Re: [Wikimedia-l] Personal news // ED transition

[Bobby Shabangu]

Thanks for the heads up Abraham, we are keeping a close eye on the
transition process and wishing you good luck on your future endeavours.

Kind regards,
Bobby Shabangu

On Tue, 26 Jan 2021 at 16:51, Abraham Taherivand <
abraham.taheriv...@wikimedia.de> wrote:

> Dear fellow Wikimedians,
>
>
> Today I am informing you that I will not be renewing my contract with
> Wikimedia Deutschland, which runs until January 2022. This decision was not
> easy for me because Wikimedia has been such an important, even central,
> part of my life in the past nine years. After thorough introspection, I
> feel that this step is the right one for me and for our organisation.
>
>
> This means that a successor will have to be found for the position of the
> Executive Director. The search is managed by our Supervisory Board and me
> with support of an external executive search firm. The search process has
> been well prepared in recent weeks and I am working closely with our board
> on each of the steps.
>
>
> Together, we will ensure a good handover and transition to my successor.
> This point is very important to me, as is the fact that we will continue to
> work without losing focus on achieving our goals, on working with the
> entire movement, and on collaborating very closely on movement strategy
> implementation. That's why I don't want to say a big goodbye right now.
>
>
> What’s next
>
>-
>
>In cooperation with the external executive search firm Kienbaum, we
>have developed a search profile and a job posting that will go online
>shortly.
>-
>
>We strive to have someone on board well before the end of my term in
>January 2022. As we have commenced the procedure so early, we are on a very
>good track.
>
>
>-
>
>I also consider it essential to be available for a comprehensive
>transition and onboarding of a new Executive Director.
>
>
> If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Abraham
>
>
>
> --
>
> Geschäftsführender Vorstand / Executive Director
>
> Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
> Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0
> http://wikimedia.de
>
>
> ___
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> 
>
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[Wikimedia-l] Wikipedia & Education User Group Annual Report

[LiAnna Davis]

On behalf of the Wikipedia & Education User Group, I'm pleased to announce
we've published our 2020 Annual Report on Meta:

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_%26_Education_User_Group/2020_Annual_Report

Thank you to everyone who participated in our activities!
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[Wikimedia-l] [REMINDER] Call for projects and mentors for Google Summer of Code 2021 and Outreachy Round 22 is ongoing!

[Pavithra Eswaramoorthy]

Hello everyone,

TLDR; Wikimedia will soon be applying as a mentoring organization to Google 
Summer of Code 2021  [1] and Outreachy 
Round 22  [2]. The application submission deadline 
for GSoC is February 20th, and Outreachy is March 7th. We are currently working 
on a list of interesting project ideas to include in the application. If you 
have some ideas for coding or non-coding (design, documentation, translation, 
outreach, research) projects, share them here: 
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429 [3].


Timeline

As a mentor, you will be engaging potential candidates in the application 
period for GSoC between March 10th – April 13th, and for Outreachy between 
March 15th – April 16th. During this time, you will help candidates make small 
contributions to your project and answer any project related queries. You will 
be working more closely with the accepted candidates during the coding period 
between May-August.


Project ideas

We have started compiling a list of projects that you can take a look at here:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021 [4],
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22 [5]

If you don’t have an idea in mind and would like to pick one from an existing 
list, check out these projects: 
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/ [6]

Through GSoC, you can mentor only coding but with Outreachy also non-coding 
projects (including design, documentation, translation, outreach, etc.).

Note that GSoC has some changes this year, including:

  *   Smaller project size ~175 hr project (previously 350 hr)
  *   Shortened coding period ~10 weeks long (previously 3 months)
  *   Eligibility criteria redefined; the program is now open to candidates 
participating in a variety of academic programs (previously accredited 
university programs only)

Please keep these changes in mind while sharing your project ideas.


Some tips for proposing projects

  *   Follow this task description template when you propose a project in 
Phabricator: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects 
[7]. Add #Google- Summer-of-Code (2021) or #Outreachy (Round 22) tag to it.
  *   Remember, the project should require an experienced developer ~15 days to 
complete and a newcomer ~3 months for Outreachy and ~10 weeks for GSoC.
  *   Each project should have at least 2 mentors, and one of them should hold 
a technical background.
  *   When it comes to picking a project, you could propose one that is:
 *   Relevant for your language community or brings impact to the Wikimedia 
ecosystem in the future.
 *   Welcoming and newcomer-friendly and has a moderate learning curve.
 *   A new idea you are passionate about, there are no deadlines attached 
to it; you always wanted to see it happen but couldn't due to lack of resources!
 *   About developing a standalone tool (possibly hosted on Wikimedia 
Toolforge), with fewer dependencies on Wikimedia's core infrastructure, and 
doesn't necessarily require a specific programming language, etc.

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a mentor, visit our 
resources on MediaWiki.org: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors 
[8], https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/Mentors [9].

Cheers,
GSoC 2021 and Outreachy Round 22 Administrators

[1] https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com
[2] https://www.outreachy.org/
[3] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T270429
[4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2021
[5] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_22
[6] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/
[7] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/
[8] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors
[9] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Personal news // ED transition

[Asaf Bartov]

Thank you for this message, and for your years of service.

I understand this isn't the Big Goodbye thread; I write just to say that I
think this is a great example to set for an executive departure
announcement, and I appreciate it.

Cheers,

   A.

Asaf Bartov (he/him/his)

Senior Program Officer, Emerging Wikimedia Communities

Wikimedia Foundation 

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
https://donate.wikimedia.org


On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 4:52 PM Abraham Taherivand <
abraham.taheriv...@wikimedia.de> wrote:

> Dear fellow Wikimedians,
>
>
> Today I am informing you that I will not be renewing my contract with
> Wikimedia Deutschland, which runs until January 2022. This decision was not
> easy for me because Wikimedia has been such an important, even central,
> part of my life in the past nine years. After thorough introspection, I
> feel that this step is the right one for me and for our organisation.
>
>
> This means that a successor will have to be found for the position of the
> Executive Director. The search is managed by our Supervisory Board and me
> with support of an external executive search firm. The search process has
> been well prepared in recent weeks and I am working closely with our board
> on each of the steps.
>
>
> Together, we will ensure a good handover and transition to my successor.
> This point is very important to me, as is the fact that we will continue to
> work without losing focus on achieving our goals, on working with the
> entire movement, and on collaborating very closely on movement strategy
> implementation. That's why I don't want to say a big goodbye right now.
>
>
> What’s next
>
>-
>
>In cooperation with the external executive search firm Kienbaum, we
>have developed a search profile and a job posting that will go online
>shortly.
>-
>
>We strive to have someone on board well before the end of my term in
>January 2022. As we have commenced the procedure so early, we are on a very
>good track.
>
>
>-
>
>I also consider it essential to be available for a comprehensive
>transition and onboarding of a new Executive Director.
>
>
> If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Abraham
>
>
>
> --
>
> Geschäftsführender Vorstand / Executive Director
>
> Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
> Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0
> http://wikimedia.de
>
>
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
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[Wikimedia-l] Personal news // ED transition

[Abraham Taherivand]

Dear fellow Wikimedians,


Today I am informing you that I will not be renewing my contract with
Wikimedia Deutschland, which runs until January 2022. This decision was not
easy for me because Wikimedia has been such an important, even central,
part of my life in the past nine years. After thorough introspection, I
feel that this step is the right one for me and for our organisation.


This means that a successor will have to be found for the position of the
Executive Director. The search is managed by our Supervisory Board and me
with support of an external executive search firm. The search process has
been well prepared in recent weeks and I am working closely with our board
on each of the steps.


Together, we will ensure a good handover and transition to my successor.
This point is very important to me, as is the fact that we will continue to
work without losing focus on achieving our goals, on working with the
entire movement, and on collaborating very closely on movement strategy
implementation. That's why I don't want to say a big goodbye right now.


What’s next

   -

   In cooperation with the external executive search firm Kienbaum, we have
   developed a search profile and a job posting that will go online shortly.
   -

   We strive to have someone on board well before the end of my term in
   January 2022. As we have commenced the procedure so early, we are on a very
   good track.


   -

   I also consider it essential to be available for a comprehensive
   transition and onboarding of a new Executive Director.


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.


Best regards,

Abraham



-- 

Geschäftsführender Vorstand / Executive Director

Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0
http://wikimedia.de
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Bylaws amendments and upcoming call for feedback

[Yair Rand]

@Nataliia: The change to what is now Article IV Section 3(F) is not merely
making things more specific, it is a numerically different outcome. Had
that change not been implemented, the current Board (with five
community-/affiliate-selected and four Board-selected members) would not be
allowed to appoint a fifth Board-selected member before a sixth
community-/affiliate-selected member was added. Now, the Board is permitted
to immediately add another appointed member, resulting in five of each,
ending the community majority. While doing so would violate previous
critical Board commitments, these commitments are no longer enforced by the
bylaws. The new restriction appears to only apply when the
(pre-appointment) number of community-/affiliate-selected members and
Board-selected members are exactly equal.

@SJ: I tried to put together a three-way diff between the old text, the
October proposal, and the final text at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/October_2020_-_Proposed_Bylaws_changes/Three-way_diff
. (Turned out to be not quite as readable as I hoped, unfortunately. Also,
no summary. Still, might be helpful to some.)

-- Yair Rand

‫בתאריך שבת, 23 בינו׳ 2021 ב-4:40 מאת ‪Nataliia Tymkiv‬‏ <‪
ntym...@wikimedia.org‬‏>:‬

> Hello!
>
> The concerns expressed by Yair and SJ can be divided in two main
> categories:
>
>
>1.
>
>The process to select and appoint Community- and Affiliate-selected
>trustees are not defined in the Bylaws. This is correct. This was a topic
>discussed and not resolved during our last community review. We said that
>the Board would not make any decision before organizing another community
>discussion. This is the call for feedback mentioned in the same
>announcement, planned to run between February 1 and March 14. After this
>call for feedback, the Board plans to approve the process and start the
>renewal of the three overdue seats and the selection of the three new 
> seats.
>2.
>
>The newly approved Bylaws allow for a circumstance where
>Board-selected trustees can get a majority and take control over the
>Foundation. Here we disagree. The intention of the Board is clear: the
>community- and affiliate- trustees have one seat more than the directly
>appointed trustees, and in addition we have Jimmy Wales’ Founder seat. The
>changes in the language just want to accommodate for real-life
>circumstances causing seats to become vacant until they are filled again.
>We don’t want loopholes either. If someone demonstrates a loophole, Bylaws
>in hand, we shall review it.
>
>
> About SJ’s questions.
>
> > * "As many as" eight community/affiliate seats -- under what conditions
> would there be fewer?  Are there conditions where a term might expire or be
> vacated without replacement?
>
>
>
> For example, today we are only five community- affiliate- selected
> trustees, and there will be a period of time until the three new seats are
> filled. The Bylaws contemplate situations like resignations and removals.
> Life happens, and when a seat becomes vacant during a term, it takes time
> to appoint a new trustee.
>
>
>
> > * No mention of voting -- just the promise of "a series of options [for]
> strong community processes to select representatives". How are these being
> developed / is there a long-list of potential options under consideration?
>
>
>
> As said, we shall decide on community processes only after the upcoming
> call for feedback.
>
>
>
> > * The change from "majority community-selected" to "at least half
> community-selected"  - intentional, and if so to what end?
>
>
>
> This is for clarity of language and math. Before it said “A majority of
> the Board Trustee positions, without counting the Community Founder Trustee
> position  shall be selected or appointed from the Affiliates collectively
> and the community.” Now the same point reads: “The Board shall not appoint
> a new Board-selected trustee if it would cause the Board-selected Trustees
> to outnumber the Community- and Affiliate-selected Trustees.” The current
> text is more specific and directly applicable to the real-life
> circumstances mentioned above.
>
> As said, life happens and sometimes seats may be vacant for a while. The
> previous text was not clear about what to do in a scenario where
> temporarily community- and affiliate- selected trustees are not in majority
> over the Board-selected trustees. If that would happen, we would become
> automatically out-of-compliance with our Bylaws. The current language is
> clear and would allow us to handle a delicate situation without worrying
> about compliance.
>
> I hope that helps!
>
> Best regards,
> antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
> Vice Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
>
> *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
> hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
> should not feel obligated