Wikimedia CEE Hub/History

History and development of the Wikimedia CEE Hub

The Wikimedia CEE Hub is a result of a long-term cooperation process among Wikimedia communities in Central and Eastern Europe. Its history begins in 2011, when communities from the Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe region agreed to work more closely together. This cooperation was motivated by shared challenges, similar socio-political contexts, and the need to support free knowledge in a more coordinated way. Over time, an informal network of affiliates, groups, and individuals was developed, creating strong connections across the region.

Towards formalisation and strategic alignment

The idea of formalising this cooperation into a structured hub appeared as a natural next step. It was also strongly connected with the Wikimedia Movement 2030 Strategy, especially principles such as subsidiarity and self-management. The intention was to create a stable and sustainable structure that ensures equal access to knowledge, resources, and opportunities for all communities in the region, including those less organised or with limited capacity.

Launch of the CEE Hub concept (2020–2021)

The formal design process of the CEE Hub started during the Wikimedia CEE Online Meeting 2020. An initial group composed of volunteers and staff members from Wikimedia affiliates in Poland, Czechia, Austria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Armenia, and later also Russia, began to work on a concept for the Hub. The focus was to develop services that would support communities across different levels of development.

An important milestone in this phase was the research project CEE Needs Research, implemented with support of Wikimedia Foundation Rapid Funds through Wikimedia Poland. This research included interviews with 21 communities and affiliates in the region and helped to better understand their needs, challenges, and expectations. The findings significantly informed the structure and priorities of the future Hub.

Community consultations and first decisions

In 2022, the process moved forward with preparation and discussion of the first grant proposal. Community consultations were organised through meetings such as CEE Talks in February and March 2022. Later that year, the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2022 became a key decision-making moment. During this event, participants agreed on the first Steering Committee and defined the initial direction of the Hub, including its Year 1 programmatic priorities.

First implementation phase – Year 1

Following this, the CEE Hub received a Movement Strategy Implementation Grant for the project Building a CEE Hub, covering the period 2022–2023. This marked the beginning of the first implementation phase (Year 1). During this period, the Hub onboarded its first staff members, established governance structures, and started delivering services to the communities.

Key coordination moments included in-person meetings in Zagreb and hybrid discussions after the Wikimedia Europe General Assembly in Prague. These meetings supported planning, monitoring of progress, and alignment of activities.

Regional Coordinator of the CEE Hub on CEEM 2022
CEE Hub Steering Committee meeting in Zagreb, 2023
CEE Hub staff members in Zagreb, 2023

Initial programmatic pillars

The initial programmatic structure of the CEE Hub was based on three main pillars: Administrative, Programmatic, and Communication. These pillars focused on simplifying bureaucratic processes, supporting program development, enabling regional cooperation, and improving information flow across communities.

Special attention was given to:

capacity building and leadership development,
participation of smaller communities in regional and global initiatives such as CEE Spring,
strengthening connections and knowledge exchange within the region.

Revision and expansion of activities

In 2023, during the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2023 and additional discussions, these pillars were revised and further developed. The updated structure introduced more detailed areas of work, including:

regional grant support and administrative guidance,
documentation of processes and shared practices,
facilitation of technical innovation and tools adoption,
organisation of regional events and meetings,
structured communication activities such as newsletters, open hours, and community calendars.

The Hub also strengthened its role in conflict facilitation, knowledge exchange, and creating safe spaces for discussion.

Collaborations and external partnerships

During 2023, besides regular cooperation with communities from the region, the CEE Hub established contacts and initiated collaboration with a number of external stakeholders.

Close cooperation was developed with the Wikimedia Foundation. Regular meetings with Movement Communications regional specialist Natalia Szafran-Kozakowska resulted in the creation of the CEE Catch Up initiative. In 2023, four sessions were organised, covering topics such as general regional updates, youth engagement, community health, and artificial intelligence in Wikimedia.

The Hub also held discussions with Chris Koerner on the possibility of developing a joint CEE Calendar. In cooperation with the Let's Connect programme, learning sessions were organised together with Gorana Gomirac and Jessica Stephenson, focusing on campaigns such as Wiki Loves Earth and regional learning from reports.

Further collaboration included engagement with the Wikimedia Foundation’s Brand Studio to explore the creation of a visual identity for the Hub, as well as meetings with the Human Rights Team and Learning and Development Strategist, Beverly Jiang, to discuss future cooperation and support.

Partnerships were also developed with other Wikimedia affiliates. Cooperation with Wikimedia Sweden led to a joint project proposal submitted to the Swedish Institute, positively evaluated in November 2023, with planned implementation in 2024. The Hub’s role included coordination of CEE communities and contribution to the proposal and future implementation.

The CEE Hub also participated in global knowledge exchange by engaging with initiatives such as the Capacity Exchange project, and by learning from other regions. This included meetings with representatives of Wikimedia Indonesia, cooperation with Open Food Facts, and exchange with Wikimedia District of Columbia regarding the development of a North American Hub.

Additionally, the Hub supported and learned from other regional hub initiatives, including participation in meetings of the West Africa Hub and exchanges with the EARTH Hub, strengthening mutual understanding and collaboration across regions.

Research and evidence-based development

At the same time, the Hub supported and funded research activities to better understand regional dynamics. These included studies on community mapping, barriers faced by smaller communities, and development of tools based on regional needs.

These efforts contributed to more evidence-based planning and more effective service delivery across the region.

Transition to Year 2 and further development

By the end of 2023, the first phase of the CEE Hub was completed, with funding provided by the Wikimedia Foundation under the initial grant. Building on this experience, a new proposal titled Stronger CEE Hub was prepared to continue and expand activities in 2024 (Year 2).

Core principles of the CEE Hub

Throughout its development, the CEE Hub has been defined by several key principles:

it is a network owned by the communities, ensuring equal participation and access,
it functions as a knowledge and support network connecting affiliates, initiatives, and individuals,
it is not a political structure, but a collaborative platform focused on free knowledge.

Current role and ongoing development

Today, the CEE Hub continues to evolve as a central support structure for the region. It enhances cooperation, provides services, and strengthens capacities of communities, while respecting diversity and decentralisation.

The Hub does not replace existing connections, but rather enables and amplifies them. Its role is to ensure that all contributors in the Central and Eastern European region can participate in the global Wikimedia movement in a more effective and sustainable way.

Endorsements

For further information, read the grant proposals for Year 1 and Year 2.

Eligibility: Anyone who supports the Wikimedia CEE Hub (not only from the CEE communities) as an individual or on behalf of a community affiliate.
Format: Signatures on behalf of a community affiliate have to contain the name of the affiliate that the signatory represents, name of the signatory and username in parentheses.

Example: Wikimedia Antarctica, Peng Wynn (User:Penguin)

Wikimedia community affiliates

Wikimedia Hungary, Tamás Mészöly – Samat (talk) 21:20, 6 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Community User Group CEE Spring, Kiril Simeonovski – Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 21:41, 13 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Czech Republic, Tadeáš Bednarz --T.Bednarz (talk) 18:06, 15 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Polska, Szymon Grabarczuk (Tar Lócesilion)
Wikimedia Armenia, Susanna Mkrtchyan --WikiTatik (talk) 07:42, 20 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia UG Georgia fully supports the idea of creating a hub in the CEE region, which will allow communities to interact more closely. This will enable the development of affiliation and the Wikimedia movement in the region, as well as to allow us to solve existing issues for all of us. --Mehman (WMGE) (talk) 15:52, 22 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedians of Albanian Language User Group On behalf of WoALUG I would like to endorse Wikimedia CEE Hub. Thank you to everyone who made it possible! Margott (talk) 17:40, 22 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Serbia, Miroslav Loci --Mickey Mystique (talk) 07:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Österreich, Claudia Garád (Executive Director) --CDG (WMAT staff) (talk) 10:01, 24 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Community Malta, Toni Sant (board member) --ToniSant (talk) 09:56, 12 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group --Strainu (talk) 17:27, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Shared Knowledge (Macedonia), Toni Ristovski --Ehrlich91 (talk) 09:22, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
GLAM Macedonia, Zana Shtrkovska -- Виолетова (talk) 11:12, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group, Z. Blace --Zblace (talk) 06:37, 30 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Community User Group Albania, Irdiism --Irdiism (talk) 15:23, 18 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Wikimedia Community User Group Greece, Nikos Likomitros. I fully support the initiative because it can connect better the CEE community, increase cooperation between the communities of the region, and help facilitate knowledge exchange between the communities which will surely help community growth. NikosLikomitros (talk) 01:22, 23 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Wikimedia community members

Tgr (talk) 23:00, 2 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 21:41, 13 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
As a recipient of several WMF grants I see a benefit of having more institutional knowledge gathered an developed in regional hubs. Papuass (talk) 16:07, 21 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Same as Papuass, I see benefits in developing regional administrative support framework.--62.217.251.153 16:33, 21 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Nice! Good luck. :) —DerHexer (Talk) 21:30, 28 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Bachounda (talk) 13:21, 12 April 2022 (UTC) Good Initiative! for a deep collaboration in the continent[reply]
V0lkanic (talk) 19:07, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Kurmanbek ^💬 13:32, 1 September 2023 (UTC) I'm supporting CEE Hub idea. It is very useful for further strengthening our regional cooperation and inter-community communication.[reply]
Egezort (talk) 01:12, 20 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Don Stroud (talk) 10:31, 28 September 2023 (UTC) Russian & English Wikimedia projects.[reply]
Filipinayzd (talk) 03:05, 8 October 2023 (UTC) Bikol Wikipedia Community[reply]