Content Partnerships Hub/Expert committee/Concept

Content Partnerships Hub

Improving the Wikimedia movement’s work with content partners

Expert Committee

Background

This is a proposal for an expert committee to guide the work of the Helpdesk, one of the central functions of the Content Partnerships Hub.

Within the Helpdesk, our team will provide hands-on support to you when you are trying to form a content partnership, especially for local communities in the underserved and underrepresented communities.

The idea of the Helpdesk is to offer a response to the needs that the actors within the movement request, when it comes to partnerships. If the Helpdesk team does not have the answers, the person who requested the help will be introduced to other experts within the Wikimedia movement.

The Helpdesk will be supported by an Expert Committee that will guide and help prioritize the work of the Helpdesk.

Scope

The role of the Expert Committee is to provide guidance to the thematic hub, and to help the work of the thematic hub move forward in an equitable manner. The role is intentionally strategic rather than operational. The committee will conduct their work based on guiding principles from the board of Wikimedia Sverige, and in conversation with the staff of the Hub. It reports to the Executive Director of Wikimedia Sverige.

At the minimum, the Expert Committee will provide guidance on what content and partners to prioritize as part of the Helpdesk. By ensuring that the Committee consists of a diverse group of members, with various backgrounds, perspectives, knowledge and competences, the work of the helpdesk, and in the long run the hub in itself, will be more qualitative, equitable and diverse in itself.

For example, if the staff at Wikimedia Sverige has time to upload 3 collections, but affiliates and volunteers have requested support with 10 collections, the Expert Committee will provide guidance and a rationale for which collections to be prioritized.

The Expert Committee can propose and develop a wider mandate, including such questions as order of priority, overarching strategic choices, etc. The staff supporting the Helpdesk will give support and briefings for this kind of work to the extent possible, when requested. See more about the support provided below.

The Expert Committee can work with outreach and communication, if time permits. Such work could include identifying missing areas, gaps within the requests from affiliates, contacts with research organizations and other potential partners, when needed. It could also involve internal and external communication, to strengthen support within the movement and interest outside the movement.

The discussions of the committee will be an important foundation for future work within the thematic hub.

Aims

Increase equity when it comes to decision-making within the Wikimedia movement, by:
- Including diverse perspectives in decision making, both at a strategic and an operational level.
- Fostering diverse delivery of the support and services provided to the movement.
- Supporting the work to make underrepresented knowledge accessible on the Wikimedia platforms.
Work in collaboration with other initiatives connected to the Wikimedia 2030 process (e.g. the regional hubs), thereby finding new synergies, means and opportunities for working on a global level.

Goals

Impact goals

The Expert Committee:

Contributes to an internationalization of the work of Wikimedia Sverige, the thematic hub and the coordination efforts within the movement.
Delivers one viable path forward for expert committees within the Wikimedia movement.
Develops an order of priority for which types of content should be shared on the Wikimedia platforms and other types of support.
Contributes to developing, strengthening and anchoring the role of the Thematic Hub as a provider of a service for the global Wikimedia movement. Practically shows that this is a service by the movement for the movement.
Contributes to creating connections with other movement actors, relating to strategy and important international projects.

Structure for the Expert Committee

Setup

Size

The Expert Committee consists of 6-10 members, a size that enables diversity and many perspectives, but at the same time a good and efficient working environment. These individual members will bring engagement and experience that will make the committee run effectively, and reflect the large diversity of the Wikimedia movement. The members represent themselves and their own unique competences and experiences, and not any chapters, user groups or other affiliates within the movement.

The Expert Committee is lead by a core team, community members with a specific responsibility for coordination, supported by Helpdesk staff.

Duration and frequency

The initial duration of the committee position corresponds to the length of the experimental phase of the initiative, at the longest 31 July 2023. If the initiative is prolonged until further notice, new mandates will be given a time limit and with rotation within the group.

The members of the committee are expected to provide input on at least a monthly basis.

Selection process

Coordinator and core team are appointed by Wikimedia Sverige. They, in turn, will be responsible for appointing individual members to the extent they need, as long as they make sure that the group is diverse (see below).

Diversity

The Expert Committee combines experience and innovation, different perspectives, and a diversity of backgrounds. Diversity in this context means parameters such as geography, culture, religion, gender, language, as well as level of experience and roles within the Wikimedia movement (different thematic expertise, technical background, etc.).

Working language

The working language of the committee will be English, but the Expert Committee is encouraged to use networks and ambassadors to convey information to a wider audience than the English-speaking, as well as to gather input from across the Wikimedia movement.

Remuneration

Members will be remunerated for costs that arise due to the participation. This could include internet access, childcare, compensation for lost earnings or translation services.

Relation to Wikimedia Sverige

The Expert Committee will communicate closely with the board of Wikimedia Sverige and the staff of the Helpdesk, for a smooth process of questions and requests within Helpdesk, and to make sure that all members of the committee feel safe and secure, as well as enabled to take part and contribute.

Relation to the Wikimedia Movement

The Expert Committee is encouraged to build networks within the movement and friends to the movement, to get input and knowledge larger than the committee in itself. The Expert Committee is free to define and develop the means for network building in itself, and to what extent it is needed.

Eligible members

The Core Team of the Expert Committee need to be members of or active within the Free Knowledge Movement. Primarily, Wikimedians should take part in the work of the committee, but if the Core Team finds a need to, it can also consult friends of the movement in its work.

Support provided by the Helpdesk

Helpdesk staff will provide up to 3 months full time worth of staff support for the committee up until June 2023.

In advance of the formation of the committee, Wikimedia Sverige will develop a method for choosing committee members, and help to select or choose a lead of the committee. Wikimedia Sverige will contribute to a clear scope and work of the committee, so that it will be tangible for future members.

During the work of the committee, the Helpdesk staff will, except for helping out with the logistical arrangements for the committee’s meeting, contribute with research and briefings, such as technical (which specific areas of knowledge are actually underrepresented today) or political (which governments, countries or IGOs use this or that CC license).

Role of the Secretary of the Expert Committee

Support the meetings (taking part in the monthly meeting, listening in to the conversation, taking notes, distributing the word) of the Expert Committee (1 hour per month).
Prepare the meetings (agenda, invitations) of the Expert Committee (4 hours per month).
Summarize insights (cleaning up the notes, circling back to the Committee, publishing a summary (chatham rules) of the notes on meta, highlighting important insights, potential next steps and extra work needed) after the meetings (8 hours per month).
Publishing and regularly updating information about requests on Meta (10 hours per month).
Communicating progress from the Helpdesk and the Expert Committee, including in relevant groups (Telegram, Facebook) and on relevant Meta pages (10 hours per month).
Collaborating with Project Manager on informing global communities about the existence of the Helpdesk (Diff blog posts, mailing lists) and communicating its work (7 hours per month).

Total: 40 hours/month.