Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy/Implementation/Affiliate health criteria/Reports/2024/Wikimedia Community User Group Cyprus
| Affiliate basic information | ||
|---|---|---|
| What is the affiliate name? | Wikimedia Community User Group Cyprus (Wikimedia Cyprus) | |
| Please list the languages supported by this affiliate | Greek, Turkish, English | |
| Please list countries where this affiliate operates | Cyprus | |
| Reporting timeline (e.g. January-December) | January-December | |
| Reporting year (e.g. 2024 or 2024-2025) | 2024-2025 | |
| Primary contact (user name) | AProdromou | |
| Secondary contact (user name) | OkutS | |
| Goal delivery | ||
| What is the affiliate mission? | A collective dedicated to improving digital literacy, promoting human rights, and exploring the impact of artificial intelligence across the island through the Wikimedia projects | |
| What are the affiliate goals? Link to the strategic plan, if there is one. | The Cyprus group will concentrate on three main areas in the 2024-2027 period. These areas are:
i. Wikimedia Community Building in Cyprus, focusing on gender and underrepresented groups. ii. Develop initial collaborations with higher education institutions iii. Awareness raising on open knowledge and Wikimedia through events in Cyprus | |
| Organizational development | ||
| How does the affiliate make decisions? How are decisions communicated? | We operate on principles of transparency, collaboration, and consensus. Decision-making is primarily community-driven and participatory, involving both active members and contributors. Key decisions—such as those related to events, partnerships, campaigns, and strategy are discussed openly during our monthly meetings or via our communication channels, with input welcomed from all members. Whenever possible, we aim for consensus. In cases where consensus cannot be reached, decisions may be made by a core coordination team, always with the goal of reflecting the group's mission and the broader Wikimedia movement's values. | |
| What is the current state of the affiliate finances? Link to the latest financial report, if there is one. | This is our first year receiving funding, and as we are not yet an officially established NGO, we operate with the support of a fiscal sponsor who manages our finances. | |
Affiliate health and resilience
| ||
| How many people participate in the decision-making process in the affiliate? | Decision-making is led by the core coordination team (3 people) with input from active community members (5). Major decisions are discussed collaboratively in meetings and finalized by consensus. | |
| Has there been any significant changes in the level of the affiliate membership body (e.g. increase/decrease of number of dues-paying members)? | Membership is steadily growing, especially through outreach activities such as Wiki Loves Monuments and WikiGap. There is increased interest from both Greek and Turkish speaking communities. | |
| Are there any affiliate activities in the past year that were led by affiliate members? Please share the highlights. | Members are involved in organizing and participating in campaigns (e.g., Wiki Loves Monuments, WikiGap), editing Wikimedia projects, giving presentations, and conducting workshops. | |
| Leadership and inclusion | ||
Diverse, skilled, and accountable leadership
| ||
| What kind of skills does the affiliate leadership possess? | Current leadership has strong backgrounds in communications, DEI, event planning, and project management. They also contribute regionally through the CEE Hub Steering Committee. | |
| Is there any kind of succession plan for the affiliate leadership? | While the group is still in early stages of formalization, informal mentorship and knowledge transfer are being practiced. Long-term planning includes onboarding more volunteers into leadership roles. | |
| Are there any trainings that affiliate leadership undergo before they assume their leadership position? | Leadership has not undergone formal training but operates based on extensive professional experience and subject-matter expertise in communications, DEI, and community engagement. | |
| Are there any requirements for affiliate leadership to disclose their conflict(s) of interests? | There are currently no known coi. | |
Diversity balance (especially gender)
| ||
| What is the diversity level of the affiliate leadership and membership body? | The group actively includes members from across Cyprus and beyond, with a focus on gender equity, linguistic inclusion (Greek, Turkish, English), and representation from marginalized communities. | |
| How is the affiliate leadership encouraging gender diversity in the decision-making process(es) of the affiliate? | Decisions are made collectively, considering diverse perspectives. Language accessibility and cross-community representation are core principles. | |
Universal Code of Conduct compliance
| ||
| How does the affiliate leadership ensure, enforce, and evaluate compliance with the Universal Code of Conduct obligations? | The group is committed to the Universal Code of Conduct. | |
| 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. | Meetings are documented and summaries are shared with active contributors. Key decisions are archived and accessible to the group. | |
| Community connection | ||
| How many affiliate members are active contributors to the Wikimedia projects? | About 5–10 contributors are regularly active in organizing, editing, or participating in community discussions. | |
| How many affiliate members are not active contributors to the Wikimedia projects? | Some members participate occasionally but do not contribute regularly. Efforts are being made to re-engage them through inclusive events and communications. | |
| How many affiliate members are active organizers (of projects, events, conferences, initiatives, etc) within the Wikimedia movement? | A small team of 2–3 organizers leads campaign coordination, partnerships, and outreach activities. | |
| How many people have participated in affiliate projects, events, conferences, and/or initiatives in the past year? | Participants in activities range between 10–30 depending on the campaign, with increasing engagement from underrepresented communities. | |
| Partnerships and collaboration | ||
| Please list all activities/initiatives that the affiliate has organized or co-organized in past 12 months. | Major activities include Wiki Loves Monuments, WikiGap, educational workshops and edit-a-thons. | |
| 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) | Strong in strategic communications and outreach. | |
| Well-connected with local civil society and academia, allowing for impactful partnerships. | ||
| Able to design and execute community-led campaigns with regional relevance. | ||
| What are the 3 (three) capacities that the affiliate would like to strengthen in the next 12 months? | Improve volunteer onboarding and retention systems. | |
| Develop clearer internal documentation and governance tools. | ||
| Expand leadership training and succession planning for sustainability. | ||
| 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? | Key partners include the WICZ+ Foundation, universities (University of Limassol) and NGOs (Girls in STEAM Academy. | |