Wikimedians of Chicago User Group/2019-2020 Activities Report

This report summarizes activities for the Wikimedians of Chicago User Group for the calendar years 2019 and 2020. More details on the events listed below can be found on their respective pages.

Chicago Wikimedians gathered for a summertime Wiknic in August 2019

Events

A lightning talk at Wikipedia Day 2019 Chicago

• January 26, 2019: The user group hosted Wikipedia Day 2019 Chicago. Despite cold and snowy weather, 21 folks attended. The event featured lightning talks and round table discussions.
• August 8, 2019: The user group hosted a hybrid strategy salon and Wiknic to give local Wikimedians a chance to discuss the Wikimedia 2030 strategy and then socialize. After some food and drink, attendees took advantage of the nice Chicago summer weather and walked near Grant Park.

Involvement

• March 29-31, 2019: User:Airplaneman took part in Wikimedia Summit 2019, focusing particularly on discussions surrounding community health.
• November 8-11, 2019: User:Airplaneman took part in WikiConference North America 2019, representing the user group. He gave a lightning talk on the page protection process on the English Wikipedia.
• January 12, 2020: Several of the user group's members contributed to the Frankie Knuckles-themed edit-a-thon in Chicago.

Membership and future

The user group continues to have around 12 active members and approximately 30 registered overall. Looking into the year 2021 and beyond, the Wikimedians of Chicago User Group is looking to involve more of its members in coordinating events. Locally, we will continue to be a partner to Black Lunch Table with their Chicago events. More broadly, we look to contribute to Movement Strategy discussions, particularly those spearheaded by Strategic Wikimedia Affiliates Network.