Community Governance “The Good, the Bad, and the Way Forward”
🎥 Session recording: [https://youtu.be/40Q219XJc30?t=6581](https://youtu.be/40Q219XJc30?t=6581)
Effective governance is essential to advancing Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge for all. As community-led structures evolve and committees take on increasingly complex responsibilities, it becomes critical to pause, reflect, and intentionally improve how governance works in practice.
This session offers a structured and candid space for committee members, Wikimedia Foundation community governance support staff, Users with Extended Rights, and engaged community members to reflect on Wikimedia’s governance landscape. Together, we will explore what is working well in volunteer group collaboration and decision-making, surface recurring challenges and friction points, and collectively identify actionable improvements for the future.
Through a mix of brief framing, interactive polls, and participatory discussions, participants will share governance “wins,” examine anonymized case examples, and co-create practical next steps to strengthen transparency, clarity, and collaboration. The session aims to move beyond critique toward constructive, solutions-oriented dialogue.
By the end of this session, participants will leave with:
* A shared understanding of current governance strengths and gaps
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* Concrete ideas for improving processes and coordination
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* Clear next steps to support continuous governance improvement
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This conversation is an opportunity to strengthen trust, accountability, and collective stewardship within Wikimedia’s governance ecosystem.
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