has always been a challenge in its conformation, in an international collaborative basis that poses difficulties in its coordination and ways of working as the members have sometimes contrasting personal conditions, particularly those based between the Global North and the Global South. The future of the movement still has much to discuss and analyze in these committees in favor of a movement with adequate health and development.

Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Average knowledge about Wikimedia projects or activities

Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?

Onsite in Singapore
Remote online participation, livestreamed
Remote from a satellite event
Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
Pre-recorded and available on demand