The Association
From Wikimedia CH
Wikimedia CH is a national association, approved by the Wikimedia Foundation and supporting free content creating projects. Its main focus are the projects of the Wikimedia Foundation, especially 
Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia which has more than 1'500'000 articles in its english version; 
Wikibooks, a collection of free books; 
Wikinews, a free news portal where you can find free and neutral news; 
Wikiquote, a free collection of quotes; 
Wikisource, a free collection of sources as well as 
Commons, a media collection of free images, videos and audio files.
Goals
The association was established in 2006 to support the creation, collection and distribution if free content in a charitable way to ensure equal opportunities for everyone to obtain knowledge and education. The association is focussing on wiki technology. The goals should be achieved in the following ways:
- Operating and funding operation of platforms to create, collect and distribute free content.
- Distributing and support of distribution of free content in other ways, eg. digitally or printed, focussed on the content of the various international Wikimedia projects.
- Acquisition, provision and distribution of information as well as public relations around the topics free content, wikis and the various Wikimedia projetcs. This, for instance, is done with events or information material.
- Investigation of scientific, social, cultural and legal issues in conjunction with free contents and wikis, for instance by expertises, studies and allocation of scholarships.
The Wikimedia Foundation has approved Wikimedia CH as a local chapter. Wikimedia CH however does not represent the Wikimedia Foundation legally. Wikimedia CH does not have any influence on or responsibility for the content of the various Wikimedia projects which are hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.
History
The idea to establish a Swiss Wikimedia association - like Wikimedia Deutschland - has occurred independently to Michael Bimmler, Nando Stöcklin on one hand and Rupert Thurner, Gerold Zeilinger in spring/summer 2005. To exchange ideas, a meeting of Wikipedians was held in November 2005. Before and after this meeting the bylaws were written and translated, a Mailinglist and a wiki where set up. Apart from this preparations for the first Wikipedia Day 2006 were made which took place a month after the foundation at May 14th. In the beginning of 2006 also possibilities to facilitate fundraising for Wikipedia in Switzerland e.g. via tax exempted donations were elaborated.
Early in 2007 a Wikipedians meeting was organised by authors of the German Wikipedia. As there was no general assembly planned yet it was decided to combine these two events which then took place at Juni 24th 2007. At the end of September 2007 Wikimedia CH in cooperation with Digitale Allmend holds a Wikipedia Day at the Pedagogical University at Berne.
