Affiliate-selected Board seats/2019/Nominations/Douglas Scott
Name:
- Douglas Ian Scott
Wikimedia username:
Questions for all candidates - Questions for this individual candidate that do not apply to other candidates
Statement
The board needs members with an understanding of the different communities that make our movement so as to best achieve its objectives. As a Wikimedia chapter leader and volunteer over the past seven years I learned the importance of working together as equals in a transparent manner within a talented group of very diverse people in an equally diverse part of the world. Working together with community members from around the world to grow and strengthen our community and maintain our independence whilst pursuing our open knowledge objectives. After more than 10 years as an editor, 7 years as a Chapter member, 4 years as a chapter leader, and organiser of a number of large and small community events in addition to my advocacy work I feel I am a good fit to serve the community in this position.
Résumé
Wikimedia
- Online Wiki work – I have been an editor on Wikipedia since 2006 where I like to add content and focus on topics that I feel help fill Wikipedia's content gap. As such I contribute a lot on African and Chinese related topics.
- Offline Wiki work – As a volunteer with Wikimedia South Africa I have:
- Been a board member of the chapter since 2013.
- Played a key role in organising a number of larger community events such as Wiki Indaba 2014, the first regional Wikimedia conference for Africa, and Wikimania 2018 in my home city of Cape Town.
- Advocated for Copyright reform that is friendly to open knowledge. In this role I have managed to get Freedom of Panorama and helped get Fair Use provisions included into the South African Copyright Amendment bill. The bill has been passed by the South African Parliament and, as of writing this, is waiting to be signed into law by the President of South Africa. Part of my activities here has been in helping to build a board coalition of like-minded mission aligned organisations by being one of the founding members of ReCreate South Africa.
- Organised over 40 meetups and workshops to encourage more people to join and strengthen our community since I first joined in 2012.
- Organised and ran a number of chapter projects such as the South African versions of Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki From Above photographic competitions.
- All of these community and editor based activities have familiarized me with broader needs of the open knowledge community. Both in Africa and the rest of the world more broadly. It has also made me aware of some of the outreach and community development challenges facing our movement.
- Prior to joining Wikimedia South Africa I was an active member of Wikimedia UK when I resided in the United Kingdom in 2011.
Professional
In my day job I am the head of research, technology development and a senior manager at The Safety Lab. Founded by provincial government in South Africa and predominantly funded by the City of Cape Town it is a public benefit non-profit that researches, develops and deploys projects to reduce and mitigate the impact of violent crime. I have been involved in the organisation since it was founded in 2012.
Other
I am from Cape Town, South Africa. I have a masters degree in International Development and Public Administration and an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Eligibility
Should I be elected I will resign as president of Wikimedia South Africa. I am eligible to serve as a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation.
Endorsements
Wikimedia South Africa
Wikimedia South Africa would like to endorse Douglas Scott based on the following competencies:
Planning and organisation: Douglas played a prominent role in organising the first African regional conference WikiIndaba and was the key person in organising Wikimania 2018 in Cape Town.
Accountability: Douglas has played a prominent role in getting community involvement when drafting application for funding for the chapter and has also ensured transparency by regularly reporting in our bi-weekly meetings on how the chapter’s funds are used.
Interpersonal skills: In chapter’s meetings, on and off wiki Douglas has shown a character of understanding diplomacy and getting things done. He listens and has a way of putting his point across without offending anyone, he has always observed the friendly space policy even if he disagrees with you.
Advocacy: He is an advocate of increasing African Wikimedia content and has been the point person for Sinenjongo High school which asked Wikimedia Foundation to intervene in speaking with one of the biggest South African network operators to provide free data for the learners to edit Wikipedia. He also advocated for a copyright act that will ensure South Africa gets Freedom of Panorama and Fair Use.
On Behalf of Wikimedia South Africa; Bobbyshabangu (talk) 09:30, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
Wikimedia Netherlands
Wikimedia Netherlands is happy to endorse the nomination of Douglas Scott. We know Douglas for a long time now and we have seen him tirelessly working on improving the organization and the programmatic impact of our movement, in South Africa and far beyond.
Many of us will recall the well organized and inspiring Wikimania Cape Town conference and its theme: Bridging knowledge gaps, the ubuntu way forward.
Scott brings his vision into practice, as is shown by his track record. He is effective and emphatic, he has experience in leading positions and is deeply engaged in the community. He has worked with both smaller and larger affiliates and over the years he gained a good understanding of the strengths and opportunities of our movement, not as an abstract concept, but on the level were the difference will be made.
In the years to come we will be working on the implementation of the Strategic process 2030. Having Douglas Scott on the Board of Trustees ensures that our mission and our international ambitions will remain rooted in the community.
On behalf of Wikimedia Netherlands, Frans Grijzenhout, chair --Grijz Grijz (talk) 09:10, 30 April 2019 (UTC)