Wikipedia:Esperanza/New charter

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This page is a subpage of Esperanza.

Notice: Esperanza is currently being reformed. Please note that all programs, the Advisory Council and the Charter are affected. Further details can be found on the Esperanza talk page.


This will be the page for the Esperanza Association's Charter Reform Convention.

ATTENTION: All people are remembered to keep their cool while debating these ideas/proposals.

Contents

[edit] Rules

The following are the rules for the convention.

We wikiedit a page, and come to consensus.

[edit] Esperanza Charter

  • Esperanza serves the interests of writing an encyclopedia, using wiki technology.
  • Anyone can join Esperanza
  • Esperanza will offer a place for people to learn from each other, and thus improve their encyclopedia/ wiki editing skills.

[edit] Wikizach Proposal-Expanded Legislature

[edit] I. Mission

The goal of Esperanza is simple—to be a place Wikipedians can turn to for hope, help, and reassurance. Esperanza is designed to be a small approachable community. Its members strive to recognize situations where Wikipedians need help, hope, or reassurance. Esperanzians try to match those who desire help with those who offer it. We also wish to expand our knowledge of all things, and to insure peace and protection throughout Wikipedia.

[edit] Ⅱ. Membership

Membership is open to any Wikipedian who is willing to follow this charter. Esperanza is committed to the Wikipedia community; our members should be as well. We also wish to expand Wikipedia, so to further our knowledge of the universe.

Esperanza members may be suspended for persistent and gross vandalism or violation of civility. Any member who finds another member doing this should tell someone immediately. Esperanza will abide by any ruling by ArbCom and/or Jimbo Wales concerning its membership or any specific member.

[edit] Ⅲ. Governance

[edit] A. Leadership

The leadership of Esperanza is a Council of 7 members in 2 tranches, A (with three members) and B (with four members). Each Councillor serves a term of six months. Should a Councillor resign or leave Wikipedia, he or she is replaced by the runner up from the last election to serve out the remainder of his or her term. In the case that there is any dispute from a vacancy in the Council, or a rule in dispute, the Administrator General shall have the sole duty to determine the resolution. In the case the Administrator General cannot complete that duty, then the Council will do it.

The Council will have the powers to: Suspend a member, hear inter-club disputes, pass or reject proposed programs, select the Adm.Gen in case of a vacancy, and work with Wikipedia to support the process of continued learning. Any power not delegated to the Committee will be delegated to the Esperanza General Assembly. NO Member of the council can also serve on the council or vica versa.

Tranche A
Tranche B

The General Assembly will consist of 15 members, each with a term of three months. In the first election, the top five vote-getters will serve for nine months, the next five will get six months, and the next five, three months. This will insure a three-month system, because this Assembly will be the power of the people. It will elect out of it's delegation, a Deputy Admin.Gen, who will sill have a vote in the Assembly, but aid the club until a new Admin. Gen can be found.

The Assmembly must meet once every two weeks. It must hold open meetings, (but can hold closed ones), in a way that all members can reach. Their main power is to solve disputes, much like a court, but they will simply advise the Council what to do. They will also fine tune all programs, they are simply the People's voice changing the things before it reaches the higher electors. They will also conduct hearings on violations of the Charter and suspensions of membership. By a majority vote, they can impeach a Council official or the Admin Gen, for high violations. They will conduct more hearings, and 11/15 is required to remove the person. In the case of a tie, the vote is negative. In the case of an absense of a member form whatever reason, the seat will remain vacant until the next election.

Class I
Class II
Class III


The Administrator General Each election, an Administrator General (normally abbreviated as Admin Gen) is chosen by the members of the club. If one wishes to run for this office and that of the council, they may only pick one. Should the Administrator General resign or leave Wikipedia, the Council shall meet and elect a new Administrator General from among themselves.

The Council shall approve any and all changes that affect Esperanza as a whole, like accepting new programs or any proposed amendments to the charter. This shall only happen after appropriate consultation with the Esperanza community as a whole, via the Esperanza talk page. Additionally, it is the Council's role to remind any member of Esperanza's values, should they need reminding. The role of the Administrator General shall be to co-ordinate the Council's affairs, and to "own" the IRC channel.

[edit] B. Amending the Charter and Polling

The Council can amend the charter, provided that discussion is held on the Esperanza talk page for one week prior to the amendment. Should there be dissent in that amendment from three or more Esperanza members, the amendment will require a straw poll of the membership.

[edit] The Moreschi version

[edit] Principles

  • Esperanza serves the interests of writing an encyclopedia, using wiki technology. To that end, all Esperanza programs must be specifically aimed at aiding the encyclopaedia.
  • Anyone can join Esperanza, provided they agree to the contract in point 4.
  • Esperanza will offer a place for people to learn from each other, and thus improve their encyclopedia/ wiki editing skills. Furthermore, Esperanza aims to improve Wikipedia's sense of community, and to help editors to be able to better resolve disputes and interact with other editors.
  • All members should agree to the mission statement in order to join - that is, they should agree to be, first and foremost, individual contributors to the Wikipedia knowledge base - that is, to the encyclopaedia.

[edit] I. Mission

Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia. The aim of Esperanza is to both help write the encyclopaedia and also to develop and assist the community that writes much of the encyclopaedia. More specifically, the goal of Esperanza is simple — to be a place Wikipedians can turn to when conflicts within the encyclopaedia have caused them stress. They may come to Esperanza both for advice -particularly as regards article-writing - and for reassurance. Esperanza is designed to be very approachable. When editors come to Esperanza for assistance, Esperanzians try to match those who desire help with those who offer it. In essentials, Esperanza is here to help editors to write and build the encyclopaedia - the core aims of Wikipedia. In this respect Esperanza is - and must always be - fully devoted to the encyclopaedia, and as a result aim to become a core part of the Wikipedia community.

[edit] Governance

[edit] Option 1

None.

[edit] Option 2 - the Elaragirl

One editor is chosen to run EA for a year by a poll/vote on the Esperanza talk page. The leaders of various programs are also chosen in a similar manner, and they report to the Leader.

[edit] Option 3

The current system.

[edit] Option 4 - the Kim Bruning

No real goverment, but a coordinator is chosen to coordinate various programs but who has little executive power

[edit] Roninbk's Proposal

[edit] I. Mission

Esperanza, which derives its name from the Spanish word for hope, is an association of Wikipedia editors who are devoted to building the encyclopedia by building the community of Wikipedia editors. Esperanza strives to accomplish this in the following ways:

  • Welcoming and encouraging new Wikipedia editors, while encouraging veteran editors to do the same.
  • Advocating civility in all dealings between Wikipedia editors
  • Sharing editorial experience to encourage the creation of better quality articles.
  • Offering hope, help, and reassurance to Wikipedia editors who are exhausted or stressed editors.
  • Actively contributing to the buiding of the encyclopedia, wehether individually, or in group projects.
  • Encouraging cooperation and sharing between various WikiProjects.

[edit] II. Membership

Membership is open to any Wikipedian who wishes to self-identify as an Esperanzan, and is willing to abide by the goals of the organization. Esperanza membership does not confer any additional rights within Wikipedia, and should not be construed as a factor in any decision regarding the editor's status within Wikipedia.

Esperanza does not tolerate vandalism or incivility between editors. The Esperanza Advisory Council reserves the right to terminate an editor's membership within Esperanza for gross violations of these policies. This termination is independent of any decision by the Arbitration Committee or Jimbo Wales, and Esperanza will fully cooperate with any such ruling.

[edit] III. Governance

[edit] A. Esperanza Advisory Council

The Esperanza Advisory Council is composed of 7 members in 2 tranches, elected to six month terms. These tranches are staggered so that an election is conducted every three months.

Tranche A, three members
Tranche B four members

Councillors shall ensure that all Esperanza programs are fully compliant with both Esperanza goals and Wikipedia policy. They may act to correct issues that deviate from the purpose of building an encyclopedia.

The Council meets to consider and vote to approve new Esperanza programs, proposed Charter amendments, membership issues or other concerns affecting Esperanza as a whole. The Council actively solicits input on Esperanza's Talk pages before voting to take action.

As with Esperanza membership, the Council enjoys no additional rights within Wikipedia. Administrator tools are not required for Council duties, therefore, being an administrator is not a requirement for becoming a Councillor.

[edit] B. Esperanza Adminstrator General

After each quarterly election, the Council meets to elect one of their members to serve as the Administrator General. The Admin Gen coordinates Council affairs, resolves any disputes that arise, and acts as Owner of Esperanza's IRC channel.

[edit] IV Council Actions

[edit] A. Esperanza Programs

New Esperanza programs are submitted at Wikipedia:Esperanza/Proposals. After a one week comment period, the Council shall meet to vote on adoption of the Program.

[edit] B. Charter Amendments

Charter amendments are submitted to Esperanza's talk page. After a one week comment period, the Council shall meet to vote on adoption of the amendment. Upon request of three or more Esperanza members, a straw poll of the membership will be conducted.

[edit] C. Council Vacancies

Should a vacancy occur in the Council, whether by resignation or the editor's departure from Wikipedia, the Administrator General shall appoint the first runner up from the last election to fulfill the remainder of his or her term. If there is any dispute, (such as a tie for the runner up,) the Council will vote upon the successor. If the vacancy is in the position of Administrator General, the Council shall first vote to replace the open Council seat, and then elect a new Administrator General as above.

[edit] D. Membership Disputes

If any Esperanza member is found to have committed gross acts of vandalism or incivility, the Council may vote to terminate their Esperanza membership.

[edit] Quack's proposal

[edit] Mission

1. The primary objective of Esperanza is to support contributions to the Wikipedia knowledge base. This is accomplished through a variety of methods, including but not limited to:

a. Encouraging Wikipedia readers to make their first edit
b. Training current contributors to become more productive
c. Maintaining staff morale, by spreading hope, good-will, and a sense of community
d. Maintaining staff morale, by dealing with minor problems before they turn into major ones
e. Directly improving the state of Wikipedia by organizing a variety of group projects
f. Encouraging co-operation and sharing between various WikiProjects

(notes)


[edit] Principles

2. Esperanza's services are provided for the benefit of all editors - not just Esperanzans.
3. All Wikipedian editors have the right to use or ignore Esperanza, without prejudice.
4. Wikipedia-wide promotions or sanctions are based solely on an editor's merits (or lack thereof), and not on any group affiliations or memberships.
5. Membership is open to any Wikipedian who:

a. Agrees to the initial mission statement - that is, they agree to be, first and foremost, individual contributors to the Wikipedia knowledge base,
b. Agrees to uphold all the other ideals presented in this charter,
c. Is willing to receive messages from Esperanza (such as the monthly newsletter), and
d. Publicly agrees to these terms and conditions, by adding their name to the members list.

6. Esperanza must keep its own affairs in order, and not become a burden on Wikipedia.
7. Some form of governance is necessary, to ensure that these principles are implemented.
(notes)


[edit] Governance

8. Esperanzan activities are co-ordinated by an Advisory Council (often abbreviated to AC). This Council consists of 7 members in 2 tranches, A (with three members) and B (with four members). Each Councillor serves a term of six months. Should a Councillor resign, leave Wikipedia, or be dismissed, he or she is replaced by the leading runner up from the last election, who will hold this position for the remainder of the original term.

Tranche A
Tranche B

9. After each election, an Administrator General (often abbreviated to Admin Gen) is chosen by the council from within the council. Should the Administrator General resign, leave Wikipedia, or be dismissed, the Council shall meet and elect a new Administrator General from amongst themselves. The role of the Administrator General shall be to co-ordinate the Council's affairs, and to "own" the IRC channel.

10. Powers granted to Advisory Council members:

a. Declare that consensus has been reached on an Esperanzan discussion, and act on that consensus
b. Alternatively, decide that an issue under discussion is too important (e.g. charter reform, adding/deleting programs), or too closely contested, to be summarily declared, and pass it up to the entire council
c. Be a public spokesperson for Esperanza (as an elected representative)
d. Suspend or revoke Esperanzan membership for members who commit vandalism or behave disruptively

11. Powers specifically denied:

a. Order members to carry out certain tasks, or order members to vote in a certain direction
b. Make major decisions regarding Esperanza without some form of consensus
c. Block or ban members who commit vandalism or behave disruptively (this decision is made by Wikipedia admins)

12. Responsibilities:

a. Accept the authority of the Arbitration Committee and Jimbo Wales over all of Wikipedia (including Esperanza), and fully comply with any of their rulings
b. Remain transparent to regular members, and contactable
c. Protect the Esperanzan image and brand name
d. Ensure that all the maintenance needed to keep the group alive (pages, newsletter, etc.) is carried out (either personally, or through delegation to other members)
e. Ensure that Esperanza stays focused on its primary mission of improving Wikipedia
f. Propose a course of action which is in the best interests of Esperanza (while remembering what its primary mission is)
g. Make a commitment to be personally responsible and accountable for the welfare of the group during their term in office

(notes)


[edit] Explanatory notes

[edit] Mission

(a) is recruiting for Wikipedia. The goal is to reassure readers that they are welcome to contribute, and that they won't be shot down in flames. This should be achieved by maintaining a friendly atmosphere on Wikipedia - this issue is covered more in point (c).

(b) is training. This training provides three basics. First, an introduction to the Wiki-verse, including other Wikis, and to any Wikipedia tools that are little known, but useful none-the-less. Second, the right frame of mind to be a part of the community. Third, the technical skills required for advanced editing and administration.

(c) and (d) are two sides of the same coin. They are officially sanctioned, but allow members to express themselves informally, and discuss any issues they wish.

(c) deals with positive issues. Put simply, hope is still a precious commodity. As stated in (a), building a community on Wikipedia will encourage some editors to be more active. If some editors want no part of it, that's fine, but the community is still there, and prepared to welcome them if they change their mind in the future.

(d) deals with negative issues. It is not about using peer pressure to force disgruntled Wikipedians to keep editing. Instead, a forum is provided for any editor (not just Esperanzan) to discuss any issues they wish, no matter how minor, on an unofficial level. If someone reaches a level of significant stress, they should take a break. (d) is about preventing editors from reaching such a level of stress in the first place. It is prevention, not cure.

(e) is a community action group. This group notices that work needs to be done, and, in the absence of government agencies, does the work itself.

(f) is a free trade agreement. There are a large number of WikiProjects which focus on certain articles or fields of shared interest. Esperanza could function as a sort of "meta-WikiProject" to help connect different users, feed cross-collaboration, and perhaps awaken new interests in Wikipedians.

In Wikipedia, all these services are provided by Esperanza, a community action group of sorts. (e) is the most direct work, but the other projects also improve the quality of Wikipedia indirectly, and in the long run, are needed to ensure a vibrant, diverse community of editors.
(back)

[edit] Principles

2. However you define it, Esperanza is not simply a social club. Also, while proving support services for editors, it is not Esperanza's job to provide such support for the internet community at large. See also "no court jesters" in point 5. Esperanza should be hosted on Wikipedia, to remind everyone that it is part of the Wikipedia community, and not an isolated group.

3. Editors should be judged on the quality of their work, not what they say or do on their break time. (Do you judge software based on what programmers do on their break time? Or do you judge the software on its own merits?) By the same token, editors shouldn't be criticised for using, or not using, the services Esperanza provides.

4. If, through being active in Esperanza, someone develops the right mindset and skillset to be an admin, great. But membership itself should be irrelevant to the RfA process. Ditto for demotions or banning users.

5. A full-time Esperanzan "court jester" might spread joy and good cheer throughout the Wikipedia. However, opponents of Esperanza will point to such an individual as an example of everything that is wrong with the group. To avoid such accusations, all members should be editors first and foremost, and personally contribute in some form. The form this takes is entirely up to the member - they can be a subject matter expert, web-page designer, dispute arbitrator, or policy refiner, to name a few.

6. Once community standards have been established for Esperanzan pages, Esperanzans themselves should be responsible for maintaining them. Per point 3, any non-Esperanzan admin who wants nothing to do with the group can ignore it, and should not be forced to clean up one of their discussions as part of their admin duties. Similar to smokers picking up their own cigarette butts. If a new person starts spamming Esperanzan discussions, Esperanzans themselves should work on "enlightening" said spammer.

7. This charter - indeed, any charter - is irrelevant without some method to enact it. Some form of co-ordination is needed for a group of this size. Also, a group is judged on how it deals with extremist members, such as habitual vandals and trolls. No condemnation by the group can indicate a tacit approval of those activities, and bring the entire group into disrepute. In any case, the highest penalties that can be made in this regard are counselling, suspension or exile from the group. As in point 4, any other decisions, such as banning from Wikipedia, are made by Wikipedians, with group membership being irrelevant.
(back)

[edit] Governance

(8) & (9) discuss election procedures and naming conventions. Esperanzans have the right to criticise any given AC member, citing specific examples of bad judgement, and giving the AC member a chance to explain their actions. If, upon studying the edit history of the AC member, there is an overwhelming consensus that the AC member has acted inappropriately, a "no confidence" motion can be passed, and the member in question can be replaced. Such a motion should only be suggested as a last resort.

10. The key powers of the AC deal with consensus - AC members alone have the power to declare consensus (or lack thereof) on a disputed discussion thread. The AC requires such a consensus before it can take any major actions. It can steer the course of a debate, and suggest specific outcomes to vote on if the debate looks like getting bogged down (just like any Esperanzan can), but it cannot simply silence a debate, or act against the wishes of the group.

AC members do have the right to take minor actions without a discussion, for the sake of efficiency, if they believe that the action will not be contested. If someone does formally object, the AC member's decision shall be suspended until a consensus has been reached to accept or reject it. An AC member who is shown to repeatedly abuse this "minor actions" rule could face dismissal, as in point 8.

11. The AC is not about leadership, so it does not have executive powers. If anything, it's role is similar to that of a parliamentary speaker - "to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like". A major difference from the speaker model is that AC members have the same powers as any other Esperanzan. That is, they can propose ideas, debate, and vote in any discussions they wish.

12. AC members are personally responsible and accountable for the welfare of the group. This does not mean they have to do all the work themselves. If Esperanzans are keen to get involved in certain projects, let them! The AC can then simply take a step back and become an "oversight committee", co-ordinating group activities and ensuring that everything that needs to happen does happen.
(back)

[edit] Dev920's proposal

Which is a ripoff or Moreschi with a different governance proposal. Sorry Moreschi.

[edit] Esperanza Charter

  • Esperanza serves the interests of writing an encyclopedia, using wiki technology. To that end, all Esperanza programs must be specifically aimed at aiding the encyclopaedia.
  • Anyone can join Esperanza, provided they agree to the contract in point 4.
  • Esperanza will offer a place for people to learn from each other, and thus improve their encyclopedia/ wiki editing skills. Furthermore, Esperanza aims to improve Wikipedia's sense of community, and to help editors to be able to better resolve disputes and interact with other editors.
  • All members should agree to the mission statement in order to join - that is, they should agree to be, first and foremost, individual contributors to the Wikipedia knowledge base - that is, to the encyclopaedia.

[edit] I. Mission

Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia. The aim of Esperanza is to both help write the encyclopaedia and also to develop and assist the community that writes much of the encyclopaedia. More specifically, the goal of Esperanza is simple—to be a place Wikipedians can turn to when conflicts within the encyclopaedia have caused them stress. They may come to Esperanza both for advice -particularly as regards article-writing - and for reassurance. Esperanza is designed to be very approachable. Its members strive to recognize situations where Wikipedians need reassurance or advice, and then to help. Esperanzians try to match those who desire help with those who offer it. In essentials, Esperanza is here to help editors to write and build the encyclopaedia - the core aims of Wikipedia.

[edit] Governance

Esperanza should be no different from Wikipedia, and as such its governance should be the same: decisions should be made by the people, for the people, using discussion to reach a consensus, as established in WP:CONSENSUS. No special titles or committees should be set up to perform maintenence which is easily carried out by any other editor, unless it is for a specific task such as newsletter making and anyone is free to add themselves to the committee without a vote.

If there is a clear, established need for a co-ordinator, one may be appointed in an election style process for a perod of six months. This co-ordinator may have no decision-making powers, no right to guide discussions, particularly those regarding his own position, s/he may only co-ordinate the project. Programs may not have their own appointed "leader" though some members may contribute more than others.

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