Affiliations Committee/Candidates/2025/Dev Jadiya

Dev Jadiya (Dev Jadiya)

Dev Jadiya (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA)

Preferred name	Dev Jadiya
What languages do you speak, and at what fluency level? (Please include your English proficiency.)	Hindi - Native; English - Professional working proficiency; Gujarati - Conversational
What region(s) of the world do you have experience with, and what kind of experience do you have? (“Experience” can mean you have lived or worked there or are currently living or working there; you’re familiar with the culture and language; etc.)	South Asia - India, with extensive hands-on experience working across national, regional, and global Wikimedia communities. I have lived and worked primarily in India and regularly collaborate with contributors, organizers, and affiliates from Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Europe, and the global movement through conferences, scholarships, international juries, mentorship programs, technical hackathons, and cross-regional initiatives. My experience is grounded in youth engagement, student-led communities, technical contributors, and emerging affiliates.
What Wikimedia project(s) do you actively edit? And in what language(s)?	Wikipedia - English and Hindi; Wikimedia Commons - uploads, documentation, contest coordination and jury work; Wikidata - contribution and campaign participation; Meta-Wiki - governance documentation, event coordination, reporting and community processes; MediaWiki - technical contribution, training, Gerrit and Phabricator workflows; Wikimedia technical ecosystem - contributor onboarding, documentation, and developer support.
What affiliate(s) are you actively involved with? In what capacity are you involved? Do you serve in a leadership role or have you in the past?	Wiki Club SATI - Founding member, Advisor and Technical Head, responsible for MediaWiki training, contributor onboarding, documentation, and long-term community sustainability, and Founder of the Wiki Open Learning initiative, an open Wikimedia initiative focused on learning, participation, and capacity building across Wikimedia projects through awareness sessions, onboarding activities, collaborative learning, and community-driven events aligned with Wikimedia values; Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group - active member and contributor supporting technical learning, collaboration, and contributor growth; Wiki Club Tech - active member and contributor supporting student-led Wikimedia engagement; Hindi Wikimedians User Group - member supporting Indic-language participation and community growth. My involvement prioritizes training, mentoring, documentation, learning facilitation, and sustainable contributor development rather than nominal membership across multiple groups.
Have you served on any committees (movement-related or otherwise)? And what was your role on the committee(s)?	International Jury member for Wiki Loves Monuments 2025; Jury member for Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 at the India level; Project Lead for Wiki Science Competition India 2025; Program Review Team Core Member for Wikimania 2025; Speaker at Wikimania 2025; Selected mentee in the EduWiki Hub Mentorship Program Cohort 1; Core Team Member of the WikiVibrance Project serving as South Asia Lead; Volunteer Supporters Network Liaison supporting cross-community coordination; Newsletter Committee South Asia Core Team Member contributing to regional communication and documentation; Core Organising Team member for WikiDebates supporting structured dialogue initiatives; Organiser, trainer, speaker, documenter, and recorder for multiple MediaWiki trainings, hackathons, edit-a-thons, workshops, and student-led Wikimedia initiatives; Full scholarship participant and presenter at major Wikimedia events including the Wikimedia Technology Summit and the Indic Wikimedia Hackathon.
Please describe any experience you have with conflict resolution and/or consensus building.	I have extensive experience supporting newcomers, students, technical contributors, and community organizers who face challenges such as account blocks, policy misunderstandings, contribution disputes, and coordination issues. As a trainer, organizer, advisor, and liaison, I focus on listening carefully, explaining Wikimedia policies in accessible ways, documenting decisions, and guiding discussions toward consensus-based and respectful outcomes. I regularly mediate discussions during workshops, hackathons, and organizing spaces by prioritizing transparency, inclusion, and shared goals, ensuring contributors feel supported and confident to continue participating.
In your ideal world, what does the affiliate model and ecosystem look like?	In my ideal world, the affiliate ecosystem is inclusive, youth-friendly, technically accessible, and genuinely supportive of emerging communities. Affiliates should function as safe and empowering entry points for students, new contributors, and technical volunteers by providing mentorship, governance guidance, documentation, and leadership pathways. The ecosystem should value knowledge sharing, capacity building, and long-term sustainability over formality alone, while encouraging collaboration across regions, languages, and project types.
In your ideal world, what are AffCom’s roles and responsibilities in relation to the movement and affiliates?	AffCom should operate as a mentor-first, movement-facing committee that balances governance with community support. Beyond recognition and compliance, AffCom should actively guide affiliates through growth stages, support conflict resolution, strengthen governance practices, share cross-regional best practices, and bridge grassroots volunteers with movement-wide structures. AffCom should especially support emerging affiliates, student-led groups, and underrepresented regions by offering clarity, transparency, and consistent guidance aligned with Wikimedia values.
What role within AffCom are you most interested in: advisory or voting member?	Advisory Member, with a strong interest in contributing to the committee’s review, mentorship, and guidance processes for affiliates. I am also open to taking on additional responsibilities, including a voting role, if entrusted by the movement in the future.