June 2020

COVID-19

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

From the Wikimedia Foundation: "Our first priority is the health and safety of you, your Wikimedia community, and the general public health. Global health guidance indicated that the more quickly the world responds to a pandemic, the better off the outcomes. In order to safeguard free knowledge, we must also prioritize the well-being of the people who make it possible."

As you all know, the COVID-19 pandemic is a day-to-day situation affecting us all. We hope that this letter finds you well during these extraordinary circumstances.

For our safety and the safety of the public, the Wikimedia Foundation instructed us to cancel or postpone all in-person events and activities, as well as all travel, taking place before 15 Septembre 2020 until further notice, or to transform them into virtual events.

Wikimedia Canada recognizes the efforts of all the volunteers of the Wikimedia Movement in Canada. We wanted to let you know that the chapter is still up and running. We are ready to support you in your activities to increase access to free knowledge in Canada.

We ask all volunteers in Canada to also cancel or postpone all in-person activities, and to abide by the directives of your respective provinces regarding health, safety and public events. Thank you all for your understanding. If you have any concerns, please communicate with us at infowikimedia.ca.

While all in-person activities are still banned, we are looking at hosting more online events. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any ideas, want to help in organizing online activities, or are launching any initiatives that we may be able to support.

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Wiki Loves Earth

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

Since 2017, Wikimedia Canada has been participating in the annual international Wiki Loves Earth campaign. Wiki Loves Earth is an international photographic competition to promote natural sites around the world.

From July 1st to 31st, you are invited to upload photographs of recognized natural protected areas in Canada on Wikimedia Commons. Everybody can participate.

You can learn how to participate on Wikimedia Canada’s website.

More communications and updates will be shared in the coming weeks. Make sure to subscribe to Wikimedia Canada's general mailing list to receive all information.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with organizing this contest in Canada. If you are interested, please contact us at infowikimedia.ca.

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#1Lib1Ref

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

"Imagine a world where every librarian added one more reference to Wikipedia."

The #1Lib1Ref campaign is currently ongoing until June 5th. It aims at encouraging people, especially librarians around the world, to improve Wikipedia by adding at least one reference.

Wikipedia is one of the first stops for readers and researchers. It’s an especially important resource now, during COVID-19, when people are increasingly turning to the platform for trustworthy, unbiased, and up-to-date information.

Join us to help improve the quality of content on Wikipedia. Any citation to a reliable source is a benefit to Wikipedia readers worldwide.

Amid COVID-19, #1Lib1Ref has transitioned to a fully virtual campaign. Everybody can participate. When you edit, make sure to include the hashtag #1Lib1Ref in the edit summary. Check out the "Citation Hunt" tool if you are looking for places where references are needed.

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Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

The Final Recommendations for the Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy have been published. They include a set of 10 recommendations based on the Wikimedia 2030 Strategic Direction adopted in 2017, "to become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge, and anyone who shares our vision will be able to join". The Movement Strategy recommendations embody an aspiration for how the Wikimedia Movement should continue to change in order to advance towards that direction.

This is a set of 10 recommendations resulting in a 40-page document, along with 10 underlying principles, a narrative of change, and a glossary of key terms. Those recommendations are intended to guide the Wikimedia Movement over the next decade. They are at a high strategic level in order to be flexible enough to be adapted to different global and local settings.

You can read them online in English or French, or in a PDF document (in English only). There are also other resources available, including audio and video files in English, as well as a podcast in French.

It is not already defined how those recommendations will be implemented. Wikimedia Canada will continue to analyze them to see how they could impact our work and our mission, and how we may implement them.

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Affiliations Committee

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

The Affiliations Committee, the committee responsible to advise and make recommendations to the Wikimedia Foundation for the recognition and the existence of official Wikimedia affiliates, namely chapters, thematic organizations and user groups, is seeking new members. Applications must be submitted by 30 June 2020. Learn more >

Statement on Healthy Community Culture, Inclusivity, and Safe Spaces

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

On 22 May 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation published an official statement on "Healthy Community Culture, Inclusivity, and Safe Spaces" stating clearly that "harassment, toxic behaviour, and incivility in the Wikimedia Movement are contrary to our shared values and detrimental to our vision and mission." It specifically mandated the Wikimedia Foundation to "develop and introduce a Universal Code of Conduct that will be a binding minimum set of standards across all Wikimedia projects."

This announcement was the object of an article by BBC News.

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Gender Gap

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

For those interested in the topic of the "gender gap" on Wikimedia projects, you may like to know that the portal on this topic on Meta-Wiki was totally revamped recently. This is a hub to link all resources and initiatives for this very important topic. Note that this portal on Meta-Wiki is in English only and can’t be translated on purpose. This is a deliberate choice by the creators in orders to prioritize the ease of use, the layout, and to make it easier to keep it updated.

You may also be interested to join the Telegram channel created earlier this year to host discussions on that topic, or the gender gap mailing list.

The gender gap on Wikimedia projects, both in terms of content and contributors, is a priority of Wikimedia Canada.

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Join Wikimedia Canada

by JP Béland (WMCA), 1 June 2020.

Wikimedia Canada is an organization based on its members. Without volunteers like you, our work would be impossible.

The link to become a member of Wikimedia Canada or to renew your membership was returning an error message on PayPal; it has now been fixed. Do not hesitate to contact us at infowikimedia.ca if you still experience problems.

Learn more >