Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/2019 Community Conversations/Strategy Salons/Reports/Benin UG/Cotonou/EN
This report is available in French here.
Ce rapport est disponible en français ici.
Date & location edit
- Date : 3rd of August 2019
- Location : Campus Numérique Francophone in Cotonou, Bénin
- Theme : Capacity Building
Participants list edit
- Nerus KOLADE (talk) Organisateur
- Fawaz TAIROU (talk) Présentateur
- Saliou ABDOU
- SENOU Maliki
- Mlandry9
- Djahoudjahou
- Awanabi IDRISSOU
- DJOSSOU Oboubé
- Rachad SANOUSSI
- DOSSOU Isaac
- ALOGBONON Ross
- MOUSTAPHA SOULE Salamath
- KOUCHIKA Nikey
- Cyr ZOGO
- DAKPOGAN Richmond
- Zinsou Romaric
- KPONON Adjéi
- JOB Ghislain
- KPAKO Landry
- HOUNGUE Ozias
- SOHOUENOU Robert
- AZOGNONON Constant
What happened? edit
The salon had three steps. First we watched the Wikimedia 2030 video presentation and the Strategy Process slides, then the slides about Capacity building, so as to present the Salon's goals and expectations. Then the participants were divided into 4 groups to examine different questions, and their answers were gathered and synthesized.
Discussion points edit
Thematic area : Capacity Building
Question 1 : What are the capacity building needs of stakehoslders and organizations? How can people and organizations be better supported in their work and for the accomplishment of their goals? edit
- Need for awareness raising and communication around the wiki ecosystem and its governance
- Need for awareness raising and communication around actions and projects
- Set up a core of trainers for each Wikimedia project
- Organize monthly capacity building training about at least one Wikimedia project
Question 2: What are the existing capacity building efforts in the movement? Tell us in particular about local initiatives that we may not know about! edit
Already existing efforts:
- Wiki Loves Africa
- Wiki Loves Earth
- Month of Francophone contribution
- Contributing workshops to Wikipedia and its sister projects at CNF (Cotonou Francophone Digital Campus), BioLab, IrokoLab and other third places
Local initiatives that we may not know about:
- Training in small groups of two, three or more people (These are types of training that we organize for lack of financial resources, we use our personal offices for reduced periods of time like 1 hour, to do workshops periodically)
- Online training (online workshops organized on Zoom, since it is sometimes difficult to be able to mobilize a trainer in the classroom especially the administration team)
Question 3: What formats and methods of capacity building have worked and which ones have failed? edit
Formats and methods of capacity building that worked
- Training workshop, individual work supervision
- Workshops and training with the necessary logistics (Internet connection, teaching materials, snacks)
- Training workshop done by people who know the Wikimedia projects really well
Those who have failed
- individual, organizational and systemic causes
- In capacity building, other communes of Benin are not represented.
- Some capacity building workshops were organized in the evening but the number of participants obtained was far from the objective pursued;
- Other workshops were organized in the morning but the audience turned out not being really interested in contributing.
Question 4: What aspects of capacity building should be undertaken at a local, regional or thematic level, and what aspects should be organized and distributed centrally? edit
Local, regional level
- Trainings to learn how to contribute on Wikimedia projects
- Capacity building related to diversity and local culture
- Workshops on Wikipedia and sister projects
- Technical and managerial training and setting up a trainers network for other cities
- Implementation of several workshops in other cities
Aspects to be organized and distributed centrally
- Sourcing mechanisms
- Creation of new projects or contribution campaigns (Wiki loves africa, etc.)
- Capacity building for User group leaders
