[okfn-br] Local chapter of Open Knowledge Foundation in Brazil

[Augusto Herrmann]

Hi, Tom, Lucy and all!

I just read your message 90 minutes too late to participate in the Skype
call with Lucy. How was it?

I'd like to propose that the idea of a local chapter for the Open Knowledge
Foundation be discussed in our 1st National Open Data Meeting, which will
take place in Brasília, from 26th - 27th October. What form do you all this
discussion could take place? Should there be a panel or just a bunch of
people discussing informally in a room (unconference)?

Hopefully we can arrange it in time to spread the word so interested people
can plan their trips and come.

Best regards,
Augusto Herrmann
Open Data Team Brazil
Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management

On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 7:36 PM, Everton Zanella Alvarenga <
everton137 em gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> after I came back to Brazil one month ago and the idea of having a
> local chapter in Brazil during discussion at Open Knowledge Conference
> <http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/okfn-br/2011-June/000003.html>, in
> June, now I think I'm settled to continue the discussion started three
> months ago among people interested. I've read the most recent
> guideline indicated by Lucy Chambers [1] and I have some questions and
> thoughts, which I'd like to listen what you think all think about.
>
> Before that, I want let you know I will have a talk with Lucy and Kat
> tomorrow at 10h AM (Brazilian time, 14h in UK) in skype and if some of
> you want join it, you are welcome (just add me: everton137). I should
> have send this email long before (sorry!). Since this week we have the
> workshop on open data at the City Council of São Paulo, I think it's
> an appropriate time to ask somethings and begin to gather people from
> civil society, government and researchers who wants to promoting open
> knowledge through Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFn) vision
> <http://okfn.org/about/vision/>. But I think we should have another
> discussion with all people involved soon, preferably at an IRC channel
> and logging the discussion.
>
> 1. Why a chapter? A group or a legal entity?
>
> After some experience with the (long) discussions about creating a
> local chapter of Wikimedia Foundation in Brazil, [2] that lasted for
> years, since 2008, the end of this history was the decision to create
> a legal entity in Brazil, working together with the other group who
> opposes this idea (at the end, both groups have the same goal,
> promoting free knowledge to every single human being!).
>
> In the case of an OKFn chapter, for the nature of its projects and all
> stakeholders, I believe a legal entity would be more appropriate for
> having a sustainable community and sustainable projects. I'd like to
> elaborate more on this point later, and other thoughts are welcome,
> but for short: we need a legal entity representing civil society in
> the discussion with the government and for funding purposes - after
> some odd experiences, I conclude sometimes only volunteer work doesn't
> make possible the continuity of interesting projects.
>
> 2. Do we have a group committed with OKFn vision?
>
> I think so, but I believe we have to have more definite goals and a
> roadmap: well defined projects, what are our priorities and where we
> want to go. I think the groups already active in projects which fits
> OKFn vision are:
>
> * Transparência Hackers (Hackers for Transparency)
> https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/thackday
> * Movimento Brasil Aberto (Open Brazil Movement)
> http://www.brasilaberto.org/petition:en
> * Fórum de Direito de Acesso a Informações Públicas
> http://www.informacaopublica.org.br/
> * Artigo 19 (Article 19) http://artigo19.org/
> * Open Data BR http://opendatabr.org/wiki/Opendata-BR:Sobre
> * W3C Working Group on open data (a really interesting information
> that was told to me today by Vagner Diniz, W3C Brazil office manager)
>
> There seems to be a growing number of researchers interested on open
> government data [citation needed : ] and after the approval of a
> freedom of information legislation in Brazil (federal and regional
> levels), an Open Knowledge Foundation Brazil would have an important
> role and would be an important civil society voice in this process we
> are going to live in the following years, bringing together the
> mentioned groups and other stakeholders.
>
> 3. Next steps. Can we start promoting this idea? What can we already do?
>
> Finally (I hope you all have reached here), some final questions I
> want discuss with Lucy and Kat tomorrow and, as I said before, others
> are welcome:
>
> * Can we already start promoting the idea of a local chapter? If so...
>
> * I think we have already to begin to organize an informal meeting  to
> discuss the idea of a chapter among members of the mentioned groups,
> let's say, at most in the mid November. Maybe during the W3C
> conference <http://conferenciaweb.w3c.br/> (17th and 18th of November,
> in Rio de Janeiro)? Or maybe a meeting after this event in São Paulo?
> Some other place? The majority seems to be in São Paulo.
>
> * As an informal group supporting OKFn goals, what can we already do?
> What are the main activities a legal chapter can do and a informal
> group cannot? Can I already already invite interested people to this
> mailing list, for instance? (besides after I've send a tweet during
> OKConf some interesting people have already joined us :)
>
> * Should we start using OKFn wiki in case we start a plan/roadmap for
> a Brazilian chapter?
>
> Best wishes!
>
> Tom
>
> [1] http://wiki.okfn.org/Chapters_and_Regional_Groups
>
> [2] Brazil has some peculiarities because of its size and most people
> involved in the discussions of a Wikimedia Brasil were in São Paulo
> (besides there were also people from Brasília, Porto Alegre and other
> places). Before writing a roadmap/plan for a Brazilian local chapter,
> I believe it's worth reading a report about the Brazil Catalyst
> Project
>
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global/Brazil/Progress_Report#Complete_Version_-_English
>
> and an answer to the Wikimedia Chapters Committee pointing out some
> characteristics of the Brazilian community and why some of us were
> opposed of a legal entity in *this particular case*
>
>
> http://br.wikimedia.org/wiki/Relacionamento_com_a_Wikimedia_Foundation/Comit%C3%AA_de_Cap%C3%ADtulos/Resposta_aos_questionamentos_2010_02
>
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