Notes from the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Breakout Room (Meta)
‘’‘Preamble’‘’
- I’d like to begin with the Wikimedia Movement Charter - That first sentence could distract people’s attention - someone may not know what the Wikimedia Movement exactly is and what it’s all about. The first sentence should, therefore, first explain what the Movement is and what it does. Furthermore, the Movement Charter is not there to describe but to define the Movement.
- We can define core principles together, and vice versa.
- If we skip the formalities if we don’t go into form but into the structure, then I think the first sentence properly states the most important thing. It’s clear to me, and I think it is perfectly clear to anyone who’s already part of the movement.
‘’‘Rights & responsibilities’‘’
- Maybe it should be stated more specifically what exactly “rights and responsibilities” are and include at least some of them. That’s very important for people who want to become part of the Movement or who have joined the Movement recently. We have to state at least some responsibilities explicitly.
- It says: “…it’s a formal social agreement explaining relations…”. This part says nothing about the resources. How can we define only relationship(s) between the entities, where those entities assume the rights and responsibilities, without defining and discussing the resources?
- I think the notion of “entities” is far too wide.
‘’‘Values & Principles’‘’
The question of subsidiarity. How far and down should we go with it?
It is a double-edged sword. While the draft later states that there are other forms of subsidiarity (besides geographical), we are running the risk of becoming too decentralised.
‘’‘The question of authority’‘’
- Which authority is it? This part sounds unfinished and a bit naive.
- I agree. I can easily imagine anyone agreeing with those ideas, but the question here is how to make people accountable. How do we implement subsidiarity and, at the same time, make sure someone remains dedicated to our group values?
- The Charter will have an impact on an operational level. It is a document that sets and defines values, while it is upon other levels to determine how exactly those values are going to be respected/implemented.
‘’‘Capable self-management’‘’
What is the meaning of this phrase? Is it only bottom-up, or is it also top-down? How do we assess the quality of management on any higher level other?
‘’‘Roles and responsibilities’‘’
- We need to have a place where the Movement’s entire structure is displayed and easy to navigate.
- I like this part because it fits well with the creation of hubs and the Global Council. I also think we should look back and review the entire experience of creating the Movement Strategy. There were lots of documents produced, and a lot of content, and it seems like the same could have been achieved with fewer resources - human, financial, time, etc.
- I am very, very supportive of hubs because they bring freedom to different regions and thematic groups, and they facilitate communication.