Movement Charter/17-25 June 2021 Online Spanish Conversation

Overview and Agenda

The Movement Charter will be a document defining roles and responsibilities for all the members and entities of the Wikimedia Movement, including laying out a new Global Council for movement governance. The Movement Charter is a Movement Strategy priority. A broad ratification process is expected for its adoption. One of the first steps in the process is to constitute a Movement Charter drafting committee. This event is a part of several regional conversations that will lead up to the global conversations on June 26-27. The discussion will mainly be focused on the following questions:

What composition should the committee have in terms of movement roles, gender, regions, affiliations and other diversity factors?

What is the best process to select the committee members to form a competent and diverse team?

How much dedication is it reasonable to expect from committee members, in terms of hours per week and months of work?

Telegram and Facebook Group Chat conversation Summary

We decided to collect feedback from Spanish-speaking volunteers through the Telegram group Grupo de gobernanza de WM. Below is a summary of the responses gathered from participants:

What composition should the committee have in terms of movement roles, gender, regions, affiliations and other diversity factors?

Ideas

One volunteer noted that it would make more sense to have a diverse "core" group and that when key parts of the charter were to be defined, broad discussion groups could be formed with the communities involved.
One volunteer argues that it would be advisable to also request in the call for candidates one or two people who have previous experience in drafting codes or policies or similar guidelines in the movement.
A volunteer notes that 75% of the Charter's spirit should be purely volunteer, internal of the community. But it should have a 25% external aspect based on previous experiences with advisor from different backgrounds.
Another volunteer commented that the ideal person to be part of the committee should be able to represent various perspectives and communities, with the capacity for empathy, listening, dialogue, reflection and criticism. And at the same time have previous experience in code or policy writing or similar exercises. And a little or a lot of free time.
One volunteer thinks the composition of the committee should be mixed, and have flexibility in the initial and subsequent composition. Do not leave the option for it to be a formed committee and that's it.
Several volunteers agreed with gender diversity in the composition of the committee.

Opinions

A community member stated that after the meeting of the 13th, it became clear that we have entered into a vicious circle. We are asking for diversity, but it is precisely this diversity that is holding back the next step, because we do not know how to define this diversity in the context of the whole movement.
Another community member mentioned that it is necessary to have representation of non-binary people in the movement, especially when it comes to forming this committee, and it is also necessary to take into account that the participation of indigenous peoples from our territories, especially in Latin America.
One volunteer added that the problem lies in the fact that each community wants to place its representative. It is similar to the logic of nation states seeking to place a representative in the various intergovernmental committees in United Nations bodies.
A volunteer added that it is important that there is representativeness of the communities, but it is not necessary that there is one person for each community of the movement. At the same time, he adds that the ideal is that the members can represent various points of view and communities, and at the same time have the capacity for empathy, listening, dialogue, reflection, criticism and vision to develop something in a communitarian way that will be the basis for many people.
One volunteer believes that volunteers who do not edit Wikipedia, Wikidata and Commons should be included: this new committee should look after all Wikipedia's sister projects.
Another volunteer agrees that it should be a person with experience, who knows the movement and whose discourse and cause is shared with all the people it will represent.

What is the best process to select the committee members to form a competent and diverse team?

Ideas

A volunteer commented that a reasonable option is to have an open call that invites people to apply, and then they are chosen by a selection committee.
Another volunteer argued that electing a hypothetical selection committee can entangle the process.
A volunteer considers that there could be three different ways of election, a process similar to the election of the sysops, open and community voting, the second option through a committee, which requires that we think about how to form this selection committee, and the last option is to delegate to an existing body within the movement.
One volunteer believes that there could be open elections, and also look at the option of having a rotating group.
A volunteer thinks that different regions could take upon the challenge to select members of the committee, based on the fact that decisions are made in proximity to the communities that are directly affected by them.

Opinions

One volunteer commented that the members can either self-postulate or be invited to postulate by a group of volunteers, both options are valid.
A volunteer believes that the selection system is key for us to be able to influence the composition of the group and ensure the diversity and representativeness we are looking for.

How much dedication is it reasonable to expect from committee members, in terms of hours per week and months of work?

Ideas

One volunteer mentioned the need for stipends for committee members, in order to retribute their work and foster diversity to those places where doing volunteer work is a privilege.
Another volunteer agrees with the need for stipends, which are already being implemented in their local chapter.

Opinions

One volunteer thinks that people who want to apply and also have the time to do so should apply. Here I think it is important to have an idea of the number of hours per week that will be required to participate in the committee.