2025-08-06 –, NYERI
Language: English
🎥 Session recording: https://w.wiki/FByP 🎥
Wikimedia Deutschland and the Wikimedia Foundation are working together on the Wikimedia Futures Lab, a process including an in person convening in January 2026, to learn more about global trends impacting Wikimedia and discuss potential movement-wide responses. We are looking for a mix of affiliates, contributors and external experts to join these conversations.
In this session, we invite participants to examine global trends through a local lens. This workshop will serve as a platform to engage with the international movement on the initial concept for this process and talk about next steps. This is an opportunity to share your views and help shape this experiment.
In a time of profound global transformation, the Wikimedia Movement faces challenges that pose a risk to the relevance and resilience of its projects, and require us to develop joint responses. From emerging technological trends to shifts in how people access and contribute to free knowledge, the landscape is changing rapidly. Despite pressing needs, the Movement currently lacks platforms for global, strategic conversations to discuss our joint mission for free knowledge. We need to experiment with an innovative format to collectively address global trends, adapt our strategies, and shape the future of the Wikimedia projects and the global Movement. Now more than ever, our volunteers and Wikimedia organizations need to come together to discuss how to continue fulfilling our mission in a changing and challenging environment.
With the Wikimedia Futures Lab, Wikimedia Deutschland and the Wikimedia Foundation intend to create a new space to cultivate a sense of belonging, fostering open dialogue and understanding across differing perspectives within the Movement.
In this interactive workshop, we’ll use breakout groups and discussion to identify shared challenges and opportunities that are impacting Wikimedians and the Wikimedia projects. Together, we’ll identify global trends and co-imagine a desirable future that inspires unity and collaboration.
Potential questions are:
* How are you seeing key global trends play out in your local region and context?
* What is the current state of public opinion, contributor growth, or legal regulations in your region?
* Which recent developments are most concerning or impactful for your community?
- Etherpad for the session:
- Should your session be selected for the program, do you agree to release your session and supporting materials on-wiki and on the eventyay platform under CC BY-SA 4.0?
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I agree
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
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Everyone can participate in this session
- How do you plan to deliver this session? You will be asked to confirm this closer to the date in case of changes to the format.
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Onsite in Nairobi
- What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below.
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Events, Collaboration
- How does your session relate to the event theme: Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
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With 20 years of Wikimania and almost 25 years of Wikipedia, we look back at a history full of legendary stories about what our movement is constituted of and how Free Knowledge impacts the world. But how about the years to come? To ensure Wikimedia and the Wikimedia projects remain relevant and resilient, we need to develop joint responses. In this workshop, participants identify global trends and co-imagine a desirable future that inspires unity and collaboration.
Nicole Ebber has been shaping the Wikimedia Movement since joining Wikimedia Deutschland in 2010. She has led key initiatives such as the Chapters Dialogue and Wikimedia Summit, and played a central role in developing the Wikimedia Movement’s Strategic Direction in 2017. From 2018 to 2020, Nicole led the global Wikimedia 2030 Open Strategy process, bringing together hundreds of Wikimedians to chart the movement’s future. Since 2020, she is leading Wikimedia Deutschland’s Governance & Movement Relations team, focusing on strengthening governance, collaboration, and movement building across the Wikiverse.
I work at the Wikimedia Foundation as Chief of Staff, since 2019.