Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Malayalam Wikimedia Educational Program (ID: 22113994)

Follow-up questions on your grant application

Hello @Akbarali,

Thank you for putting in a grant application. We have reviewed your application and have a few follow-up questions:

Local Context

• Based on your experience with the Wikimedians of Kerala Usergroup, could you share about the history and growth of the Malayalam language community over time?
• What are the main wikiprojects that the community (or key editors) has/have knowledge about and contribute to?
• What are the underrepresented groups within the Kerala community and are there plans to reach them or work with them through this project?
• What do you think are some risks related to the project?

Programme/ Strategy

• Could you provide a timeline for your project?
• If you have experience planning and implementing similar projects, could you also share further details?

Learning, Sharing and Evaluation

• Could you review the rapid fund application guide and this resource, and fill up the questions 15-18? The data that you collect should help answer your learning questions.

Budget

• In your budget request, you listed budget for swag. You do not need to budget for them and can put in a request instead. More details - Grants:Project/Rapid/Requesting swag
• You also requested for 5 LCD projectors - Could you provide further rationale and context for the request? If approved, we also require that applicants make a system for community sharing and maintenance. Could you address this in your response as well? For reference, see also changes [to Rapid Fund program in FY 2023-2024| (travel and equipment)]
• In your application, you mentioned "In order to address the gap in contributions and reach underrepresented groups, we will continue to provide language support by creating video tutorial resources and training materials in the Malayalam language, and reaching out to communities and organizations that represent underrepresented groups." - Do you require budget for it? If yes, please also add it to your budget sheet. Where do you plan to organise/host/store these online resources so that it can be more widely shared with other communities?

I will be returning the application to you on Fluxx so that you can make the necessary changes (e.g. Learning, sharing and evaluation section and budget). Once you have made the changes, remember to click "submit" on Fluxx. Do also provide a short summary of the changes that you have made in response to the relevant questions above.

Thank you for taking time to respond.

Regards, Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 03:20, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

Hello @JChen (WMF) Thank you Jacqueline for your time and efforts to review our grand request. I appreciate the opportunity to further discuss and provide clarification on the proposed project. Kindly find my reply as follows.

Local Context

Based on your experience with the Wikimedians of Kerala Usergroup, could you share about the history and growth of the Malayalam language community over time?

Wikimedians of Kerala is a group of Wikimedians working various Wikimedia projects in Kerala, India. Our main focus is to support people who are working in Malayalam language in India as well as Keralaties diaspora in the world. The user group was established 27 Aug, 2018 and got approval by 12 October 2018.

Our main activities are as follows Conducting Workshops and Meetups, Promotion of Wikimedia projects and Free content in general, Encourage the use of Wikimedia resources in education,Organize Events to collect Creative Commons Contents and Upload it at Commons Wikimedia, Develop new local wikis (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wiktionary etc)

Wikimedians of Kerala are keen and actively participating in MCDC. I was the MCDC ambassador of the same..We had organized a number of workshops and online events. The details are as follows.

Year and Number of events

2018 = 8

2019 = 35

2020 = 5

2021 = 11

2022 = 10

2023 Till June = 5

Our annual report is available here

We have 55 registered members in the User group.

We are mainly active in mlwikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia commons and ml.wiktionary.org.

In Malayalam Wikipedia, currently we have 83,688 articles 5,08,471 pages and 1,71,709 editors in this 252 members are active editors.For more details

In Wikidata, we have 357 editors.We have specific projects for wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_Kerala In this we mainly focus the topics such as

Wikidata Kerala, Railway, Kochi Metro, Rivers, Hospitals, Higher Education, Technical Institutions, Schools, Administrative divisions, Taluks, Villages, Local Bodies, Municipalities, Panchayats, Current, Churches, Temples, Mosques, Post offices, Members, National Monuments, Biodiversity, Butterflies and  Malayalam Lexemes

The Malayalam Wikipedia (Malayalam: മലയാളം വിക്കിപീഡിയ) is the Malayalam edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia, and was launched on December 21, 2002. The project is the leading Wikipedia among other South Asian language Wikipedias in various quality matrices.[1] It has grown to be a wiki containing 83,675 articles as of June 2023, and ranks 13th in terms of depth among Wikipedia.

What are the main wikiprojects that the community (or key editors) has/have knowledge about and contribute to?

1. Malayalam Wikipedia
2. https://www.wikidata.org
3. https://commons.wikimedia.org
4. https://ml.wikisource.org
5. https://ml.wikiquote.org/wiki
6. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page/ml

• What are the underrepresented groups within the Kerala community and are there plans to reach them or work with them through this project? Linguistic minorities: While Malayalam is the predominant language in Kerala, there are linguistic minorities whose languages have limited representation on Wikimedia platforms. Rural communities: Individuals living in rural areas face challenges in terms of digital access, internet connectivity, and awareness about Wikimedia projects.Student communities: Student communities is another underrepresented groups within the Kerala community, especially in the context of Wikimedia projects. While there are active student communities and educational institutions in Kerala, their participation and representation on Wikimedia platforms may vary.
  * What do you think are some risks related to the project? Limited resources: Educational institutions may have limited access to technology, internet connectivity, or other resources required to actively engage in Wikimedia workshops. This can impact the effectiveness and participation of students. Lack of awareness: Students and faculty members may have limited knowledge about Wikimedia projects, their purpose, and the potential benefits of participation. This lack of awareness can affect the level of interest and participation in the workshops.
  Programme/ Strategy
• Could you provide a timeline for your project? Begins: July 10th 2023 Ends: 25th September 2023

• If you have experience planning and implementing similar projects, could you also share further details?
  I have successfully planned and organized Wikimedia workshops in collaboration with colleges and universities. This involved coordinating with faculty, student groups, and Wikimedia volunteers to determine the objectives, scope, and logistics of the workshops.I have designed workshop sessions that cater to the specific needs and interests of the participants. This includes selecting relevant topics, creating engaging presentations, and developing hands-on activities to enhance learning and participation. I have actively engaged with Wikimedia volunteers and community members to support the workshops. This involves inviting volunteers, conducting training sessions, and fostering a collaborative environment during the workshops. Few examples are as follows.

1. • 1. https://w.wiki/67Dc
     2. https://w.wiki/6pGX
     3. https://w.wiki/6pGU
     4. https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Seedac_College_of_Arts_and_Science/Seedac_Students_Wikimedia_programme_Programs
        Budget

• • In your budget request, you listed budget for swag. You do not need to budget for them and can put in a request instead. More details - Grants:Project/Rapid/Requesting swag As per the current policy, T Shirt has been removed from the Grant request. But we have added umbrella.Given Kerala's reputation as a region with high rainfall in India, I propose the provision of umbrellas adorned with the Wiki logo as swag. This initiative serves a dual purpose: offering assistance to the local community during inclement weather and enabling us to achieve substantial outreach goals.

• • You also requested for 5 LCD projectors - Could you provide further rationale and context for the request? If approved, we also require that applicants make a system for community sharing and maintenance. Could you address this in your response as well? For reference, see also changes [to Rapid Fund program in FY 2023-2024| (travel and equipment)]
    The 5 LCD projectors will be arranged as rent. It is not for purchasing. If we purchase 1 LCD  projector it will be useful for future programme as well. This will be a  community sharing resource and it will be kept as community asset. It will be highly appreciated if you allow fund for purchasing the LCD projector. I have made changes in budget spreadsheet for the purpose of purchasing.

• • In your application, you mentioned "In order to address the gap in contributions and reach underrepresented groups, we will continue to provide language support by creating video tutorial resources and training materials in the Malayalam language, and reaching out to communities and organizations that represent underrepresented groups." - Do you require budget for it? If yes, please also add it to your budget sheet. Where do you plan to organise/host/store these online resources so that it can be more widely shared with other communities?
    Yes we do require. It has been added in the budget sheet now. We will host host the video files in Youtue chanel of Wikimedians of Kerala https://www.youtube.com/@WikimediansofKerala and in Wikimedia commons
    I have modified my budget and answers on Fluxx based on recommendation
    Thank you for taking time to read this entire reply. Akbarali (talk) 06:38, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
    

Your grant application has been approved

Hello @Akbarali,

Hope you are well. It was lovely to connect earlier this week on a call.

Thank you for taking time to respond to the questions.

Congratulations, your grant application has been approved with a budget of INR 388,105.58, from 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023. These are adjusted based on your responses above and your revised application.

When putting in your report for your project, it would be useful to

1) Include qualitative analysis and responses to your surveys. I understand you have existing templates set up to do post survey analysis.

Here's another resource which may be of interested in understanding the learning outcomes for participants. While the resource may directed at a more comprehensive training programme, you could also consider picking 1-3 questions from the survey template and insert them as a quick poll after your trainings/activities. This could provide the temperature check you need to understand other aspects of the learning process. Education/Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom/For Certified Trainers#Reporting Requirements

2) Provide an update on the system that you have set up for community sharing and maintenance of assets that the User Group is responsible for as there are many equipment and tools you will be purchasing with the use of funds from this rapid fund. It would be best to document them on meta with clear guidelines on access and use. Wikimedians of Kerala/Assets

Recommendations for next application

3) Timeline - It would be useful to elaborate on the activity, when it is planned and who will be responsible for it. Here are examples - Wikimedia Thailand/Calendar; other rapid fund applicants (see high level project plan)

Let's continue to keep in touch and I'll encourage you to use this talk page to document discussions, progress or use it as a resource page so that we can support you as you progress. Of course, this is if you have the bandwidth and find it useful. =)

All the best!

Regards, Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 10:49, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

Additional Resources

Hello @Akbarali,

I'm starting a thread on resource sharing here. Please feel free to add resources about your project and we'll do the same if we come across any materials that may be useful.

• Instructions for post award: Grants:Processing/Grantee Portal/Post award/Individuals
• Reporting forms for rapid fund. Your report is due one month after the grant ends. The grant duration and reporting requirements can be found in your grant agreement. Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Applications and Guides#Reporting forms 2

Thank you.

Regards, Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 10:51, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

@JChen (WMF) I am writing to request a brief extension for the submission of our final report for the "Malayalam Wikimedia Programme," specifically the Rapid Fund Final Report (22-23).

We regret to inform you that we have encountered unforeseen challenges due to medical reasons, which have caused some delays in our project timeline. We are committed to delivering a comprehensive and accurate final report that reflects the true outcomes of our project. However, due to the current status of our data collection, we anticipate that we will need an additional three weeks to ensure the report's quality and completeness. It would be greatly appreciated if the deadline could be extended. Akbarali (talk) 13:43, 27 October 2023 (UTC)