CIS-A2K/Events/Indic Community Monthly Engagement Calls/June 3, 2023 Call

Event details

The first Monthly Engaging Call will be organised on 3 June 2023 with Let’s Connect which is an initiative to create an open and safe learning space for any Wikimedian that is part of an organized group to share and learn different skills with other peers to add value and contribute collectively to the community.

Safe space policy

Please read carefully and follow the Universal Code of Conduct (UCOC) during the event. You can find the link in here.

Program
Time	Discussions			Speakers
6:00 - 7:00 PM (IST)	Icebreaker (make people feel comfortable, that connects to the importance of peer sharing) - 5 min The basics about Let's Connect - 10 min What are we thinking about for South Asia - 5 min Q&A about the program - 10 min Brainstorm about how South Asia can take over Let's Connect 😁 - 15 min (this would be part of the feedback/info gathering you mention)			Jessica Stephenson Chinmayee Mishra

Meeting Details

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88529892413?pwd=NFBzekNCU1hJRER3T2lvQzIvMUNvUT09
• Meeting ID: 885 2989 2413
  • Passcode: 485561

Note: If you will face any difficulty attending the call or will have any queries please email at nitesh@cis-india.org.

Notes

• Etherpad Link: https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/3_June_2023_Call

Summary of the Call

First call under India Community Monthly Engagement Calls initiative happened on 3rd June 2023 at 6:00 pm. The call was about Let's Connect and the speakers of the call were Jessica Stephenson, Learning and Evaluation Program Officer, WMF and Chinmayee Mishra, a representative of Let's Connect Working Group.

The call began with an introduction, explaining the purpose of these calls. A total of 19 people participated in the call. Jessica Stephenson, one of the speakers, initiated the session with an icebreaker activity that emphasized the significance of peer sharing. The icebreaker question posed was, "Who has been someone important in your life that you have learned from?".

After the icebreaker session, speakers began discussing the importance of creating an open, flexible, and safe learning space for all Wikimedians and individuals who are eager to share their experiences and enhance their skills to improve affiliate programming and outcomes. This concept lies at the core of Let's Connect, an initiative led by community members or volunteers with support from the foundation. If someone is interested in learning a specific skill, the Let's Connect group can assist them in finding individuals who are willing to share that skill through 1:1 calls or sessions. Additionally, communities can access rapid funds for Let's Connect to replicate the initiative within their own localities.

Chinmayee began sharing her experience and engagement by stating, "I have recently joined the Let's Connect working group, and I would like to emphasize the objectives we aim to achieve in the South Asia region."

"Our main focus has been identifying areas where regional communities lack resources, particularly in the intellectual, evaluation, and social communications fields. We recognize the need to make important concepts and conversations more accessible. Currently, we face challenges in obtaining timely information. To address this, our primary goal is to provide an accessible platform that offers timely support to Wikimedians, enabling them to initiate their own projects and proposals. Additionally, we aim to design learning clinics that specifically cater to the needs and requests of the South Asia region."

"However, soon we are going to have the first-ever learning clinic based on the South Asia community's needs. It is a peer discussion about how to maintain a safe space. It will be in the month of June. Other proposals we are working on are based on pain points we identified based on discussions with Community members."

Participants also had a few questions and speakers addressed the questions and consider the suggestions as well. At the end of the session, there was a fun game on Kahoot about Let's Connect through a quiz.

Let's Connect have an open registration where anyone can register here