Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:15 PM, Lila Tretikov l...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear Wikimedians, Among the WMF’s top priorities for 2015 is strengthening our engagement with Wikimedia editors and volunteers. Today we are taking the first step by bringing together the people who know our communities best and asking them to break barriers and improve engagement. Let me join in congratulating Luis and Siko, and a huge thank you to Anasuya -- your good humor, kindness and unflagging recognition of individual motivations and issues while also setting up complex global funding systems always inspired me. And to the core priority of the WMF working more closely with volunteers -- I think this is very much the right direction! best, Phoebe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
It is indeed sad news that we wake up to this morning, reading that Anasuya will be leaving us! I wish you the best, and a speedy and full recovery. I think I still owe you a beer from London :-) On the other hand, it is very interesting and positive to read that three excellent WMF-ers are changing roles, and will be able to continue to fight the good fight even more successfully. Luis, Siko and Asaf, congratulations - I respect you and your work greatly and look forward to seeing what you build! I see the WMF's staff and contractors page has already been updated to reflect the new changes, which is very nice - it's helpful to be able to see the new structure that was explained visually. http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Staff_and_contractors -Liam wittylama.com Peace, love metadata ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Dear Anasuya, there's a lot I've learnt from you and your departure leaves me half way, with a a burning appetite for more. You've been a pillar of the grant making process, and of WMF. Please, do get better soon, and back on your dancing legs! dj pundit On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on sustainability: http://urgentactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/WTPR-Final-Book.pdf [3] And look forward to dancing together on the beaches of a future Wikimania… [4] Sometimes frustrating, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes somewhat insane; but yes mostly, generous beyond belief, and always, joyous. :-) [5] More Neil Gaiman, from The Sandman: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sandman#A_Game_of_You [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Key_theme_-_Global_South,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_February_2015.pdfpage=20 Ask Florence (User:Anthere) for
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
I hate au revoirs. I feel like you've been around for a decade. Perhaps it's because you've bring to us a decade worth of insights, advices, experiences, etc. I do hope we have turned you into a hardcore Wikimedian and that you won't resist the appeal to stay among us. Thank you for everything you did :) Congrats to Luis, Siko and Asaf on the new roles. I knew Luis wasn't a true lawyer, and now we have proof of that! All the best, -- Christophe On 20 February 2015 at 09:52, Dariusz Jemielniak dar...@alk.edu.pl wrote: Dear Anasuya, there's a lot I've learnt from you and your departure leaves me half way, with a a burning appetite for more. You've been a pillar of the grant making process, and of WMF. Please, do get better soon, and back on your dancing legs! dj pundit On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Dear Anasuya, Like you and many others I hope that this is an Au-Revoir, but nevertheless its a good idea to take a moment even when parting with the expectation of meeting again in the near future. Thank you for all that you have done for the Foundation, especially in building up our grant making ability in the past years. One of the reasons why the FDC is getting better all the time is you and your ability to listen to all the different stakeholders and come up with suggestions to improve/simplify the process. Having worked with you in the first FDC rounds and follow up conversations in the board have been great and as you can see from this thread, you will be sorely missed. I hope that your health issues will be behind you soon and that you will be able to dance with/around us soon :) Best Wishes Jan-Bart de Vreede On 19 Feb 2015, at 23:20, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Thank you very much for sharing this, Lila. A special thank you to Anasuya for all of her work in the grantmaking area. She has been a driving force, and her contributions will be missed. Congratulations to Luis, Siko and Asaf in their new roles. I will look forward to working with all of them in their new capacities. Out of curiosity, and bearing in mind that the WMF has put itself forward as having its major focuses on techology and grantmaking, is there a reason that the person leading the third-largest group of staff, in one of these priority areas, is a Senior Director when smaller departments have Chiefs and the other focus departments have VPs?The organizational chart is getting a bit tricky to follow. :-) Risker/Anne On 19 February 2015 at 17:15, Lila Tretikov l...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear Wikimedians, Among the WMF’s top priorities for 2015 is strengthening our engagement with Wikimedia editors and volunteers. Today we are taking the first step by bringing together the people who know our communities best and asking them to break barriers and improve engagement. Everyone at the WMF who carries responsibilities directly related to the communities will join a new Community Engagement department. I have asked Luis Villa to lead the Community Engagement organization as the Senior Director of Community Engagement, reporting to me. Promoting from within the WMF for this critical role will allow us to leverage the knowledge and experience with our communities and reinforce the strengths of our people. Luis’s experience with communities is lengthy and deep. He has been involved in open communities since the late 1990s, from communities as small as the Lego Mindstorms hackers to those as large as Mozilla. He worked in open communities as a lawyer, a programmer, a bugmaster, an engineering lead, a community leader, and a board member. Luis has performed exceptionally within the Foundation and supported some of our most fruitful community engagements. The Grantmaking, LE, Education, Community Advocacy and Community Liaisons teams will join the new Community Engagement department [2] under his leadership. Unfortunately, Anasuya Sengupta -- our beloved leader of grantmaking -- will be leaving us due to personal health concerns at the end of March. We will invite you soon to celebrate her time with us, her work at the WMF and the deep insight she brought to the Foundation. We are saddened to see her go. The team she has nurtured will provide an important foundation for our upcoming work. Siko Bouterse will move up to lead the day-to-day work of the Grantmaking team as Director of Community Resources, supervising all department Grant programs and the Global South strategy. Siko has been instrumental in innovating programs at the WMF, including initiatives like the Teahouse[1] and the IdeaLab[2] combining vision with strong support for volunteer community, tough decision making, and great project management skills. These changes are an opportunity to improve the coordination of our work supporting the communities. To accelerate this, I have asked Luis to lead an internal “tiger” team to better understand the needs, concerns and priorities of our volunteers, and to develop recommendations for future programs. This work will be shared with all of you as it becomes available. Please join me in congratulating Luis and Siko and in supporting our teams. The Wikimedia communities are what makes the projects strong, unique, and irreplaceable. This is the next step forward in our support to them, and in service of our mission. Lila [1] As Director of Community Resources, Siko will oversee the IdeaLab, Annual Plan Grants, Project and Event Grants, and Travel and Participation Support. Her team will include Katy Love, Winifred Olliff, Alex Wang, Janice Tud, Jonathan Morgan, and Asaf Bartov. Asaf will also take on a new title as Senior Program Officer, Emerging Wikimedia Communities. [2] Rachel DiCerbo, Philippe Beaudette, Siko, and Anasuya’s other direct reports, and their respective teams (CL, CA, and Grantmaking/GLEE) will report to Luis. The Engineering Community team will be part of the tiger team but will continue to report to Engineering. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Teahouse [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab ___ Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l ___ WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Dear Anasuya, Loved working together - it was a real pleasure. Apart from everything you did to drive grantmaking, a big thumbs up to you for dreaming up and organizing the community consultation in India last October. Hope you're back on your feet soon! Bishakha On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 8:23 PM, Risker risker...@gmail.com wrote: Thank you very much for sharing this, Lila. A special thank you to Anasuya for all of her work in the grantmaking area. She has been a driving force, and her contributions will be missed. Congratulations to Luis, Siko and Asaf in their new roles. I will look forward to working with all of them in their new capacities. Out of curiosity, and bearing in mind that the WMF has put itself forward as having its major focuses on techology and grantmaking, is there a reason that the person leading the third-largest group of staff, in one of these priority areas, is a Senior Director when smaller departments have Chiefs and the other focus departments have VPs?The organizational chart is getting a bit tricky to follow. :-) Risker/Anne On 19 February 2015 at 17:15, Lila Tretikov l...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear Wikimedians, Among the WMF’s top priorities for 2015 is strengthening our engagement with Wikimedia editors and volunteers. Today we are taking the first step by bringing together the people who know our communities best and asking them to break barriers and improve engagement. Everyone at the WMF who carries responsibilities directly related to the communities will join a new Community Engagement department. I have asked Luis Villa to lead the Community Engagement organization as the Senior Director of Community Engagement, reporting to me. Promoting from within the WMF for this critical role will allow us to leverage the knowledge and experience with our communities and reinforce the strengths of our people. Luis’s experience with communities is lengthy and deep. He has been involved in open communities since the late 1990s, from communities as small as the Lego Mindstorms hackers to those as large as Mozilla. He worked in open communities as a lawyer, a programmer, a bugmaster, an engineering lead, a community leader, and a board member. Luis has performed exceptionally within the Foundation and supported some of our most fruitful community engagements. The Grantmaking, LE, Education, Community Advocacy and Community Liaisons teams will join the new Community Engagement department [2] under his leadership. Unfortunately, Anasuya Sengupta -- our beloved leader of grantmaking -- will be leaving us due to personal health concerns at the end of March. We will invite you soon to celebrate her time with us, her work at the WMF and the deep insight she brought to the Foundation. We are saddened to see her go. The team she has nurtured will provide an important foundation for our upcoming work. Siko Bouterse will move up to lead the day-to-day work of the Grantmaking team as Director of Community Resources, supervising all department Grant programs and the Global South strategy. Siko has been instrumental in innovating programs at the WMF, including initiatives like the Teahouse[1] and the IdeaLab[2] combining vision with strong support for volunteer community, tough decision making, and great project management skills. These changes are an opportunity to improve the coordination of our work supporting the communities. To accelerate this, I have asked Luis to lead an internal “tiger” team to better understand the needs, concerns and priorities of our volunteers, and to develop recommendations for future programs. This work will be shared with all of you as it becomes available. Please join me in congratulating Luis and Siko and in supporting our teams. The Wikimedia communities are what makes the projects strong, unique, and irreplaceable. This is the next step forward in our support to them, and in service of our mission. Lila [1] As Director of Community Resources, Siko will oversee the IdeaLab, Annual Plan Grants, Project and Event Grants, and Travel and Participation Support. Her team will include Katy Love, Winifred Olliff, Alex Wang, Janice Tud, Jonathan Morgan, and Asaf Bartov. Asaf will also take on a new title as Senior Program Officer, Emerging Wikimedia Communities. [2] Rachel DiCerbo, Philippe Beaudette, Siko, and Anasuya’s other direct reports, and their respective teams (CL, CA, and Grantmaking/GLEE) will report to Luis. The Engineering Community team will be part of the tiger team but will continue to report to Engineering. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Teahouse [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab ___ Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on sustainability: http://urgentactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/WTPR-Final-Book.pdf [3] And look forward to dancing together on the beaches of a future Wikimania… [4] Sometimes frustrating, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes somewhat insane; but yes mostly, generous beyond belief, and always, joyous. :-) [5] More Neil Gaiman, from The Sandman: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sandman#A_Game_of_You [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Key_theme_-_Global_South,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_February_2015.pdfpage=20 Ask Florence (User:Anthere) for _that_ story! On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:15 PM, Lila Tretikov l...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear Wikimedians, Among the WMF’s top priorities for 2015 is strengthening our engagement with Wikimedia editors and volunteers. Today we are taking the first step by bringing together the people who know our communities best and asking them to break barriers and improve engagement. Everyone at the WMF who carries
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Lila, Anasuya, and everyone else- Lila, thank you so much for the opportunity, and thank you Anasuya, Geoff, and Erik for your long-term work with the GLEE, CA, and CL teams — you’ve laid a strong foundation to build on. I would also like to congratulate Siko on her expanded role — I am looking forward to working together with her and the rest of the team on some of our most complex challenges. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with our current leaders and teams. We are lucky to have some incredible people on the team, and I look forward to collaborating, learning, and creating even better engagement and results together. As Lila mentioned, I’ve been a contributor to a variety of open communities, large and small, for over a decade and a half. Since the first time I hacked on Lego software with someone on another continent, I’ve been a strong believer that healthy communities and personal relationships are the core of the special thing that we do. I expect to carry that forward into the leadership of this team, with a focus on making the Foundation a strong, supportive partner of growing, diverse, global Wikimedian communities. The creation of this new team within the Foundation shows a renewed dedication by WMF to deepen our relationship to the people who create and drive the projects. This focus will be critically important as we seek to support and grow our mission. There are a huge number of opportunities to get us ever-closer to our goal of a world of free knowledge. Luis -- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment.* ___ Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l ___ WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Well, It's a sad announcement. Anasuya personally I think the goodbyes are not overrated. Thanks for your kindly way of be, and the energy to push the mission in other level. Wikimedia is not important but your sooner recovery are the most and I hope all it will be solved. And welcome to the new team! 2015-02-20 0:39 GMT-06:00 Subhashish Panigrahi subhash...@cis-india.org: Anasuya, Thanks so much for all your support and I'm personally so obliged to you for being with us during the rough phase of WMF-CIS transition. It will be sad to see you go but I'm sure you'll always be part of this great community. Hope for your quick recovery. And I'm always up to join for having Uttara Kannada delicacies when you're here. :) Luis and Siko, congratulations for your new roles and looking forward to see you all soon! best, Subha On 20-02-15 07:24, Siko Bouterse wrote: On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:59 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I will miss you. You did fabulous work for WMF and I hope that we will continue to have the benefit of your wisdom. Siko, I knew that you'd get promoted someday (: Question: who will directly run IEG? They will have big shoes to fill. Thanks for your support, Pine. I'll sorely miss Anasuya as well, but look forward to working with Luis and all of you in this expanded capacity. As for a program officer for IEG, that who is not yet settled, though we're aiming to backfill quickly. For the next few weeks, I'll still be holding down the IEG fort with support from the Community Resources team, as we work towards a longer-term replacement. More about that soon! Siko Luis, congrats on the new role. Pine Pine *This is an Encyclopedia* https://www.wikipedia.org/ *One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies The deep rock of our past, in which we must delve The well of our future,The clear water we must leave untainted for those who come after us,The fertile earth, in which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,And the broad fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not know.* *—Catherine Munro* On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:50 PM, Delphine Ménard notafi...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya, Thanks so much for all your support and I'm personally so obliged to you for being with us during the rough phase of WMF-CIS transition. It will be sad to see you go but I'm sure you'll always be part of this great community. Hope for your quick recovery. And I'm always up to join for having Uttara Kannada delicacies when you're here. :) Luis and Siko, congratulations for your new roles and looking forward to see you all soon! best, Subha On 20-02-15 07:24, Siko Bouterse wrote: On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:59 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I will miss you. You did fabulous work for WMF and I hope that we will continue to have the benefit of your wisdom. Siko, I knew that you'd get promoted someday (: Question: who will directly run IEG? They will have big shoes to fill. Thanks for your support, Pine. I'll sorely miss Anasuya as well, but look forward to working with Luis and all of you in this expanded capacity. As for a program officer for IEG, that who is not yet settled, though we're aiming to backfill quickly. For the next few weeks, I'll still be holding down the IEG fort with support from the Community Resources team, as we work towards a longer-term replacement. More about that soon! Siko Luis, congrats on the new role. Pine Pine *This is an Encyclopedia* https://www.wikipedia.org/ *One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies The deep rock of our past, in which we must delve The well of our future,The clear water we must leave untainted for those who come after us,The fertile earth, in which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,And the broad fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not know.* *—Catherine Munro* On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:50 PM, Delphine Ménard notafi...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Dear Anasuya: We will miss you badly. And worst: I will miss you badly. I've learned a lot from you since our first meeting at Wikimania 2012 in Washington, and I really hope you've enjoyed the ride in the Wikimedia movement. I know we will meet again and you will be changing the world for better, cause that is what you do. Luis, Siko, congrats for the new roles! It will be a pleasure to work with you both. Patricio 2015-02-19 19:50 GMT-03:00 Delphine Ménard notafi...@gmail.com: Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya, thank you for the time and wisdom you have shared with us. We will miss you dearly. Luis Siko, congratulations. Looking forward to working with you in your new role. Katie On 19 February 2015 at 23:02, Gregory Varnum gregory.var...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya - I think you know that I adore you - and I am truly sad to see you go. I look forward to seeing you around online - and hope to see you at Wikimanias - but your impact has been immense and you will be missed. :( -greg aka varnent On 19 Feb, 2015, at 5:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on sustainability: http://urgentactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/WTPR-Final-Book.pdf [3] And look forward to dancing together on the beaches of a future Wikimania… [4] Sometimes frustrating, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya, I will miss you. You did fabulous work for WMF and I hope that we will continue to have the benefit of your wisdom. Siko, I knew that you'd get promoted someday (: Question: who will directly run IEG? They will have big shoes to fill. Luis, congrats on the new role. Pine Pine *This is an Encyclopedia* https://www.wikipedia.org/ *One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies The deep rock of our past, in which we must delve The well of our future,The clear water we must leave untainted for those who come after us,The fertile earth, in which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,And the broad fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not know.* *—Catherine Munro* On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:50 PM, Delphine Ménard notafi...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you.
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya - I think you know that I adore you - and I am truly sad to see you go. I look forward to seeing you around online - and hope to see you at Wikimanias - but your impact has been immense and you will be missed. :( -greg aka varnent On 19 Feb, 2015, at 5:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on sustainability: http://urgentactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/WTPR-Final-Book.pdf [3] And look forward to dancing together on the beaches of a future Wikimania… [4] Sometimes frustrating, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes somewhat insane; but yes mostly, generous beyond belief, and always, joyous. :-) [5] More Neil Gaiman, from The Sandman: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sandman#A_Game_of_You [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Key_theme_-_Global_South,_WMF_Metrics_Meeting_February_2015.pdfpage=20 Ask Florence (User:Anthere) for _that_
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:59 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I will miss you. You did fabulous work for WMF and I hope that we will continue to have the benefit of your wisdom. Siko, I knew that you'd get promoted someday (: Question: who will directly run IEG? They will have big shoes to fill. Thanks for your support, Pine. I'll sorely miss Anasuya as well, but look forward to working with Luis and all of you in this expanded capacity. As for a program officer for IEG, that who is not yet settled, though we're aiming to backfill quickly. For the next few weeks, I'll still be holding down the IEG fort with support from the Community Resources team, as we work towards a longer-term replacement. More about that soon! Siko Luis, congrats on the new role. Pine Pine *This is an Encyclopedia* https://www.wikipedia.org/ *One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies The deep rock of our past, in which we must delve The well of our future,The clear water we must leave untainted for those who come after us,The fertile earth, in which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,And the broad fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not know.* *—Catherine Munro* On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:50 PM, Delphine Ménard notafi...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya, I'm whistling to a new tune already, get ready to dance. We'll just change dance floors. Thank you for it all and many many *hugs* Luis, Siko, can't wait to work with you more, congrats on the new responsibilities. Asaf, 'bout time you stop killing kittens every time you introduce yourself. And congrats for the step! All the best, Delphine On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff, the universe and everything can be sent to anasuyaATsanmathi.org [1] Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Chapter 8) [2] Urgent Action Fund, a funder of women’s human rights defenders, has this book on sustainability: http://urgentactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/06/WTPR-Final-Book.pdf [3] And look forward to dancing together on the beaches of a future Wikimania… [4] Sometimes frustrating, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes somewhat insane; but yes mostly, generous beyond belief, and always, joyous. :-) [5] More Neil Gaiman, from The Sandman: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sandman#A_Game_of_You [6]
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: A new structure for WMF Community Engagement
Anasuya, it was a pleasure to take profit from your wisdom and joy. I hope to see you recovered as soon as possible. I'm very grateful for your kindness with Brazil! Congratulations for Luis and the team. I wish you do a good job! Vinicius Siqueira WUG Brasil On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 9:22 PM, Katie Chan katie.c...@wikimedia.org.uk wrote: Anasuya, thank you for the time and wisdom you have shared with us. We will miss you dearly. Luis Siko, congratulations. Looking forward to working with you in your new role. Katie On 19 February 2015 at 23:02, Gregory Varnum gregory.var...@gmail.com wrote: Anasuya - I think you know that I adore you - and I am truly sad to see you go. I look forward to seeing you around online - and hope to see you at Wikimanias - but your impact has been immense and you will be missed. :( -greg aka varnent On 19 Feb, 2015, at 5:20 PM, Anasuya Sengupta asengu...@wikimedia.org wrote: Dear friends and colleagues, fellow adventurers on the Wikimedia journey - Goodbyes are overrated.[1] But since I’m sure this will be au revoir, I’ll continue: I am leaving the Foundation as head of the Grantmaking department, at the end of March. This was not an easy decision to make; this is not an easy email to write. As some of you know, I have been battling health issues over the past few months. I’ve learnt sharp and intimate truths about myself as I’ve worked to get better, and what I’ve kept coming back to is the compassionate but fierce feminist slogan around self-care and sustainability: ‘what’s the point of the revolution if we can’t dance?’[2] To reassure you all, I will be well,[3] but I need a little time and space to focus on getting my dancing legs strong again. That said, I am pleased that we have a really solid plan in place as I leave. As Lila’s email announced, Luis Villa (our current Deputy General Counsel) will be taking over the team effective immediately, and leading the organisation further in our support of Wikimedia communities worldwide. Luis brings with him a range of skills and qualities that I know will stand him, the team, and the movement in wonderful stead through it all. As a friend and colleague, I am so delighted to be supporting Luis through the next few weeks of transition. I joined the Foundation in July 2012 to oversee and implement the FDC process. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of creating and leading a department of more than twenty remarkable and passionate people who care about our mission, our communities, and the resources needed to match the two. We went from Asaf managing a small grants portfolio on his own, ably supported on occasion by Winifred, to a fully fledged grantmaking department with a spectrum of monetary and non-monetary resources. We have been able to offer these in different ways to different parts of our movement: to individual volunteers with great ideas in need of project management, to small groups experimenting with new initiatives, and to established organisations who form critical content and policy partnerships in their local contexts. We built an infrastructure for understanding our collective impact. We learned together about what our different communities are doing globally, about the successes and challenges we have, and above all: about how we can, together, create a more powerful set of outcomes for free knowledge. In doing so, I’ve had the joy of discovery,[4] of learning from and with some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, who believe that knowledge matters. Most importantly, that it’s not only free knowledge _for_ all that we seek, but even more critically, that we believe in knowledge _from_ and _with_ all. And I’ve discovered that the nerdy, geeky, obsessed-with-data part of me found a home in this extraordinary universe, where everybody’s “unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds” can find expression.[5] I look forward to the day when my worlds find more space on Wikipedia, when 80% of the globe is represented by far more than 20% of the edits, when much more than 15% of our contributors can self-identify as women. Till then, I’ll keep fighting notability one article at a time...[6] So thank you for sharing your worlds with me, and no thanks for turning me into an obsessive Wikimedian. :-) As I have learnt with you, I know I have done so with trust, and as I have challenged you, I hope I have done so with respect. I look forward to continuing our friendships and obsessions on a wiki near you. With appreciation and gratitude, Anasuya p.s. You can find me in the future at my enWP user page (User:Anasuyas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Anasuyas) or (dare I say it) on Facebook. Longer diatribes on liff,
