Fantastic Wikimania keynote, fascinating addition to the board, fabulous addition to our community.
Welcome. On Fri, 1 Dec 2017 at 22:28, Anna Stillwell <astillw...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Welcome, Esra'a. Thank you for taking the time to serve. I look forward to > your contribution. > /a > > On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 12:59 PM, Christophe Henner <chen...@wikimedia.org> > wrote: > > > Hi everyone, > > > > With the appointment of Raju to the Board of Trustees a couple of months > > ago, we were left with a remaining open vacancy to fill. I am thrilled to > > share that after several months of searching and discussions, we have > made > > another important appointment. At our November Board Retreat, the Board > > appointed and welcomed Esra’a Al Shafei to fill our vacant expert seat. > > > > Esra'a is a prominent international human rights activist and social > > entrepreneur. She founded and directs Majal, a nonprofit which utilizes > > digital media to amplify under-reported and marginalized voices > throughout > > the Middle East and North Africa. For those of you that heard her keynote > > presentation at this year's Wikimania, I think you will agree she will > make > > a very valuable addition to the Board and brings an important perspective > > and skillset to the Board's efforts. > > > > Below (and on the Wikimedia Blog) you will find the official announcement > > about Esra’a Al Shafei. Please join me in warmly welcoming her to the > > Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees and to the Wikimedia movement! > > > > Christophe > > Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees > > > > P.S. Due to the nature of Esra’a’s work, sharing photos or videos of > Esra’a > > may endanger her safety or the safety of others. To help ensure the > privacy > > and safety of Esra’a and her colleagues, we are not sharing any > photographs > > or videos of Esra'a. We ask that you please join us in supporting this > > important safety consideration. > > > > > > Press release > > > > Header: Esra'a Al Shafei joins Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees > > > > Subheader: Bahraini human rights activist and social entrepreneur brings > to > > the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees more than a decade of > experience > > in applying creative solutions to challenges faced by underserved and > > underrepresented communities. > > > > Image: https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esraa.png[a] > > <https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1wNmwgJkUPp25nVLRVgX5WzU_ > > LuEi5a9gJDpB7HWEft4/mobilebasic#cmnt1> > > [b] > > <https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1wNmwgJkUPp25nVLRVgX5WzU_ > > LuEi5a9gJDpB7HWEft4/mobilebasic#cmnt2> > > [c] > > <https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1wNmwgJkUPp25nVLRVgX5WzU_ > > LuEi5a9gJDpB7HWEft4/mobilebasic#cmnt3> > > [d] > > <https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1wNmwgJkUPp25nVLRVgX5WzU_ > > LuEi5a9gJDpB7HWEft4/mobilebasic#cmnt4> > > > > San Francisco, California, 1 December 2017 — The Wikimedia Foundation > today > > announced the appointment of Esra'a Al Shafei, a prominent human rights > > activist and a passionate defender of free expression, to the Wikimedia > > Foundation Board of Trustees. > > > > A native of Bahrain, Esra'a’s work aims to increase and protect free > > speech, promote expression for youth and underrepresented voices, and > > improve the lives of LGBTQ people in the Middle East and North Africa. > She > > founded and directs Majal, a network of online platforms that > > amplify under-reported and marginalized voices. > > > > “Esra'a shares Wikimedia's foundational belief that shared knowledge can > > facilitate shared understanding,” said Wikimedia Foundation Executive > > Director, Katherine Maher. "Her achievements exemplify how intentional > > community building can be a powerful tool for positive change, while > > her passion > > for beautiful and engaging user experiences will only elevate our work. > We > > are so fortunate to have her perspective in support of our global > Wikimedia > > communities." > > > > Esra'a founded Majal in 2006 as Mideast Youth, at the time a series of > > blogs bringing a voice to marginalized and underrepresented young > > people across the Middle East. Today, the organization's team helps build > > communities that celebrate, protect, and promote diversity and social > > justice. Their endeavors include CrowdVoice.org, which curates > crowdsourced > > media to contextualize social movements throughout the world; Mideast > > Tunes, the largest web and mobile app showcasing underground musicians in > > the Middle East and North Africa who use music as a tool for social > change; > > and Ahwaa.org, an open discussion platform for Arab LGBTQ individuals > that > > uses game mechanics to protect and engage its community. > > > > > > “When I first encountered Wikipedia shortly after obtaining an internet > > connection in the early 2000s, I felt that the true purpose of the > internet > > was realized. With Wikipedia, I accessed research regarding persecuted > > communities in my home country and the wider region: ethnic and religious > > minorities whom we were discouraged from learning about, and whose > > histories and beliefs were dictated to us from a singular government > > perspective. Wikipedia’s open source and crowdsourcing practices would > > inspire the platforms I built to advocate for underrepresented > communities, > > and the internet would shape my life’s work in advocating for freedom of > > expression and identity around the world,” said Esra'a. > > > > Esra'a received the Berkman Award for Internet Innovation from the > Berkman > > Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School in 2008 for > > "outstanding contributions to the internet and its impact on society." > The > > World Economic Forum listed her as one of "15 Women Changing the World in > > 2015." She has won the "Most Courageous Media" Prize from Free Press > > Unlimited, and the Monaco Media Prize, which acknowledges innovative uses > > of media for the betterment of humanity. > > > > She has been featured in Fast Company as one of the "100 Most Creative > > People in Business;" in The Daily Beast as one of the 17 bravest bloggers > > worldwide; and in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list of social entrepreneurs > making > > an impact in the world. > > > > Esra'a was a keynote speaker at Wikimania 2017 in Montreal, the annual > > conference centered on the Wikimedia projects. > > > > “Esra'a brings tech expertise and a valuable perspective to the Board - > > coming from a region where access to information is not taken for > granted. > > I was impressed by her talk during Wikimania 2017 on 'Experiences from > the > > Middle East: Overcoming Challenges and Serving Communities'. I think her > > experience in that region will be important to our efforts around the > > globe,” said Nataliia Tymkiv, Governance Chair for the Board. > > > > Esra'a is a senior TED Fellow, an Echoing Green fellow, and a Director’s > > Fellow at the MIT Media Lab. She received a Shuttleworth Foundation > > Fellowship in 2012 for her work on CrowdVoice.org. > > > > Esra'a joins nine other Foundation Trustees > > <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q% > > 3Dhttps://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees% > > 26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1512164054873000%26amp;usg% > > 3DAFQjCNHvsp86oFFv5hD8SZzexjBIHdrkWA&sa=D&ust=1512164054901000&usg= > > AFQjCNGS6qlGUSUBQzF5PmvviPecf7Kw4A> > > who > > collectively bring expertise in the Wikimedia community, financial > > oversight, governance, and organizational development; and a commitment > to > > advancing Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge for all. > > > > She was approved unanimously by the Wikimedia Foundation Board of > Trustees. > > Her term is effective December 2017 and will continue for three years. > > Please see the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees > > <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q% > > 3Dhttps://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees% > > 26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1512164054873000%26amp;usg% > > 3DAFQjCNHvsp86oFFv5hD8SZzexjBIHdrkWA&sa=D&ust=1512164054901000&usg= > > AFQjCNGS6qlGUSUBQzF5PmvviPecf7Kw4A> > > for > > complete biographies. > > > > About the Wikimedia Foundation > > > > The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports and > > operates Wikipedia and its sister free knowledge projects. Wikipedia is > the > > world’s free knowledge resource, spanning more than 45 million articles > > across nearly 300 languages. Every month, more than 200,000 people edit > > Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, collectively creating and improving > > knowledge that is accessed by more than 1 billion unique devices every > > month. This all makes Wikipedia one of the most popular web properties in > > the world. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation > is > > a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and > grants. > > > > Esra’a Al Shafei profile > > > > Esra'a Al Shafei is a human rights activist and the founder and director > of > > Majal, a nonprofit which helps build communities that celebrate, protect, > > and promote diversity, and social justice. > > > > A native of Bahrain, Esra'a works avidly to increase and protect free > > speech, promote expression for youth and underrepresented voices, and > > improve the lives of LGBTQ people in the Middle East and North Africa. > She > > founded Majal in 2006 as Mideast Youth. The organization has built online > > platforms that creatively facilitate the struggle for social change in > the > > Middle East and North Africa. > > > > Esra'a received the Berkman Award for Internet Innovation from Berkman > > Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School in 2008 for > > "outstanding contributions to the internet and its impact on society." > The > > World Economic Forum listed her as one of "15 Women Changing the World in > > 2015." > > > > She has won the "Most Courageous Media" Prize from Free Press Unlimited, > > and the Monaco Media Prize, which acknowledges innovative uses of media > for > > the betterment of humanity. > > > > Esra'a is a senior TED Fellow, an Echoing Green fellow, and a Director’s > > Fellow at the MIT Media Lab. She received a Shuttleworth Foundation > > Fellowship in 2012 for her work on CrowdVoice.org. She lives in the > Middle > > East and North Africa region. > > _______________________________________________ > > 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, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ > 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, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> -- wittylama.com Peace, love & metadata _______________________________________________ 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, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
