Wikimedia Meta-Wiki

Grants:PEG/User:Nattes à chat/Let's fill the gender gap Workshops/Report/Interim

< Grants:PEG‎ | User:Nattes à chat/Let's fill the gender gap Workshops‎ | Report


Interim report accepted
This interim report for a Project and Event Grant has been reviewed and accepted by the Wikimedia Foundation.



Project status edit

Are you complying with the requirements specified by WMF in the grant agreement?
YES
Do you expect this project to be completed by the date specified in the approved grant submission?
YES
Did you use any of the grant funds?
YES


Activities and lessons learned edit

Activities edit

  • The project is supported by 3 sessions over the course of a year, with 6 workshops per bloc, participants meet up twice a month on Tuesdays from noon to 2 pm. All the information related to dates, programs and participants are available on the project page (in French):here. The first session was carried during the autumn 2015 and the second session has begun in January 2016. Also, a conference was organized back in September 2015 to kick off the initiative and to inform the local Geneva community of the existence of these workshops. All the information pertaining is available on the Wikipedia project page.
  • At the end of each bloc of 6 workshops, each participant can edit an article on wikipedia, is comfortable to exchange with the Wikimedia community, developed competencies on providing adequate references for articles, fully understands the founding rules of Wikipedia and is empowered to solve the gender gap on Wikipedia. Each session follows the following organization in terms of content:
  • Workshop 1: Presentation of the Wikimedia movement, Wikipedia and the gender gap
  • Workshop 2: How to contribute and write an article from scratch
  • Workshop 3: How to look for sources and include pertinent references in an article?
  • Workshop 4: Tenacity: how to interact with the community online?
  • Workshop 5: Introduction to gender inclusive language (in French)
  • Workshop 6: Group presentation of the published articles: knowledge & experience sharing workshop

Each workshop is divided in two: first hour is devoted to a general presentation, the second hour is devoted to practical exercices. We found out that giving homework from session to session improved the participants level of activity between each session.

  • The initiative received excellent reviews & coverage from the French speaking media (written, radio, tv), all the links are listed here:
 
Wikipedia conference at the University of Geneva on the topic of the gender gap 29.09.2015

|

Lessons learned edit

What lessons were learned that may help others succeed in similar projects, or that may change the way you are doing this project?
What went well, or is going well?
  • Having a collaboration between 3 partners and active contributors was a key element for the success of the conference and the workshops. Indeed, the following counterparties were involved: La Fondation Emilie Gourd, le Service égalité de l'Université de Genève, Wikimedia CH coordinated by Nattes à chat, with the help of LaMèreVeille and Gabrielle Marie WMCH. We leveraged each partner's network for it to gain momentum which was positively picked up by the media, as per the above section and which also meant the workshop's registration process was a success.
  • The groups of participants were highly motivated individuals that kept coming back from one workshop to the next. Therefore, it confirmed that the project answered a solid demand that is to learn and contribute to the online encyclopedia.
  • The participants were eager to learn and came from different horizons. Indeed, between librarians, academics and field experts as well as the cultural blend of a variety of nationalities, there was a wonderful pool of competences and skills. These sessions were also a wonderful opportunity for transverse knowledge sharing within such a diverse group.
  • People appreciated having drinks & a sandwiches as it took place over lunch time. It encouraged peolple to talk and mingle, as well as creating interesting associations: two particpants collaborated on writing an article on a famous mathematician. One of them understood the maths, the other the French laguage, and they produced an article together.
  • The workshops were free to attend in exchange for the completion of an article and people received a certificate from the University of Geneva at the end of the workshop. Thanks to this rule, participants had a clear objective and target to complete through the workshop which also provided a source of motivation for participants.
  • The trio of trainers Nattes à chat, La MèreVeille and Gabrielle Marie WMCH collaborated positively with each other and within a constructive feedback environment from one session to the next.Their combined competences were complementary.
  • People who were trainees during the first session are coming back to the second session of workshops as trainers. Indeed, 3 of our participants have come back within this role for the second session. Some of them cannot come at each workshop but this observation carries encouraging perspectives, as this is actually developing a local community which was one of the project's goals.
  • All the observations above are also valid for the ongoing session, the second set of workshops ranging from the month of January to March are pretty much following the pattern of the first session.We have however run a survey and slightly changed our way of doing things following the participants feedback. They said thay favoured going faster in the interface, having one of the contributors write an article in front of them, and having some sort of written support in between the courses. We chose to write their homework and a resume of the course with the useful wikipedia links on their discussion page, to engage them faster with this way of doing things.
What did not go well, or is not going well?
  • The difficulty within collective workshops is that all beginners start the first session at more or less the same level of understanding of the "contribution" learning curve. However, inter-individual competencies quickly create sub-groups of people who learn and improve at different paces. Therefore, in one workshop, we have to go through a lot of repetition for people who are less autonomous and at the same time we need to keep things interesting and move into more complex demonstrations for the participants who are fast learners.
  • Some participants, have difficulty understanding the fact that the Wikimedia projects are collaborative and that you need to ask for help from time to time. As we move into a very competitive society and job market, people need to switch back to this mode to get the editing jist. Now, we emphasize the explanations on the mindset of the movement so that people understand that you often need support from other contributors and should not be shy to ask and to find ressources within the wikipedia interface (this last part is probably the hardest part of all).
  • Some exchanges with the community are difficult for newcomers. Indeed, it appears some senior contributors tend to forget that there is a steep learning curve when you start to contribute and that it does take time to know and remember all the rules. Sometimes, we have to deal with upset newbies who do not understand the harshness of an online community. This is when it is great to have in presence workshops as we make sure people do not give up their efforts to learn on the back of those experiences.
  • The choice of the environment, specifically the IT room is very important, for the first session we had a room with no windows which made it a bit gloomy for the first meeting. However, the atmosphere was so positive and jolly that it compensated for the room. For the ongoing session, we have upgraded to a room with windows which makes it much more agreeable.
From your answers above, do you plan to change anything you are doing as your project continues?
  • The trio of trainers will keep working at improving its competencies of handling a large group of contributors eager to learn. Our experience taught us that a great minimum of 3 people is required to manage those complexities for a group of 25 participants. The backbone of the workshops remains the same in terms of steps and process, however, with the experience of the first session and the answers of the questionnaire we sent out, we've developed an understanding of what works and what can be improved. Therefore, we try to continuously improve by mix and matching new teaching techniques & tools within the 2016 sessions.
  • From WMCH's point of view, the idea is to hand on the baton to the new trainers in order to support the current organizers Nattes à chat, La MèreVeille, so that the project carries on without the interference of the chapter.

Outcomes and impact edit

Outcomes edit

Provide the original project goal here.
  • Get more women to contribute to wiki articles
  • Review existing articles on famous women from the french speaking part of Switzerland
  • Build a network and community of female contributors in the Geneva Lake area
  • Build a community of wiki contributors in Geneva interested in gender issues
  • Empower women to step forward as experts, to "lean in" as defined by Sheryl Sandberg
  • Bring gender awareness to male contributors
  • Bring awareness to female contributors about the stereotypes that sometimes slow them down
  • Teach participants to become contributors
  • Promote equality of chances on internet and among workshop participants
  • Empower female experts-to-be by helping them to step forward in their field of research
  • Promote confidence and self-esteem by a learn-by-doing approach
  • Provide a series of workshops with professional coaches to teach how to contribute to Wikipedia
Do you expect to reach your project's goal? Why or why not?
Up till now, we are satisfied with the metrics retrieved and the results we received from the final surveys we send out. From the first sessions of the workshops, we can tick each box from the project goals. However, we are not even half way within the project so we need to carry on and review those elements once the project is fully completed (June 2016).

Another positive outcome is that the workshop will move on to the canton of Vaud in the city of Lausanne within a new institution (HES-SO).

Progress towards targets and goals edit

Measures of success edit

Project metrics

Project metrics Target outcome Achieved outcome Explanation
15-20 participants 25 participants We increased our initial outcome by having 25 participants to the first series of workshops, which is more than what we originally intended, the registration process was a success thanks to the communication strategy devised for the project.
From the group of registered participants, we hoped to have half of them carry on their editing activities 13 of them were rolling active editors (5 edits per month - 30 days) The group of participants picked up on the intent to build a local community and the vibe of the workshops was very positive over the course of the 3 months. Some contributors are now joining for the second sessions as mentors for the beginners.
Completing as many entries as possible of the swiss women listed in the library provided (see list of books in the accounting section). 10 biographies have been created from these books Completing all the entries from the recommended books, this is still work in progress as this target was intended to be reached following the completion of the 3 sessions during 2015 & 2016. Also, we believe that this target might not reach it's objective by the end of the project. Indeed, people who participate generally pick a biography of their choice which does not necessarily come from those books.


Provide an overall assessment of how your project is going according to these measures.
The project is going well and so far the collected data is within the initial targets.
While doing this project, have you decided to track any other measures of success not listed in your grant submission? If so, please list them here.
We decided to apply some of the standard wikimetrics indicators to improve our chance to review performance indicators such as
  • Pages created: currently 60
  • Edits: 620
  • Newly registered: 17
Also, in order to improve each bloc of 6 workshops, we devised a questionary for the group of participants to fill out so that we may progress. The answers to the questionnaire are provided here.

Remember that you will need to report on Global Metrics in your final report.

Impact edit

50% of participants are rolling active editors. 3 participants of the first workshop are coming to the next sessions as mentors for newcomers. The project has created interest and we are currently looking for funding for replication in other geographical locations. The media coverage (as developed in the above section) has benefited to the image of al institutional partners involved in terms of promoting gender awareness.

Reporting and documentation of expenditures edit

This section describes the grant's use of funds

Documentation edit

Remember that you will need to send receipts or documentation of all project expenses to WMF at the time your final report is submitted.

Expenses edit

Please list all project expenses in a table here, with descriptions and dates. Review the instructions here here.
These expenses should be listed in the same format as the budget table in your approved submission so that anyone reading this report may be able to easily compare budgeted vs. actual expenses.
Note that variances in the project budget over 10% per expense category must be approved in advance by Project and Event Grants program staff. For all other variances, please provide an explanation in the table below.

Initial budget as notified in the grant: In kind contribution: ●room provided by University of Geneva : 5400 CHF ●professional coach specialized in gender issues provided by UNIGE: 5400 CHF ● Wikimedia project manager to teach technical editing aspects : 5400 CHF ● a teacher of internet information searching tools provided by UNIGE : 5400 CHF

Other contributions needed for 18 sessions of 3 X 6 workshops throughout one year ●sandwiches and refreshment for 18 workshops: 3500 CHF ●books on wikipedia and Swiss Women 15 each: 1500 CHF ●promotion, communication: 500 CHF ●writing material for workshops: 500 CHF

Concerning the books, we have found out:

1 that Florence Devouard's book is available on wikibooks so we would probably only order just a few for people who are totally new to this type of books and will need time to transition 2 we would probably be better off by having a set of various book of women's biographies. The president of the Emilie Gourd foundation, who is contributing to the project financially as well, has given us a list of chosen books that could be useful. We would like to order these instead of the proposed two books above.

Number Category Item description Unit Number of units Actual cost per unit Actual total Budgeted total Currency Notes
1 promotion, communication participation to the graphic design costs in total by Unige 650.00 500.00 CHF The University of Geneva kindly provided photocopies so that writing materials were ot needed. However, the promotion part was higher than expected with the printing of flyers. So we added 150 chf of the writing material initially budgeted to the 500 chf promotion and communication
2 Books on wikipedia and Swiss Women (in French) several books with biographies see list below different prizes 17 577.45 1500.00 CHF We got a good deal on this toner and so came in under budget.
3 Food & Beverages sandwiches, fruits, water and coffee 1868.5 3500.00 CHF The number of participants varied from one workshop to the other but was actually more important than expected (and budgeted).
We have in average 5 more participants than planned, leading to a cost of 450 CHF that was not initially budgeted.
Would it be possible to slightly amend the budget affectation of "writing materials" to have 350 chf more?
We would be left with 100 CHF to find
4 Writing material 0.00 500.00 CHF As the University of Geneva provided most of the material and photocopying facilities, we did not really use that line. As the promotion was more expensive we shifted 150 CHF of the 500 CHF budgeted to a participation in the layout design for the promotionnal flyers

List of the library books provided for the participants:

1- DEVOUARD, Florence et PAUMIER, Guillaume "Wikipedia, Découvrir, utiliser, contribuer" , Presse Universitaires de Grenoble, 2009: 5 X 18.50 CHF

2- "Pionnières et créatrices en Suisse Romande, XIXe et XXe siècle", SPPE, editions Slatkine 2004, ISBN: 2-8321-0152-6 (éventuellement 2 exemplaires) : 5 X 45 chf

3- Viennot, Eliane, "Non, le masculin ne l'emporte pas sur le féminin! Petite histoire des résistances de la langue française", éditions iXe 2014, ISBN : 979-10-90062-20-7, 22 chf

4- Moreau, Thérèse, Pour une éducation épicène, ed. Réalités sociales, 1994 , 32 CHF

5- DEUBER ZIEGLER Erica & Tikhonov Natalia (éds). Les femmes dans la mémoire de Genève, éd. Suzanne Hurter, 2005 : 85 chf

6- DALLERA Corinne & LAMAMRA Nadia. Du salon à l'usine, vingt portraits de femmes, un autre regard sur l'histoire du canton de Vaud., 2003 : 28 chf

7- Histoire oubliée. Chronique illustrée du mouvement féministe 1914-1963, Staämpfli, 2000, 2 vol.: 80 chf

8- HERVÉ Florence & MANTILLERI Brigitte. Histoires et visages de femmes, Cabédita, 2004.: 40chf

9- KÄPPELI Anne-Marie. Sublime croisade. Ethique et politique du féminisme protestant, 1875-1928, Zoé, 1990.: 29.50 chf


Total amount spent on this project so far (with currency)
14'880.86 CHF (including organization of the initial Conferernce o the wikipedia gender gap)

This does not include the inkind contributions, which amount for a fair part of the project : 21 600 CHF

Total amount of WMF grant funds spent on this project so far (with currency)
3095.95 CHF
Based on your spending, will you need to request any changes to your budget? If you do, please see the guidelines for requesting changes to your budget.
YES
The number of participants varied from one workshop to the other but was actually more important than expected (and budgeted).
We have in average 5 more participants than planned, leading to a cost of 450 CHF that was not initially budgeted.
Would it be possible to slightly amend the budget affectation of "writing materials" to have 350 chf more?
We would be left with 100 CHF to find, would the WMF agree to extend the budget for this sum? Many thanks.
Retrieved from "https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grants:PEG/User:Nattes_à_chat/Let%27s_fill_the_gender_gap_Workshops/Report/Interim&oldid=15730870"