Hello Aishik, The name of the group suggests that it is a geographical group encompassing entire South Asia and ESEAP region which overlaps with all the geographical affiliates of the region including the ESEAP hub. Whether this group tries to be complimentary or not, the group directly comes into conflict with all the affiliates of the region w.r.t. operating area by creating parallel structure in the region and dividing our valuable workforce, which we cannot afford.
The core members of the group is comprised of volunteers from Bangladesh only, which already have a chapter there. There are almost no representations from the remaining part of Asia and hence the ambition to become a representative organization of such a large geographical area makes no sense. Majority of the affiliates of the region and ESEAP hub were created after long discussions within the community for months, if not years. On the contrary, this group had not engaged in any conversation with the existing geographical affiliates of the region to understand if they are already working with the same vision of this group and if the existence of it as an official affiliate is needed at all. I think, if the core members of the group can engage with their local affiliate i.e. Wikimedia Bangladesh chapter to run their projects together with them without creating a parallel affiliate, that would be much better. I am sure, being a decentralized organization and with good community connection and support, our friends in Wikimedia Bangladesh will be more than happy to encourage your vision of work and find ways to accommodate your plans. I also hope, AffCom will consult all the geographical affiliates of the vast Asian region, which this group likes to cover, before coming to any conclusion to recognize this group as an affiliate. The process to create user groups were made loose and lax for some good reasons, but there needs to be a well-written policy to assess overlaps and conflicts with existing structures before submitting application of recognition. Regards, Bodhisattwa On Thu, May 25, 2023, 20:03 Aishik Rehman <aishikreh...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear Bodhisattwa and Butch Bustria, > > Thank you for your responses and expressing your concerns regarding the > establishment of WAP User Group. I appreciate your input and would like to > provide further clarification on the matter. > > Firstly, I want to emphasize that we have acknowledged the significance of > engaging with the Wikimedia Affiliations Committee (AffCom) and have > initiated contact with them to seek guidance and ensure that we align with > established processes and protocols. We understand the importance of > following the correct procedures and conducting thorough evaluations. > > It is crucial to note that at this stage, our user group has not been > officially recognized by AffCom. We are currently in the initial stages of > establishing our presence and are actively seeking guidance and support > from relevant committees to ensure a collaborative and harmonious approach > within the Wikimedia ecosystem. > > We recognize the existing user groups and chapters operating in Asian > countries and understand the need for coordination, consensus, and > collaboration with them. Our aim is to complement and work alongside these > affiliations, rather than duplicate or create conflicts. We are committed > to fostering positive relationships and avoiding any misunderstandings or > overlaps. > > To provide clarity and transparency, we have shared relevant links to our > project page on Meta-Wiki, which outlines our goals, mission, and > activities as a potential user group. It is essential to note that the > project page serves as a platform to present our intentions and engage in > constructive discussions with the community. We are committed to addressing > any concerns and ensuring that all perspectives are heard and considered. > > We appreciate your concerns and valuable insights and assure you that we > are actively engaging with AffCom to seek their guidance and expertise. Our > intention is to align ourselves with established processes and work > collaboratively with existing affiliations in the region. > > We invite you to participate in the ongoing discussions and provide your > valuable feedback. We are open to further dialogue and are committed to > finding common ground and fostering regional cooperation. > > Thank you for your attention and understanding. We look forward to > continued engagement and productive discussions. > > Best regards, > Aishik Rehman > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/CPDV4O623CTJ7JK6GNSPL33ZNLDU3JJ7/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >
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