Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy/Implementation/Affiliate health criteria/Reports/2024/Kashmiri Wikimedians User Group
| Affiliate basic information | ||
|---|---|---|
| What is the affiliate name? | Kashmiri Wikimedians User Group | |
| Please list the languages supported by this affiliate | Kashmiri | |
| Please list countries where this affiliate operates | India | |
| Reporting timeline (e.g. January-December) | July - July | |
| Reporting year (e.g. 2024 or 2024-2025) | 2024-2025 | |
| Primary contact (user name) | 511KeV | |
| Secondary contact (user name) | Imranqazi | |
| Goal delivery | ||
| What is the affiliate mission? | To promote and support free knowledge creation and dissemination in the Kashmiri language and about Kashmiri culture, history, and heritage through active participation in Wikimedia projects | |
| What are the affiliate goals? Link to the strategic plan, if there is one. | The goals of the affiliate include promoting free knowledge in the Kashmiri language, increasing content on Kashmiri Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons, and building a sustainable community of contributors from the region. We aim to preserve and share Kashmiri culture, language, and heritage through Wikimedia platforms. We are in the process of developing a formal strategic plan for this year. | |
| Organizational development | ||
| How does the affiliate make decisions? How are decisions communicated? | The affiliate follows a collaborative and consensus based decision making process as of now. Major decisions are typically discussed within the community and consensus is sought through online meetings or dedicated groups. When needed, decisions are formalized through voting. Once a decision is made, it is communicated to members through Telegram channel of the group, via village pump, and shared in meetings. This system is currently in place due to a small number of users associated with this affiliate. | |
| What is the current state of the affiliate finances? Link to the latest financial report, if there is one. | The affiliate is financially compliant. We received a grant for the Kashmiri Wikimedians UG October 2024 – March 2025 Activity Plan, and the final report for this grant has already been submitted. As detailed in the financial report, there are some underspent funds remaining which we hope to use them in future activities after approval for PO. | |
Affiliate health and resilience
| ||
| How many people participate in the decision-making process in the affiliate? | ~4 members | |
| Has there been any significant changes in the level of the affiliate membership body (e.g. increase/decrease of number of dues-paying members)? | There has been no significant change in the overall level of the affiliate membership body. However, we continue to engage new contributors through outreach activities, and some members have become more active in recent months as a result of ongoing programs and events. | |
| Are there any affiliate activities in the past year that were led by affiliate members? Please share the highlights. | Yes, the activities of the user group over the past year were jointly organized by members of the affiliate. Howerver they hhave not taken any project individually | |
| Leadership and inclusion | ||
Diverse, skilled, and accountable leadership
| ||
| What kind of skills does the affiliate leadership possess? | The team is skilled in managing projects, reporting, and working within the Wikimedia movement’s structures and expectations. | |
| Is there any kind of succession plan for the affiliate leadership? | Yes, the affiliate recognizes the importance of leadership continuity and is committed to nurturing future leaders from within the community. While there is no formal written succession plan at present, efforts are actively underway to involve newer and younger members in planning and decision making processes. The leadership team shares responsibilities collaboratively, and active contributors are gradually being mentored to take on greater roles. The previous activity plan was also aligned to impart knowledge and skills among participants, with the objective of preparing them for future leadership within the user group. In the coming months, we will be focusing even more on building leadership capacity through targeted activities and continued mentorship to ensure long term sustainability and growth of the affiliate. | |
| Are there any trainings that affiliate leadership undergo before they assume their leadership position? | There is no formal or mandatory training currently required before assuming a leadership position within the affiliate. However, leadership development happens organically through active participation in Wikimedia activities, peer learning, and mentorship by existing leaders. Members who take on leadership roles are usually those who have been consistently involved in community work, understand Wikimedia values and platforms, and have demonstrated initiative and commitment. | |
| Are there any requirements for affiliate leadership to disclose their conflict(s) of interests? | Leaders are expected to act in the best interest of the community and to voluntarily disclose any potential conflicts of interest when they arise. As the affiliate grows, we recognize the importance of formalizing such practices and are considering the development of clear guidelines to ensure consistent and transparent handling of COI matters. | |
Diversity balance (especially gender)
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| What is the diversity level of the affiliate leadership and membership body? | The current affiliate leadership consists of three males and one female, reflecting an initial but growing effort toward gender diversity. We recognize that there is room for improvement. | |
| How is the affiliate leadership encouraging gender diversity in the decision-making process(es) of the affiliate? | At present, our affiliate has only one female participant, and we recognize that this reflects a significant gender imbalance. The leadership is aware of this challenge and is actively working to improve gender diversity by actively engaging with and considering the perspectives and contributions of our current female participant to ensure her voice is valued and reflected in our decisions. | |
Universal Code of Conduct compliance
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| How does the affiliate leadership ensure, enforce, and evaluate compliance with the Universal Code of Conduct obligations? | We ensure compliance with the Universal Code of Conduct by sharing the UCoC link and relevant notices at the beginning of meetings and through our communication channels. We promote respectful behavior, address any violations fairly, and encourage feedback to maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all participants. | |
| Engagement and Collaboration | ||
| Please share the publicly available records of regular meetings, activities, events, or conference in the past year where the affiliate has participated. | Here is the detailed account | |
| Community connection | ||
| How many affiliate members are active contributors to the Wikimedia projects? | 20 | |
| How many affiliate members are not active contributors to the Wikimedia projects? | 2 | |
| How many affiliate members are active organizers (of projects, events, conferences, initiatives, etc) within the Wikimedia movement? | 3 | |
| How many people have participated in affiliate projects, events, conferences, and/or initiatives in the past year? | 20 | |
| Partnerships and collaboration | ||
| Please list all activities/initiatives that the affiliate has organized or co-organized in past 12 months. | Here is the detailed account | |
| What would affiliate leadership list as the top 3 (three) capacities of the affiliate? (e.g. evaluation, community governance, programs and events, organizational governance and resource policies, conflict management, partnerships, fundraising, communication and media relations, contributor development, on-wiki technical skills, policy advocacy, etc) | Programs and events | |
| On wiki skills | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| What are the 3 (three) capacities that the affiliate would like to strengthen in the next 12 months? | Organizational governance | |
| Contributor development | ||
| Communication and media relations | ||
| What are the organizations, community projects, or groups that the affiliate had been working or seeking to work with to develop and support the 3 capacities? | The affiliate has been actively working on Kashmiri Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons with a focus on Kashmiri themes, and we plan to continue strengthening these efforts. In the past, we have collaborated with DCW and CIS, and we intend to maintain and expand these partnerships. Moving forward, we also aim to engage with the University of Kashmir and other organizations related to the Kashmiri language to further develop and support capacity building, development, and sharing within our community. | |