Content deleted Content added
m Adding welcome message to new user's talk page |
Sami Mlouhi (talk | contribs) |
||
Line 1:
<languages />
{{TNT|Affiliations Committee}}
If you would like to be be considered for an appointment to the Affiliations Committee during our mid-2017 recruitment cycle, please post your application on this page. All applications must be submitted by 30 June 2017.
Your application must include the following information:
# Your full name and Wikimedia username
# A statement describing your relevant experience, skills, and motivation for joining the committee.
# Answers to the following three questions:
:# How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
:# What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
:# What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
All Wikimedians are invited to share endorsements and comments about candidates. If you provide a negative comment, please cite appropriate evidence for your concerns; it is not appropriate to simply state a negative opinion without factual evidence, and we would like to maintain a friendly space for candidates to state their interest without fear of public ridicule.
__TOC__
== Raphael Berchie ({{user8|Rberchie}}) ==
I am Raphael Berchie, a Wikimedian from Ghana. I have been an active volunteer for over four years and worked on different projects and under different capacities as a volunteer. I am a member of the Wikimedia Usergroup in Ghana.
I have had experience as an Inspire Grant Grantee for the Wiki Needs Girls I was also one of the Organizer of the 2nd edition of Wiki Indaba the African Regional Conference for Wikimedians. On the Education front I was part of the Team that help start an Education Program and set up the Ashesi Wiki Club at Ashesi University in Ghana. I am also part of the Team working on the GLAM Ghana project.
I was the Wikimedian-in-Residence for the Wiki Loves Women project in Ghana. I have also helped organized thematic projects like Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Women.
I am a member of the Wikimedia User Group Ghana, the Wikipedia Library User Group, Wikimedia Belgium and whose knowledge. I have been an active member of the Wikimedia User Group Ghana and was part of the core team the help start the User Group from the Planning Wikimedia User Group. I am currently working with a colleague Wikime
# How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
##Affiliates should look more at collaborations and extensive partnerships with other Affiliates I believe by so doing there is a lot to be achieved in that regard since experiences and best practices could be easily transferred. I think proposals like Wiki Cities or some kind of adoption whereby a bigger and an experience chapter could mentor a new User Group will be very beneficial and should be revisited or looked into again.
# What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
##Affiliates should be a major players in helping promote the course the Wikimedia Foundation. This could be done by taking up initiatives to create awareness for the movement in their respective geographic ___location,recruiting, training and managing new volunteers to keep the goals of the foundation met. They should chart the course and help set the foundation for the implementation of the movement strategies for 2030 in their respective areas of operation. Affiliates should lead conversation around the movement strategies for 2030, develop custom made plans for their place of operation set the stage for implementation and begin the process of implementation.
# What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
## I will bring diversity coming from the Global South and the Sub Sahara which seem to be under-represented in most situations. Again I will bring varied experience I have accrued volunteering on different projects within the movement which include;education, GLAM, conference and community activation and volunteer support in the Sub Sahara where there is little or no activity of the Foundation and most likely to have emerging communities starting up. This will be very beneficial to understanding the needs and what will work for Affiliates within this region.
== Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight ({{user8|Rosiestep}}) ==
I'm Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight and I live in a small town in northeastern California (USA), a quarter mile down a gravel road, in a neighborhood which has no cell phone coverage, but thankfully, there is internet! I've self-disclosed my name to the community on my userpage, in interviews, and formally to WMF. I earned an MBA 20 years ago and coupled with my work experience, I have skills in strategy, risk management, human resources, and so forth. I'm a cultural anthropologist at heart and this is my motivation for wanting to be immersed in the multi-culture experience unique to the affiliates movement.
I became a Wikipedian (enwiki) in 2007, and an admin in 2009. I have made >120,000 edits; and have created >4,200 new articles on enwiki, hundreds of them being translations from the Spanish, Asturian, Catalan, and French Wikipedias. With various levels of proficiency, I'm a polyglot (Serbian, Spanish, French). I also spend time on Commons and Wikidata.
On enwiki, I founded [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Women writers]]; and co-founded [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Women]] and [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red]]. Women in Red was one of five organizations shortlisted for the ITU/UN Women's GEM-TECH awards in 2016, in the category "Apply Technology for Women’s Empowerment and Digital Inclusion". I've presented at Wikimania 2015 (featured speaker), Wikimania 2016, Wikimedia Diversity Conference 2016 (keynote), WikiConUSA 2015, WikiConference North America 2016. I have served on various committees (scholarship committee: WikiConUSA 2015, WikiConference North America 2016, Wikimania 2016, Wikimania 2017; program committee: WikiWomenCamp 2017, Wikimedia Diversity Conference 2017). Sydney Poore and I were co-grantees (US$50,000) for WikiConference North America 2016; I am co-organizer of the 2017 conference. This year, I began a volunteer position as Wikipedia Visiting Scholar at Northeastern University, Women Writers Project; and a temporary, contractor position for the WMF as the Gender Diversity Mapper. In 2016, Emily Temple-Wood and I were honored as co-Wikipedians of the Year for our anti-harassment work and efforts towards improving Wikipedia's content gender gap.
# How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
##I believe the intersection of work is the best place for affiliates to form partnerships. For example, Wikimujeres UG, Wikidonnes UG, and WikiWomen UG have collaborated on various projects together, such as UN-Her-Story and BBC-100-Women. WikiConference North America UG has collaborated with all the North American affiliates (Chapters and UGs) to coordinate an annual conference. These examples are short-term partnerships, but they have long-term impact through the synergy of relationships.
# What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
## I think affiliates will be engaged in various roles within the Wikimedia movement in the next few years. Some of these include: (a) develop new communities based around shared interests, (b) provide mentorship between mature affiliates and newer ones, not just regarding content production, participation (recruitment/retention), and partnerships, but addressing the transformative impact each affiliate is uniquely positioned to achieve, (c) align with and actively engage in activities which support the 2030 movement strategy vision.
# What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
##As a co-founder of WikiWomen's User Group and WikiConference North America UG, I understand how it feels to be a community making the big decision to form a UG, and I understand some of the challenges UGs face after formation.
##I am a Board member of Wikimedia DC, so I understand some of the challenges facing Chapters. Before I joined the board, I was the Chapter's 2015 Volunteer of the Year. After joining it, I've learned about the responsibilities associated with the role and the work of a Chapter from another vantage point.
##I joined AffCom in January 2016; most of my first year was spent listening and learning. In January 2017, I became the committee's Secretary. If I'm selected to serve another term, I will amplify my voice. Thank you for your consideration.
== Tanweer Morshed ({{user8|Tanweer Morshed}}) ==
I am Tanweer Morshed. I reside in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh - a country in South Asia - nestled by the Bay of Bengal in the south and Himalaya in the north. I am a recent graduate and I studied architecture in university.
I discovered Wikipedia during my school days and have been an active Wikimedian since 2009. Initially I started editing the English and Bengali Wikipedias. Later I started contributing to other Bengali Wikimedia projects and Commons as well. I have a total over 12000 edit counts in the Wikimedia projects and have been a Sysop in the Bengali Wikipedia since early 2015. I was active for some time in the Small Wiki Monitoring Team in 2016 with a view to fighting vandalism. I became involved in the offline Wikimedia movement, particularly with organizational activities in 2010.
I, along with some other active Wikimedians, founded the chapter Wikimedia Bangladesh in 2011. Since then I have worked for the chapter in volunteer capacity in matters like organizational development issues, community engagement, partnership with relevant entities (NGOs, Govt. agencies and like-minded organizations) and imparting training to Wikimedians. Currently, I serve as the Treasurer of the chapter. In 2015, I traveled across Bangladesh as part of a project undertaken by the chapter to provide hands-on training to university students. I also worked as a co-organizer for the Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth competitions. Apart from my involvement within my country, I’ve engaged in the global movement through regional and international platforms. I was actively involved in the effort to foster the collaboration of Bengali Wikimedia communities between Bangladesh and India. I served as a member of the Programme Team for the Wikimedia Conference 2015. I participated in Wikimania and WMCON several times on behalf of my chapter and made presentations in the WMCON14 and WMCON16. Since January 2016, I have been serving as a member of the Affiliations Committee.
# How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
##Affiliate tends to partner on projects effectively in which they have some sort of commonality or shared values. The output of such initiatives amplify when there are strong management and community engagement. The Wikipedia Asian Month is a great example of such initiative. The regional frameworks of affiliates (i.e. Iberocoop, CEE) are undertaking projects that are contributing with substantial impact and this trend is on the rise around communities.
# What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
##The Wikimedia movement thrives on the activity of the volunteer contributors. Today the mobilization of the contributors are mostly being done by the affiliates around the world, with more impact and dimension of contribution than ever before. As we embark on the 2030 movement strategy with a view to achieving more impact and reaching more people, the significance of affiliates in sustaining the dissemination and growth of the Wikimedia projects will be critical in the days to come.
# What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
##I don’t feel like I will have an unparalleled uniqueness in the committee, given the fact that each Wiki(p/m)edian possess an array of qualities, marked by his/her locality, language, culture, background and other factors. In general, I have been closely involved with the growth of the Wikimedia movement in my country since its early days and have an understanding of the dynamics of the movement in this part of the world as well as the challenges in the emerging communities.
== Bodhisattwa Mandal ({{user8|Bodhisattwa}}) ==
I am Bodhisattwa Mandal from a small town in the district of [[:en:Purulia district|Purulia]] situated in the Indian state of [[:en:West Bengal|West Bengal]]. I am a Wikimedian for last 5 years with >120,000 edits till date. I am one of the administrators in Bengali Wikipedia, where I have created >1,400 articles on topics like history of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, ancient Indian kingdoms, archeological sites of West Bengal and various other subjects. Currently I am more active in Bengali Wikisource, where I am entrusted with the sysop role, where I have proofread more than 50 books, out of which 5 have been selected as featured texts. I am also a file-mover and patroller in Wikimedia Commons, where, I have uploaded more than 800 public ___domain books in Bengali, English, Assamese, Persian and Armenian combined, many of them are extremely rare, which have been used in corresponding language Wikisource projects. I do maintenance work in Commons specially correcting categorisation of files, renaming etc. I am also involved in Wikidata where I try to add more data on Bengali writers. Apart from that I am also active in Translatewiki.net, Transifex and Openstreetmap.
I was also involved in a highly-imapactful collaborative project to develop a tool to integrate Google-OCR with Wikisource. I attended [[Wikisource Community User Group/Wikisource Conference 2015|First International Wikisource Conference]] in Vienna in November, 2015, where I advocated to the international Wikisource community and WMF staffs present, for an automation tool which can feed Indic language Wikisource scanned pages directly to Google OCR and managed to enlist the proposal as a top priority community need and placed this proposal in [[2015 Community Wishlist Survey/Wikisource#Tool to use Google OCRs in Indic language Wikisource|2015 Community Wishlist Survey]], where it was one of the two most-voted proposal of Wikisource wishes, but unfortunately could not manage to get in top 10. So, soon we formed a team to get the thing done by ourselves in India, and as a result of which T. Shrinivasan, the programmer of the project, successfully developed [https://github.com/tshrinivasan/OCR4wikisource a python script] using Google Drive API to automate the process in Linux operating system. The script is currently being utilized massively by Bengali and Tamil communities and > 1 million pages were OCRed in these two language projects combined in just 4-5 months ([https://tools.wmflabs.org/phetools/statistics.php check the stats]). This project proved to be a game-changer for Indic Wikisource communities, as was claimed in the wishlist survey. Later Community Tech team developed [[s:mul:Wikisource:Google OCR|another javascript]] which utilizes Cloud Vision API to generate Google-OCRed text and installed it in different compatible Indic Wikisource projects. I was invited by CIS-A2K to participate in a [[Marathi Wikisource & Digitisation Workshop on 17-18th February 2017|Marathi Wikisource workshop]] in [[w:Pune|Pune]] as a resource person of Wikisource, where I gave hands-on demonstrated basic workflow of the project with special emphasis on OCR automation to different library representatives, who took part in the event.
I was one of the core organizer of [[Bengali Wikipedia 10th Anniversary Celebration Kolkata|Bengali Wikipedia 10th Anniversary Celebration International Conference]] held at [[w:Jadavpur University|Jadavpur University]], [[w:Kolkata|Kolkata]] in January, 2015 and [[WikiConference India 2016|WikiConference India, 2016]] held in [[w:Chandigarh|Chandigarh]]. I also try to organize Bengali Wikimedia meetups in Kolkata regularly, where we address various relevant community issues and act accordingly. I have also taken initiative to organize and participate in regular online edit-a-thons in Bengali Wikipedia, on various special occasions to increase content and new editors like [[Wikipedia Asian Month]], Wikipedia 15 Good Article Translation Competition etc. Apart from that, I have also organized a Wikipedia Takes City photo-walk in Asansol, West Bengal in 2014 and two Wikipedia Treks Mountains projects in 2014, one at Sammed Sikhar, Jharkhand and another at Madhyamaheshwar, Uttarakhand, to increase the photo-contents of these area. I am also the core organizer of the 7-months long Bengali Wikisource 10th Anniversary Proofreading Contest, which is happening right now till July 2017.
I am also the co-founder of [[West Bengal Wikimedians|West Bengal Wikimedians User Group]] to better organize Wikimedia related activities in the state of West Bengal. As one of the user group activity, I have organized a documentation event to cover the Dutch heritage of [[w:Chinsurah|Chinsurah]] in collaboration with [[Wikimedia Nederlands]].
* How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
** Affiliates have worked together and built high-impact projects together before and I believe, they will do it afterwards. Common interests and issues are the main driving force towards such initiatives. Projects and events like Wikiconference India 2016 and Wikipedia Asian Month came to life from such common regional interests.
* What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
** The major role of affiliates should be to interact with the volunteer communities regularly to realise their ground-reality issues, their strength and weakness and provide more support by addressing them, be it technical, organisational or moral. Affiliate decision makers need to realise by their hearts that volunteer communities are the primary force to build great Wikimedia projects. A completely detached affiliate can never understand the primary need of communities and shall waste upon those projects with no or less impact.
* What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
** I am an active online and offline volunteer in Wikimedia movement for last 5 years. In these years, I have worked closely with other community members in West Bengal and have shared the responsibility to solve various issues faced by them and that is the reason, that I co-founded [[West Bengal Wikimedians|West Bengal Wikimedians User Group]] to better organise the Wikimedia activity in the region. As like other common Indian, I speak at least three languages fluently, which helps me reach and interact with other Indian volunteers. I have always tried to understand the diverse complex dynamics of Indian communities and the unity in the diversity. I do believe that for a multi-cultural multi-lingual nation like India, a single chapter is not sufficient to support the diverse communities, that makes me a strong supporter for creation of more user groups by active volunteers.
== Wang Yi-Sheng ({{user8|Aotfs2013}}) ==
I am Wang Yi-Sheng, a Taiwanese Wikipedian. “Aotfs2013” is my Wikimedia username, and I have been an active Wikipedian since 2014. My current work field in Chinese Wikipedia includes updating any inaccurate articles, creating and amending the Wikipedia guidance. Promoting the establishment of a reward system among volunteer editors in Wikipedia, the “Wikipedia HONOUR & AWARDS” is my current focus in Chinese Wikipedia. Over the past three years as Wikipedian, I have made approximately 10,000 edits in the Wikimedia projects.
Apart from being a Wikipedian, I have worked for a number of large organization, such experience develops my skills and broadens my knowledge. As a result, I considered myself competent at certain aspects, even compared to veterans.
Having varied working experience at local association made me proficient in many aspects, especially communication.
I worked as a consultant for “Taichung Public Transport Promotion Association” (TPTPA) a few years ago. As a consultant, my duty is to advise on proposing events of TPTPA and exchange ideas with colleges, communications between individuals is unavoidable. Thus, I had a deep understanding of message delivery and interpretation, and also a rich knowledge on the management of the non-government organization. Another thing which is worth mentioning is that the “National Academy for Educational Research” has approved my capability and has invited me to work there as a consultant, and I will take the position in early August 2017.
Apart from my profession in different large associations, I am also a co-founder of an information company “T.ONE”. I took charge of the product packaging, marketing and the web page design of “T.ONE”. During the years that I have been in the company, I acquired abundant financial knowledge and manpower management skills.
With my ability and experience, I think my participation will definitely bring numerous benefits for the Affiliations Committee.
大家好，我是一位以Aotfs2013為用戶名的台灣維基人，我自2014年起活躍於維基媒體運動，在維基媒體的各項目中我已經做出了大約10,000次的編輯。我在中文維基百科主要參與的工作包括：創建並提升條目品質、修改與訂定方針與指引。順帶一提，我還是中文維基百科中維基榮譽與獎勵證書制度的主要推動者。
除了在維基百科的參與外，我也曾歷任多項重要職務，我認為我足以勝任維基地方自治體委員會的工作。
這些經驗包括：在民間協會擔任顧問，作為顧問我具備有良好的組織溝通能力；在企業擔任共同創始人，使我獲得了豐富的財務知識與人事管理實務經驗。值得一提的是，基於對我的認同，台灣政府部門已經邀請我擔任顧問的職務。憑藉我的能力與經驗，我相信我的加入將能為自治體委員會帶來更豐富的價值。
'''How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?'''
I think Affiliates are the essential components of the Wikipedia movement. Yet, affiliates lack collaborations between each other for quite a while. If I became a member of the committee, I would encourage the cross-border linkage between Affiliates, and Asia would act as the starting point. Regional programs with Affiliates would also be promoted. The regional programs will try to break the boundary of Wikipedia and the Internet and expand to our daily life. I think such a collaboration will grant Affiliates a significant improvement in the visibility and influence among countries.
我認為自治體是維基百科全球性運動的重要一環。在過去，各地的自治體缺乏合作。如果我成為委員會成員，我將透過我出身於亞洲的地緣背景，以亞洲作為出發地鼓勵各地自治體的跨國聯繫，與自治體共同推動以各區域為核心且不僅限於維基百科的區域計畫，這些計畫將不僅限於網路，而是能夠擴及到日常生活中。我認為我們將使自治體在各國的能見度與影響力獲得顯著的提升。
'''What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?'''
In the next three years, I expect frequent interactions and collaborations between Affiliates through the promotion of the Wikipedia Committee. Resource-sharing would undoubtedly help the foundations of Affiliates around the world. There will be more cross-border and cross-regional interactions between Affiliates, which will greatly renovate the operation of Affiliates. Affiliates will eventually break the language barrier and borders, and become a "centrum of resources" one after another.
透過維基地方自治體委員會的鼓勵與資源挹注，在接下來的三年中，我認為我們將會看到自治體間更頻繁的互動與合作。透過資源的共享，更多國家將能夠在其他自治體的協助下扶植出屬於當地的自治體。我認為自治體將出現更多跨國與跨區域間的互動，大大地改變過去自治體單打獨鬥的情況。未來，自治體將打破語言與國家的隔閡，成為一座又一座的「資源中心」。
'''What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?'''
First of all, I do not consider there is a so-called “uniquely qualified candidate" among the candidates. The Wikimedia movement involves millions of volunteers, most of the volunteers are very competent and have made good contributions to Wikipedia Movement in diverse fields. Therefore, I think a “uniquely qualified candidate" does not exist in neither the candidates nor the Wikipedians.
If I become a member of the Committee, I will strive to achieve our common goals in the region alongside with the committee. And during the tenure, I will endeavor to resolve any communication barriers by acting as a lubricant to smooth over value clashes and misinterpretations.
I believe that my skills and knowledge will make a significant contribution to the Wikimedia movement and may even bring a new perspective to the committee.
首先，維基媒體運動在全球擁有數以萬計的志願參與者，他們中有許多人在現實中取得相當好的成就，具備相當好的能力，因此我並不認為有所謂的「唯一合適的候選人」存在。如果我成為委員會成員，我將會在委員會的支持下在區域間努力實現我們的共同目標，竭力化解溝通障礙，作為使者的角色串起自治體間的橋樑，並充當本地社群對外的潤滑劑。透過我的能力與經驗，我相信我將能夠給委員會帶來嶄新的思維，為維基媒體運動作出顯著的貢獻。
Wang Yi-Sheng<br>
June 27, 2017
== Tia Kangaspunta ({{user8|Tiakangaspunta}})==
I have recently started as the Coordinator of Wikimedia Finland. In 2016, I worked for the Anna Lindh Foundation, which – like WMF – is a large organization and one of the biggest actors in intercultural dialogue in Europe and possibly the world. The Anna Lindh Foundation brings together 42 national networks into one big network, which means that I gained substantial experience in large networks. A major focus of my work was reviewing the reports and applications of member networks and organizations, and I also took part in organizing a large event, an intercultural forum that took place in October 2016 in Malta [http://www.annalindhfoundation.org/about-med-forum-2016 link]. In addition to my work in Wikimedia Finland, I currently work for the Foundation for the Finnish Institute in the Middle East (FIME for short). Here, I have continued the work with ALF, particularly the Finnish network and its cooperation with other national networks. I’m currently focusing on organizing three projects in three different countries, one which is led by the Finnish network and specifically FIME.
I have experience and understanding in often bureaucratic application procedures as well as intercultural communication and cooperation. I have recently concluded my studies and I’m graduating as Master of Arts with Middle Eastern Studies as my major. If you’re interested, you can read (or skim) my thesis on the Arab Spring revolutions and their effects on women [http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:hulib-201706054649 here]. In addition to English – and Finnish -, I speak French and Swedish and some Arabic (Egyptian). I can read Spanish, German, and Standard Arabic, as well as some Russian.
I believe I would be an excellent addition to the Committee: as a person, I’m organized, motivated, and passionate about politics – especially freedom of speech and minority and women’s rights. I’m academically educated and professionally experienced. I also believe my status as a minority in the Wikimedia community – being a woman and a Nordic national – would also prove useful. Below, you will find my answers to the questions posed in the Call for Candidates:
1. How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
First, in my experience, time is of the essence and cannot be overemphasized: partner organizations need sufficient time for the planning and implementation of projects. This is something that should be taken into account both by the organizing parties as well as the grant-giving organization. Second, communication is another key aspect of all projects: partners should agree on means of communication and be open and proactive in their communication both with their partners and their communities. These both might seem like something to be taken for granted, but my experience has shown that they are not. This brings me to my third point - planning, which should always be inclusive, effective and sufficient.
2. What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
My experience in the Wikimedia movement is not long, but in my opinion affiliates are the future of Wikimedia. Affiliates can react to the circumstances in their countries and environments quickly, and they have relevant and crucial knowledge of their surroundings. The members know best what they need, and the needs and expectations of members vary from country to country. Wikimedia has the potential to be an influential grass-root, bottom-to-top network of affiliates that work separately, but in constant cooperation and on shared themes and values.
3. What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
I believe my background as an expert in intercultural affairs and my experience in organizations like WMF would be useful for the Wikimedia community.
Tia Kangaspunta
29.6.2017
== Olaniyan Olushola ({{user8| Olaniyan Olushola}})==
My name is Olaniyan Olushola, an accountant by profession, founding member and president of [[Wikimedia User Group Nigeria]]. I am an active member of the community with various contributions to Wikimedia projects. I have organised several Wikimedia project in the last few years. I organised Wiki Loves Africa 2015 and 2016 in Nigeria. I participated in Wiki Indaba 2014 and [[WikiAfrica/OpenAfrica15|WikiAfrica/OpenAfrica15#OpenAfrica15]], a conference for Wikipedians In Residence, organised by WikiAfrica in Johannesburg, South Africa. I coordinated [[:en:Wikipedia:Wiki Loves Nigeria/Writing Contest|Wikipedia 15 in Nigeria]] and Wiki loves Nigeria Writing Contest, organized as part of [[Grants:PEG/Wikimedia Nigeria User Group/Wikipedia at 15 Celebration in Nigeria/Report| Wikipedia @15 celebration in Nigeria]]. I coordinated [[:en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Wiki Loves Women/Nigeria| Wiki Loves Women in Nigeria ]] and my work was extensively covered by multiple newspapers in Nigeria. I coordinated [[Grants:PEG/WIkimedia User Group Nigeria/Wiki Photo Tours/Report|Wiki Photo Tour in Nigeria]] through a Wikimedia Foundation grant support in 2016. I conceptualized a media partnership between [[Wikimedia User Group Nigeria/Wikimedia Radio and TV Program| Wikimedia UG Nigeria and Blackface Media]], a radio program that runs every Wednesday called ''Time-Out with Wikipedia''. I am the lead presenter on Wikimedia Radio and TV program. I established Wikimedia Fan Club at Lagos State University, University of Ibadan and Wikimedia Hub, Nigerian Institute of Journalsim (NIJ). I am also the project coordinator for "She Can with ICT", a project that focus on training Nigerian female students on how to contribute to Wikimedia project. The project is ongoing.
1, How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
I think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives through collaboration, shared and transparent decision – making process and effective communication. Our movement is a peculiar one and a combined efforts is an integral part of our movement. I also think that trust and respect for each other’s contributions is not an option.
2. What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
What I see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years include:
#Providing supports for the editing community in terms of capacity buildings, and developments of new tools that would make editing easy
#Encouraging and supporting the establishment of new user groups and existing one becoming a chapter
#Providing financial supports for user groups and other vision-aligned organization.
#Organizing an awareness campaign that would in turns increase the number of contributors to Wikimedia projects
#Helping the community to fight against paid editing
#Promoting the vision of the movement in their country
#Providing platform for engagement of existing and potential wikimedians
# Serve as a point of call for solution provider to the designated community
# Serve as the mediator between the community and the foundation
3. What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
As a founding member and president of Wikimedia User Group Nigeria, I know what it takes to build a community, retains volunteers and the challenges facing planning User Group, existing User Group and Chapters especially, the affiliates in global south. I established Wikimedia Hubs in three universities in Nigeria. This was not an easy task but I was able to achieve it with the support of my community members. I am very knowledgeable in establishing and building a Wikimedia community. I am sure I will be an asset to AffCom if my application is given a consideration.
== Sami Mlouhi ({{user8|Sami Mlouhi}})==
I am Sami Mlouhi, a Wikimedian from Tunisia since 2014. I have been contributing to the french, english and arabic Wikipedias, Wikimedia Commons, wikiquote, wikidata and Meta. I have more than 5500 edits, 2800 photos and 200 articles.
I am an active membre in Wikimedia Tunisia User Group, I made various tasks related to community building. These included conducting workshops for new Wikipedians, training Wikipedians, hosting meetups, recruitment of volunteers etc. Also, I was involved with organizing events. These included Wikipedia workshops, seminar, conferences, Wiki loves Africa, Wiki loves Earth, Wiki loves Monuments, editathons, unconference, school programs.
I helped Wikimedia France during the month of francophonie celebration by organizing an editathon in Tunis.
I served as a member of MedinaPedia project, Tunisia Project and medicine project in Wikipedia. In Wikidata , I am member of WikiProject Medicine.
I have participated in many National and International Events related to Wikimedia projects such as WikiConvention francophone 2016 in Paris and wikimdia Tunisia meeting in Sousse.
I can speak arabic, french, english and italian. I have many experience on social media and international cooperation. I'm familiar with the organizational governance, international policies and political system and conditions in various countries as a member of Amnesty international and the Tunisian Red Crescent, that could be benefit to global social movement like Wikimedia.
Apart from being a Wikipedian, I am member of Carthagina association that aims to promote and raise awareness about Tunisian History, photo club of Tunis and Médecins Sans Frontières. I encourage the Creative Commons movement and google maps where I edit frequently.
I have good communication skills in general but with volunteers more specifically and you can witness that through my workshops. I won the AISEC debate challenge in 2015.
1. How do you think affiliates work best together to partner on effective projects and initiatives?
I think that frequent meetings between affiliates that share common interests is the key to built high-impact projects such as WikidataCon (the meeting of Wikidata community) and WikiConvention francophone (the meeting of users talking french). Also, an interchange between new and old affiliates can be beneficial. In fact, the new user groups have the enthusiasm while the old affiliates have the experience.
2. What do you see as the role of affiliates in the Wikimedia movement in the next three years?
I believe the affiliates should not only recruit more volunteers for the different projects of Wikimedia, but also play more role in developing the skills of the wikimedian by making frequent training and workshops (about the new tools of Wikidata, the new projects of Wikimedia...).
Also, affiliates should develop partnerships and plan activities which support the 2030 movement strategy vision.
3. What do you feel you will bring to the committee that makes you a uniquely qualified candidate?
#I am from Tunisia, almost the only democracy, after the revolution of 2011, in the MENA region so I know the minorities in this region and I will aim to more involve them in affiliates because Wikimedia is for all.
#I have an international experience and I know the specificities of several countries.
#I have a big knowledge in law (certificate from university of Monastir) and how to manage the human resources (certificate from the Tunisian Red Crescent).
#I am enthusiastic and I will be aible whenever you want.
Sami Mlouhi
29.6.2017
[[Category:Affiliations committee]]
| |||