2021-03-10 Feedback from ESEAP Community LGBT volunteers

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2021-03-10 Meeting with ESEAP Community LGBTQ Volunteers[edit]

Number of Participants :3
General feedback[edit]
  • Participants are elated to have ben contacted to give their feedback over the Community Board Seats
  • Participants only choose to comment of the four major ideas proposed by both the Board and the community
Ideas discussed[edit]
Quotas
  • Three participants supported the idea for the reason that it ensures diversity not only for women but also for the other genders. Although admittedly, they think that LGBTQ volunteers in the movement represent minority, it is ideal to think that this minority voice could also be given a chance of representation. Although at the moment they can still dream about having one seat in the Board, it would not be impossible to think that with the future structure of 16 members, one of them might be from the minority voice.
Call for types of skills and experience
  • All the participants agreed that no Board Member should occupy a seat without an acceptable amount of skills necessary to being a BoT member. They think that a member should be there as a unique part of the whole. Like an integral functioning part of a machine, not just an accessory to the thing. The LGBTQ volunteers think that popularity or adherence to the gender equality requirement in the Board is not the real issue. But what the candidate or would-be Trustee from the community can offer, that the Board genuinely needs to run a global organization like the Foundation. And because each member has an important role to play, due to the Board's capacity problem, that is where specialized skills and experience come to play.


Direct Appointment of Candidates
  • Two people said if the community knows what is needed in the Board, and the community submits these qualified, screened candidates who passed the Trustee evaluation procedure, provided these candidates really possess the necessary qualifications to be members of the Board, then this is an ideal scenario for the idea.
  • One person said she is not excited by this idea because her understanding of the idea is limited and she has yet to see how it is done by other organizations and her experience says that it seems like it is an anointed kind of position.
Candidate resources
  • Three volunteers welcomed the idea simply because according to their opinions, this is the least intrusive, less controversial, brings less friction to both Board and community and vice versa, not to mention warmer approach in the selection of the community Board seats. There is an established trust in this idea. It's like a big brother caring for a small brother. To these LGBTQ volunteers, this idea would mean more positive impact than other proposed ideas. As this brings about people helping other people shaping the future Board of Trustees league or to be more specific, community and the Board helping candidates or would-be Trustees to be better heard, better known and better understood for these community sourced would-be trustees help shape the future of the Board eventually governing the whole Wikiverse of the movement.
Action Required[edit]
  • Invite the LGBTQ community volunteers to participate in the Panel Discussions