Jump to content

Wikimania:Expressions of Interest/2029/Wikimania Open Movement/Endorsements

Add links
From Wikimania
  • FOSDEM has already expressed support for the Open Movement global event in 2025 and confirmed this support in 2026.
  • We have presented the proposal for Wikimania Open Movement to Wikimedia Belgium and representatives of other chapters [and we are available to present it and discuss it further].
  • We have already started in 2025 a related project in Italy called Open movement Italia, supported by Wikimedia Italia, to connect with the Italian and international open communities and to start the preparation of the Open movement event in Brussels in 2029. Within this project we have established a working group composed of Iolanda Pensa (lead volonteer), Erica Litrenta (coordinator, staff) and the volunteers Chiara Somajni (journalist), Valerio Bozzolan (Italian Linux Society, unpaid), Eleonora Pantò (Open Education), Paola Corti (Open Education Global) Alessandro Sarretta (OpenStreetMap), Gabriele Ponzo (LibreOffice), Deborah De Angelis (Creative Commons), Elena Marangoni (Open Access and board of Wikimedia Italia) and Marta Andreoli (FSFE Free Software Foundation Europe). We have already produced 27 interviews with representatives of the open movement, and are working on many others to collect information and discuss common challenges and directions. We will start disseminating the interviews in the summer in collaboration with 4 radio stations supporting the project and, of course, on the Wikimedia projects. We have collected positive feedback about the idea of an Open movement event from many people interviewed.

Here you can add your endorsement to Wikimania Open Movement 2029. If you have questions or remarks instead, please add them to the discussion page.

  • Marta Andreoli, Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) - Italy Coordinator:
We warmly welcome and support this initiative to bring together organizations, communities, and individuals working across the Open movement.
At a time when technology, knowledge, culture, and public infrastructure are becoming increasingly important to society, creating stronger connections between the many complementary movements is both timely and valuable. Efforts around digital rights, open knowledge, open standards, open culture, software freedom, and related fields share common principles: empowering people, promoting participation, and ensuring that individuals and communities retain meaningful control over the technologies and systems that shape their lives.
We believe it is a positive and ambitious idea to experiment with new forms of collaboration and networking. Bringing our energies, expertise, and communities together can help create greater visibility for the values we share and foster new partnerships.
As an organization committed to protecting users' rights and advancing people's ability to control and understand the technology they depend on, we see significant value in creating spaces where complementary movements can learn from one another for their work for society.
We support the exploration of this collaborative effort and encourage stakeholders across different movements to participate in shaping a visible, inclusive, and impactful event that reflects the strength and diversity of our shared principles.
  • Nyo Dekens, Wikimedia Belgium
We support the proposal for Wikimania Open Movement 2029 in Brussels, as the local chapter in Belgium. The shared vision of the open movement is exactly what connects all of us, and Brussels is the ideal place to bring those forces together. The overlap with FOSDEM offers a unique chance to strengthen ties between open knowledge and free software.
  • Rémy Gerbet, Wikimédia France
I am delighted to express our full support for this expression of interest. The concept of a "Wikimania Open Movement" is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen ties between Wikimedia and the broader open-source, open-data, and open-knowledge ecosystems. We believe this vision aligns perfectly with the strategic goals of our movement and will bring fresh, innovative perspectives to our global community. The organizing team has demonstrated a clear, inclusive, and ambitious vision. Wikimédia France stands ready to collaborate and support this initiative to help make it a resounding success.Thank you for putting forward such an inspiring proposal! Rémy Gerbet WMFr (talk) 12:14, 6 July 2026 (UTC)reply
  • Giacomo Alessandroni, Wikimedia Italia and Free Software Foundation Europe
In my opinion, any initiative involving the Wikimedia Foundation must be based on free software and free hardware. Times are changing, and we are the new resistance. Now. Galessandroni (talk) 15:06, 13 July 2026 (UTC)reply
  • Paola Corti and team, SPARC Europe
SPARC Europe very much welcomes and endorses the Wikimania Open Movement 2029 proposal. Through our Connecting the Opens initiative, we've worked to bridge open access, open science, open education, and open source communities because we've seen how much these movements gain when they work together rather than in silos.
A global event bringing Wikimedia together with the wider open ecosystem is a great opportunity for cross-open movement collaboration. We certainly support it and look forward to bringing our experience connecting open communities to help create a more open ecosystem for the public good.
  • (your name, org and message here)
  • (your name, org and message here)
Retrieved from "https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimania:Expressions_of_Interest/2029/Wikimania_Open_Movement/Endorsements&oldid=587483"