Regional Chapters and Groups

Participants of the first meetup of OKFN Finland. Image thanks to Hannu Makarainen.Participants of the first meetup of OKFN Finland. Image thanks to Hannu Makarainen.

In cooperation with the members of our various international projects, we aim to build new and healthy open knowledge communities across the globe by fostering OKFN:LOCAL Chapters and Groups.

What is an OKFN:LOCAL Chapter?

The OKFN:LOCAL network differs our Working Groups and Project Groups because its participants build projects, meetups and tools that have a regional focus – one which is rooted in local individuals and ideas. We currently have incubating and incorporated OKFN:LOCAL groups and chapters across the globe from Finland to India. OKFN:LOCAL organisers aim to position themselves in the midst of national and municipal discussions about open data and knowledge with a global context.

What do OKFN:LOCAL Chapters and Groups Do?

To engage with local communities, OKFN:LOCAL organisers undertake a variety of activities as a group, including organising public Meetup events, holding workshops and hackathons, updating each other through wikis and communicating in local languages using our online discussion lists. An OKFN:LOCAL group fosters new discussions and provides an umbrella organization for collaboration amongst local individuals, governments and civil society members. Its community members often attend other local events and meetups in order to engage with a wide variety of local organisations and stakeholders and ensure new participants are welcome from all backgrounds.

 

OKFN Local Chapters

OKFN Brasil at Festival de Cultura Digital in São Paulo. Image thanks to Wikimedia Commons.

Becoming an OKFN:LOCAL Chapter at the Open Knowledge Foundation

There are two stages to the OKFN:LOCAL process. Stage One is an introductory stage where a Chapter takes its first steps as a Local Group, and is expected be six months to a year in length. In Stage Two, a Local Group becomes a OKFN Chapter as a full-fledged arm of the international Open Knowledge Foundation Network. Want to start a Chapter in your area? Contact Kat, our OKFN:LOCAL lead, for more information about getting started.

OKFN:LOCAL Stage One / Group Incubation

As an incubating OKFN:LOCAL Group, you will be introduced to other group and chapter organisers around the world through regular Skype catchup calls, IRC and discussion lists. You will also be given a public website, blog and wiki on the OKFN:LOCAL system, a mailing list and a Meetup hub in order to organise local events – and when you run your first meetup, our Community Team will be there to help make it happen. Some incubating OKFN:LOCAL Groups also choose to align themselves with local like-minded organisations or find hotdesks at hackspaces and other community hubs at this stage.

OKFN:LOCAL Stage Two / Legal Chapter Incorporation

Once an OKFN:Local Group has successfully organised several public events, has a core team of local organisers, has communicated widely on its regional discussion list and has documented its activities regarding projects and local actions on its public website (Example: Finland) and administrative wiki (Example: Belgium), we can start to incorporate it more formally to the Open Knowledge Foundation Network as an Incubating Chapter.

This process is more extensive, and includes becoming a suitable form of legal entity and entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Open Knowledge Foundation (as a non-profit company in the UK) in order to expand as an autonomous organisation.

At this stage you will generally hire a team of paid staff, work on core projects with the rest of the Foundation’s network and have a local base that works with the other OKFN:LOCAL offices in Berlin and Austria as well as our London and Cambridge core team offices.

 

OKFN Local Chapters

Local Chapter events are often organised through our Meetup global hub.

Current OKFN:LOCAL Groups and Chapters

OKFN-Deutschland

  • Status: Stage Two. Fully incorporated OKFN Chapter.
  • Web: Public Homepage and Members’ Wiki
  • Contact: email: info [at] okfn.de; Address: Prenzlauer Allee 217, 10405 Berlin
  • Recent News: Memorandum of Understanding signed. Details here.

OKFN-Austria

OKFN-Finland

OKFN-Belgium

  • Status: Stage One. Incubating Chapter.
  • Contact: OKFN-BE Discussion List
  • Web: Public Homepage (In progress) and Members’ Wiki
  • Recent News: Founder’s Meeting on Feb 10, 2012 [Photo here]. First public meeting Nov 22, 2011. Details on wiki here. Next on agenda: signing of MoU and official chapter incorporation.

OKFN-Brazil

OKFN-Czech Republic

OKFN-Italy

OKFN-Greece

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-GR Discussion List
  • Web: Public Homepage and Members’ Wiki (In progress).
  • Recent News: First public meetup on February 10th, 2012 [details here and summary blog post here], with regular public meetups and events to follow. Currently looking for interested parties to help organise future events.

OKFN-Australia

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-AU Discussion List
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: Currently looking for local organisers and connections to get involved – please introduce yourself on discussion list if interested.

OKFN-Switzerland

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-CH Discussion List
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: Post about status of open data in Switzerland on OKFN blog here. Currently looking for local organisers and connections to get involved – please introduce yourself on discussion list if interested.

OKFN-Netherlands

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-NL Discussion List
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: Currently looking for local organisers and connections to get involved – please introduce yourself on discussion list if interested.

OKFN-India

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-IN Discussion List
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: Currently looking for local organisers and connections to get involved – please introduce yourself on discussion list if interested.

OKFN-South Africa

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: OKFN-ZA Discussion List
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: Currently looking for local organisers and connections to get involved – please introduce yourself on discussion list if interested.

OKFN-Bosnia and Herzegovnia

  • Status: Stage One. Local Group.
  • Contact: in progress.
  • Web: in progress.
  • Recent News: in progress.