Hi Wikimedians, The "chapter system" in the US and North America is a work in progress.
In addition to the two full regional chapters (New York City - where I am, and Washington, DC), there are also usergroups for the New England, Cascadia/Northwest, and North Carolina Triangle regions, with other groups still in the process of formation. There is a historical difference from the large-budget Western European chapters and the US situation, which has been more grassroots and never participated in things like fundraiser payment-sharing, and the funding for WMF HQ in San Francisco indeed shouldn't be conflated with funding of US volunteer-based activities. If anyone else is interested in organizing regionally in any part of the US / North America, feel free to get in touch; Wikimedia NYC and others would be very glad to help you :) Thanks, Pharos On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 11:15 AM, Robert Fernandez <[email protected]> wrote: > The US may be too geographically spread out to develop a robust chapter > system. We have vibrant chapters in a few dense population areas. > Wikimedia District of Columbia is particularly awesome. But for most US > editors there isn't a critical mass of editors in some areas. Often we > work with with chapters that are geographically distant. There's at least > two of us on the Board of Directors of WMDC who don't live particularly > close to DC. > > On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 11:00 AM, Jane Darnell <[email protected]> wrote: > > > "We also do not have a strong chapter system" > > > > This has always puzzled me, because I am a firm believer in the chapter > > system, despite its faults and limitations. Isn't it time to address this > > for the more active areas of the USA? > > > > On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 10:43 AM, Andrew Lih <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > GerardM, > > > > > > As much as I agree with you on many things related to Wikimania, your > > > statement about en.wp and USA being “over subsidized” is off base. > > > > > > For the last few years I’ve held my tongue as American applicants get a > > > fraction of 10% of all the funding for Wikimania scholarships. That’s > > > because 10% is allocated to all of North America, so US based folks > > compete > > > with Canadians for that small slice of the pie. Indeed, key community > > > members from the US could not afford to go to Wikimania, and did not, > > > because of the limited funding. We also do not have a strong chapter > > system > > > to make up for that shortcoming, where European chapters can, and do, > > > underwrite their local members with other funds. > > > > > > I am not against the bulk of the scholarship money going to > > > underrepresented developing markets and giving new voices a chance to > > > attend. But I wanted to dispel the myth that Americans are always > gorging > > > at the trough. > > > > > > > > > > > > https://wikimania2013.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships#Scholarship_selection_process > > > > https://wikimania2014.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scholarships#Selection_process > > > > > > > > > -Andrew > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 6:49 AM, Gerard Meijssen < > > > [email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Hoi, > > > > Pine with all due respect, the USA is not the problem and English > > > Wikipedia > > > > has been overly subsidised, given way too much attention. Indeed > having > > > > more people from the USA attend Wikimania is not a good value > > > proposition. > > > > The USA and Britain is overrepresented as it is. > > > > Thanks, > > > > GerardM > > > > > > > > On 10 February 2016 at 10:13, Pine W <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > From a US perspective, even here in the global north we have plenty > > of > > > > > students and middle-class participants for whom $1500 in travel, > food > > > and > > > > > lodging plus 5 days away from work, family, or school amounts to a > > > > > significant or impossible sacrifice. > > > > > > > > > > Perhaps someone could tell us the statistics for how many people > have > > > > > attended Wikimania each year who were not WMF employees, FDC or WMF > > > Board > > > > > members, scholarship recipients, or financially sponsored by WMF > > > > affiliates > > > > > or WEF. Of those people who pay 100% of their own costs plus the > cost > > > of > > > > > admission tickets, my guess is that many live within a day's travel > > > time > > > > by > > > > > train, car, or bus. > > > > > > > > > > I would hypothesize that thematic conferences also have a low > > > percentage > > > > of > > > > > people who pay 100% of their own costs, but that regional > conferences > > > > which > > > > > have lower travel costs for the average attendee receive modestly > > > higher > > > > > percentages of unsubsidized attendance. > > > > > > > > > > It seems to me that WMF finacial support for conferences, including > > > > > regional and thematic conferences, will continue to be the norm. > > > > > > > > > > Whether $1 million is appropriate for Wikimania and whether a more > > > modest > > > > > budget would be appropriate and feasable are different questions > that > > > > merit > > > > > careful reflection. > > > > > > > > > > Pine > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:[email protected] > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > Unsubscribe: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > New messages to: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
