Joho the Blog
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August 06, 2006
Florence Nibart Devouard is on the Wikimedia Foundation board. She talks about building in diversity. She begins by giving a history of the foundation. Wikipedia started in January 2001. The Wikimedia Foundation began in the middle of 2003. She gives a detailed and interesting history. Resolutions, she explains, need at least two members to approve the draft before it get svoted on. All is done in public. The Foundation's original mission statement says it's about encouraging "the growth and development of open content, wiki-based, and multilingual projects." It is not Wikipedia-specific. She points to other ways of putting it. E.g., "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing." (She accompanies this with a photo of Jimmy Wales as a Jedi Knight.) The board needs to see the big picture, in addition to specific expertise. Issues: The organization is US-based but the community is international. The projects are run by voluneers. The organization does not own the content. Solutions: Balance appointed vs. elected board members to make sure that there are enough people who get the big picture. Set up an advisory board. And organize meetings all over the world. There are also educational issues: The number of contacts to the outside world, other than Jimmy. Limited reporting overall. Only one board meeting in 2006. Solutions: Organize real life meetings, seek help from professionals or academics, study other orgs, require an annual survey by each board member, and require reports from committees. Third issues: Being a team. Don't allow a single personality to dominate the board, as happens now. Not all members participate equally. Solution: Expand the board with active members. Term limits. Hire a CEO. Set up committees. Have a conflict-of-interest policy. Share the workload. fourth: Avoid win-lose situations. The chapters now are not branches but part of a federated oragnization. They don't have the right to use the logos. Where to go? Partnering? Does the Foundation lead, create, push, and/or support initiatives? She ends by pointing to three editors who died recently because we should remain who makes Wikipedia. [How many organizations are this forthright and transparent?] [Tags: wikimania2006 florence_nibart_devouard wikimedia] Posted
by D. Weinberger at August 6, 2006 11:09 AM
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Comments
J'aimerais que vous ajouter mon web sur l'analyse du discours dans la reference discourse analysis de Wikipedia
Posted by: Helen Perdicoyianni | August 29, 2006 05:27 PM
ATT: Florence Nibart Devouard
Dear Ms. Devouard,
I hope and pray that this letter finds you and your family well. Please take a few moments to read this. I know you must receive many requests but this is VERY special, it’s about CHILDREN. We have a center for children with autism. As you might be aware, these are small children between the ages of 16 months, (babies) and up. There is no cure but our centers offer HOPE for them and work with them one on one. It is a blessing to have healthy children and a true blessing but, when this terrible autism hits, it affects the child and puts a terrible burden on the parents and family, they wake up and go to sleep with autism everyday.
This autism shows no discrimination, as all children can be affected. We serve over 500 children, 42 in the center and the balance we reach out to their homes, one on one therapy. We do not have any more room and we have so many waiting to get in. Everyday we get calls and it hurts my heart that we have to say NO to parents. In fact when the child reaches their 11th birthday they have to leave as there is no more room. I wish I could take all of them in. That is why we need to put up another 3 floors right away; at least those that will be turning 11, will have a place.
These are OUR children and they need our help. I was hoping you would find some time to visit with the children at the center and you will see the dedication and the hope we offer to them. I would also be a happy to meet with you at your home or office to go over it in more depth about the children. I myself and the founder Joshua Weinstein have dedicated our lives to these children. I know how dedicated and sensitive you are to children and these children need our help, please.
Because of this great need in Israel we recently started a center in Jerusalem and we already have 50 children enrolled. (http://tishma.org/index.htm).
Besides the school here in NY and in Israel, we are also working on research to have a dedicated data bank for ALL the children in the world with autism and the center will be located in Jerusalem. At the same time we are also developing software to help Pediatricians. In fact a few weeks ago Newsweek had a feature cover story on Autism. ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15792805/site/newsweek/ )
A little background: The school was founded in 1998 in response to some families whose children with autism were not adequately served by the New York education system. Joshua Weinstein, Shema Kolainu’s founder, recognized the growing need in the New York metropolitan area’s education system for special education and needs of children with autism and so Shema Kolainu was born. Today, over 550 children, 3 years old to age 11, are enrolled in our school-and community-based programs. Our education and therapy are developed around research-based, data-driven Applied Behavior Analysis (A.B.A.) methods, which is the therapeutic modality with the best results for children on the autism spectrum. We have seen dramatic improvements in our children’s lives. Every day, we rejoice in their small miracles, you really have to see for yourself to really appreciate it.
Please Ms. Devouard, help me make our children your children and find the time to come and visit our children and be involved with them.
http://shemakolainu.org School
www.icare4autism.org World Organization
http://tishma.org/index.htm Israel Branch
Thank you and G-d Bless you and a Healthy & Happy New Year,
Elliot Rose
516-316-2285
elliotrose18@optonline.net
Posted by: Elliot Rose | December 29, 2006 12:17 PM