Global Resource Distribution Committee/Creation of the interim GRDC/Candidates/Wojciech Pędzich

Wojciech Pędzich (Wojciech Pędzich)

Preferred name	Wojciech Pędzich
Language capabilities (native or professional / advanced / basic)	Polish (native), English (near-native), German (intermediate)
Region and country you identify with	CEE, Poland
Interim GRDC seats you are running for and why (regional volunteer/thematic volunteer)	Regional seat for the CEE region, as I am based in the region and have been active within it for well over a decade NOTE that I am also considering applying for a seat on the Board of Trustees, so any decision in the regard of the GRDC will need to take this into account.
Do you have any topic or area of specialization within the Wikimedia movement? (max 1000 characters)	I have been active on an affiliate or among affiliiates in times when they are growing towards professionalization (such as my time on the board of WMPL) or when they are exiting their concept stages, such as the CEE Hub. I bring the knowledge of growing with limited resources but high appetite for success. I also heavily favour communication over directives, making sure all voices are heard and consensually driving towards conclusions that satisfy all stakeholders in a way that bolsters future collaboration. I have been certified for text-based mediation by a Polish professional society. I am an active Wikimedia editing volunteer, bringing in thousands of concert photos on a yearly basis, including high-profile televised festivals, multi-thousand spectator festivals, and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Have you ever held any role or position, either current or past, in the Wikimedia movement? (max 1000 characters)	My first Wikimedia role was that of a steward. I also held a seat on AffCom for three years, working in the Conflict Resolution subcommittee. In 2014-2020 I served on the Board of Wikimedia Polska, much of that time in the capacity of the Secretary. I am a current member of the CEE Hub’s Steering Committee. I provide paid translations and interpretation to the Foundation within the Movement Communications efforts. Wikimania 2024 Katowice Core Organizing Team, Programme Lead, many years a member of the CEE Meeting programme team, multiple lead of WMPL meetup and conference programming.
Why are you interested in the interim GRDC and what can you contribute? (max 1000 characters)	As stated above, since I bear experience with growing or maturing entities, I would like to help the GRDC set up wise, participatory, and inclusive boundaries with which future structures, whether the prolongation of the Committee, or some other ones, will use to inform their decisions.
Please share any volunteering or professional experience relevant for the interim GRDC (role, organization, years) (max 1000 characters)	Helped recruit first media and GLAM staff at Wikimedia Polska, thus adding to the capacity to the organisation, assisted with subsequent recruiting processes. I also used my skills assisting in the hiring processes for the CEE Hub. When performing the duties of the Programme Lead for Wikimania 2024, I had to navigate multiple stakeholders to the programme, both community and invited speakers, as well as requirements within other areas of the conference’s organisation. As a regular visual material contributor, I need to communicate well with external stakeholders, making it possible for me to photoshoot live music events. As a specialist in purchasing and logistics I also bring the experience of making different processes meet and resources to become available at the precise time, in the desired quantity.
Describe your skills and experience relevant to the interim GRDC (max 1500 characters)	I rely heavily on communicating among all stakeholders, making sure all voices are heard, that conversations are not dominated by any party. I can navigate complex organisational problems, driving towards consensus-based solutions and goals. I am a longtime contributor to the Wikimedia movement, currently bringing in thousands of concert photographs each year and participating in major events, where communication to obtain photo passes and good shooting conditions is also of high value.
Describe your understanding of the Wikimedia Movement's current resource distribution process. (max 1500 characters)	The funds for volunteer efforts are distributed in 4 major programmes of the Wikimedia Community Fund, all based on the amounts required, scale of complexity of the applicant and their goals – from a single volunteer to well-established chapters, from a single event to a multi-year financing programme, all taking into account equity in knowledge production and representation. Apart from the conference funding scheme, all programmes have dedicated local support in the form of grant officers and recent Regional Funds Committees.
How do you think the GRDC could improve the current situation and which priorities do you think it should have? (max 1500 characters)	I would strengthen the importance of the Regional Funds Committees, as they provide invaluable information about the local context of the grant requests. Being closer to the applicants, people within the Committee’s regional groups (one person per region in the GRDC will not be enough in terms of knowledge) will definitely be able to advise on a few major factors: the feasibility of grant requests for the given individual / group / affiliate, the appropriateness of the level of funding required to the local context (seeing whether the quoted costs are in line with local economies) and impact on the target community or audience.
By the end of the pilot in two years, what should the GRDC have accomplished and how should we measure its success? (max 1500 characters)	A resource distribution model should be presented at the end of the interim first term, defining whether the GRDC or some other body (taking into account the dynamics of the whole Wikiverse) should continue with assessing resource distribution. Reporting on the success metrics of grants will need to be considered – with the reports possibly streamlined and simple yet containing relevant metrics. Failed grants, ones that did not bring the expected results, should be minimized and with stronger collaboration with regional structures, the risk of granting funds to failure-prone initiatives should be minimised.