Egypt Wikimedians User Group/Charter

In 2014, Egypt Wikimedians User Group was founded by several volunteers in Egypt. In July of the same year, the Wikimedia Foundation's Affiliations Committee officially recognized the group, making it the second user group in the Arab world and the fourth in Africa.

Since then, the user group has successfully attracted many new members and volunteers. It has launched numerous activities, including local and regional conferences, editing and training workshops, competitions, and photo walks. Additionally, it has implemented education programs in several Egyptian universities with the participation of thousands of Egyptian users, alongside cooperative agreements with various local and international institutions.

To preserve the group's successes, it became necessary to establish a charter that lays down the foundations and principles to guide its future. This charter supports the goals we believe in, helping us achieve the user group's vision of serving humanity and enriching knowledge.

The group aspires to build a large volunteer community in Egypt spanning all ages, regions, cultures, and ethnicities. We aim to empower individuals to access knowledge in its various forms by training and encouraging them to contribute to Wikimedia projects. We strive to unify joint efforts, gathering individuals and volunteers into a single entity that provides them with all means of support and removes any obstacles they may face.

One of the group's priorities is to support knowledge content about Egypt across various fields. As a country with a deep-rooted history, heritage, civilization, and culture, we must work to highlight Egypt in the best possible way and make it a core part of the group's activities. We also work on disseminating Egyptian culture, identity, and knowledge sources online.

Furthermore, we aim to spread the culture of volunteerism, motivate new volunteers to participate, and provide them with the necessary training and assistance to fulfill their roles. Ultimately, we aim to enrich knowledge through content, images, references, and everything needed by users of various Wikimedia projects.

We believe that the knowledge provided by Wikimedia projects is a catalyst for social, economic, and cultural development, as it helps spread scientific knowledge to everyone for free and combats ignorance and misconceptions. Therefore, we aim to increase the volume and improve the quality of knowledge in these projects by recruiting a larger number of volunteers, ensuring the broadest possible participation across various fields and disciplines. Similarly, we work to provide a healthy environment that supports and encourages their contributions to fulfill this mission, fostering the spirit and culture of volunteerism to serve humanity.

• Cooperation: We believe in the importance of cooperation among all members in their various roles, as well as cooperation between the group, the Wikimedia Foundation, its other projects, and all collaborating entities to achieve our common goals.
• Volunteerism: Volunteering is the foundation upon which Wikipedia and all other projects were built. It is essential to promote this culture of unconditional giving, without the expectation of financial compensation.
• Supporting Free Culture: Free content and free licenses are integral to the knowledge projects we support. We must work to spread them to maximize benefits and share knowledge without borders.
• Respect: A spirit of mutual respect must prevail among everyone. There is zero tolerance for abuse, discrimination, or the belittling of anyone's efforts.
• Equality and Social Justice: Contributions are not limited to specific demographics. Support must be provided to marginalized groups, and resources must be distributed equitably among all, without exception.
• Pluralism and Cultural Diversity: Our efforts must encompass all affiliations, genders, and ethnicities to ensure genuine pluralism, building a comprehensive culture based on diversity.
• Supporting Knowledge and Innovation: The group supports all types of knowledge content, as well as new and innovative technologies, methods, and ideas.
• Participation in Decision-Making: No single person should monopolize decision-making. Discussion and dialogue must be defining characteristics of the user group to ensure objective decisions that serve everyone.

• Continuously work to attract new volunteers by introducing them to Wikimedia projects, motivating them to volunteer, and raising external awareness to garner community support.
• Train new members by conducting workshops and sessions to teach them all necessary basics and skills.
• Provide knowledge sources such as books, documents, images, and audiovisual content. It is also vital to form partnerships and agreements with libraries and archives so volunteers can benefit from these resources.
• Provide all necessary resources and tools to assist volunteers in their work and help them overcome any obstacles they face.
• Organize regular activities and competitions to motivate members to contribute and foster a healthy sense of competition.
• Hold regular gatherings and meetings among group members to build relationships and increase the spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding.
• Support the Wikimedia Movement's goals, ensuring the User Group remains part of it.

The User group aims to provide activities and services to others, which include:

• Providing grants, financial support, or expertise to members to help them contribute more effectively.
• Establishing technical and administrative trainee programs to prepare qualified personnel to work within the group.
• Hosting editing workshops and educational courses, both in-person and online.
• Assisting and supporting innovations, or conducting case studies and research that benefit Wikimedia projects.
• Holding local and regional conferences to facilitate discussions, share ideas, and present topics that benefit everyone.
• Organizing photography trips and visits to museums and archaeological sites to obtain free images that enrich knowledge content about Egypt.
• Supporting and encouraging volunteers by organizing contests and competitions.

All group members, through consultation, discussion, and voting, will adopt this charter in parallel with the preparation of other key laws such as the user group's bylaws and code of conduct, in order to achieve and implement everything stated herein in the charter and to ensure that everyone adheres to these provisions in the best possible way.

The draft of this charter was presented, reviewed and discussed in September 2023. Subsequently, the user group members unanimously approved all clauses in November 2023. The Board of Trustees ratified, adopted, and published the charter on various websites and platforms.

• Edited on: December 3, 2023.

• Egypt Wikimedians User Group Regulations