Our relationship with Wikimedia Europe (WMEU) started in 2022, when Liliana Alviárez, as part of the Wikiesfera driving team attended the Wikimedia Summit in Berlin, where the first meeting was held with members interested in formalizing this collective that was recognized by the Wikimedia Foundation in January 2023.
However, it wasn't until March 2025 that Wikiesfera became a full member, once we comply with the requirement to be legally constituted as an association. We are confident that this step will help us explore other spaces within the movement, from a feminist perspective and committed to knowledge equity.
As part of our incorporation we participated in the votes of the new board of directors (board) WMEU for the next two years, carried out during April 2025. We congratulate the newly elected people and recognize the commitment of those who have been part of it, as well as the effort of the organizing team to ensure a transparent, participatory and safe process.
The next step was to participate for the first time in the Wikimedia Europe General Assembly held on 25 and 26 April 2025 in Prague, attended by our representative Liliana Alviárez. This annual meeting brings together the more than 30 affiliates of user groups, thematic organizations and European chapters to make collective decisions, exchange learnings and strengthen the member communities, and together, the Wikimedians of Europe.
During the assembly, we participated in various sessions that allowed us to connect and dialogue with other affiliates. This meeting was the setting for the process of WMEU Strategy Review, in which we were able to make our first contributions in a collective exercise to define the direction and priorities for the coming years. In addition, the participation in the session "Identity structure of the members of WMEU", helped us to share how starting from values and individual missions we built this network.
We were also able to learn useful information about how to develop grant-funded projects at European level, outside the Wikimedia Foundation environment. This session, based on ongoing projects, offered us ideas and contacts that can help us explore new sustainability pathways for Wikiesfera. We also attend sessions dedicated to understanding how the legal regulations and Community practices can influence and improve the impact of WMEU, as well as others dedicated to deepening how the Generative Artificial Intelligence coexists with Wikimedia projects.
We want thank the Wikimedia Europe team for the accompaniment during our onboarding process in which he has also participated on the part of Wikiesfera, our partner Maria Sefidari (disambiguation); and welcome to our first General Assembly, especially Anna Mazgal, Valentina Calcagno, Van Anh Dam, Claudia Garád and Erkida Pema.
Participating in this process and meeting has been very positive for us and reinforces our commitment to building networks that make the Wikimedia movement more inclusive, collaborative and fair.
English (UK)