Grants:PEG/WM AU/Outreach conference

This Project and Event grant was funded in the fiscal year 2009-10 and subsequently cancelled by the grantee. Funds must be returned to WMF or reallocated to another approved grant request. Project report is available.

Legal name of chapter: Wikimedia Australia
Grant contact name: Chris Mann
Grant contact user-name or e-mail: w:User:ConMan
Grant contact title (position): Conference Convenor (no executive position)

Full project name: Australian Wikimedia Outreach Conference 2009
Amount requested (in USD): 3000
Provisional target start date: Organisation already begun for conference in November 2009
Provisional completion date

Budget breakdown

paying for a suitable venue for the event - $2000
operating capital in the inital stages of organisation before attendance revenue begins to arrive - $1000

(At this early stage of planning, costs are estimates. It is probable that one line-item may be required to cross-subsidise the other.)

Project scope

We are organising two events to be held in conjunction with each other in late November. The first is a two-day workshop aimed at bringing together Australian Wikimedians and building their capabilities in various areas including: copyright; editing workshops; dealing with press/institutions; commons uploading; fundraising; ad hoc discussion on Australian cultural issues. The second event, to be held on the following day, is a conference open to general public, media, academics and students. This grant is aimed mainly at the second event, the outreach conference i.e. the innaugural Wikimedia Academy in Australia.

The two events will be held in the national capital Canberra in November. It is probable that the Chapter's Annual General Meeting will be held in associaition with this conference also.

Project goal

The goal of the outreach conference is to increase the visibility of Wikimedia Australia and the Wikimedia Foundation in Australia, and to better people's understanding of how the Wikimedia projects work. It is also to help Wikimedia Australia executive and members to meet organisations and build relationships that will help us to facilitate operations such as the digitisation of public domain collections (e.g. museums, the National Library). This will include Wikimedia Australia's first press conference, first editing workshops, first "open to the public" presentations.

Non-financial requirements

It is possible that WM-Au could benifit from support from the foundation in:

Learning the best practice for a Wikimedia Academy and obtaining good documentation to distribute (F. Schulenburg).
Promoting the event to external organisations (J. Walsh).
Promoting the event within the community and organising volunteers to help/present/attend (C. Bass / J. Riggs).

Fit to strategy

If successful, this conference will greatly improve Wikimedia Australia's ability to further the Foundation's goals in Australia, by promoting the aims of free content and building networks with which we can obtain more such content. It will increase visibility and credibility (externally) as well as give the membership and general wikimedia community a greater sense of belonging to something "real".

Other benefits

The two-day workshop, which will be held in the same time period, will help build Australian Wikimedian's capabilities in areas such as advanced wiki editing, Australian copyright law in relation to free content, and communicating with copyright holders. It will also provide a venue for the Wikimedia Australia AGM.

Measures of success

We will consider this project a success if the conference is held and achieves the expected turnout of 100-200 people.