Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/CIP101 Wikipedia Project
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.
Applicant details edit
Wikimedia username(s):
- User:Egezort
User:Gufo46
Organization:
G. Have you received grants from the Wikimedia Foundation before?
- Applied previously and did receive a grant
H. Have you received grants from any non-wiki organization before?
- No
H.1 Which organization(s) did you receive grants from?
- N/A
M. Do you have a fiscal sponsor?
- No
M1. Fiscal organization name.
- N/A
Additional information edit
R. Where will this proposal be implemented?
- Turkey
S. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope:
- Local
S1. If you have answered regional or international, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.
T. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has. (optional)
- I'm applying as an individual, but I will be working together with Sabancı University's CIP (Civic Involvement Projects), as one of their supervisors. Their website can be accessed through here: https://cip.sabanciuniv.edu/en
M. Do you have a fiscal sponsor?
- No
M1. Fiscal organization name.
- N/A
Proposal edit
1. What is the overall vision of your organization and how does this proposal contribute to this? How does this proposal connect to past work and learning?
As a supervisor for CIP, I will talk about my overall vision within the context of my role in CIP.
CIP stands for Civic Involvement Projects, and it is our universities department that runs volunteer projects. Every student has to pass their CIP101 course at least once. I have seen both firsthand and indirectly the effect they have on the students and on the field, working with children, the elderly, and animals. My focus is on incorporating features of open culture and Wikipedia's mindset into the CIP program.
This proposal will show the potential of Wikipedia related projects when incorporated into voluntary functions of universities. It will aim to spark people's interests in Wikipedia and hopefully contribute to Wikipedia. A sentence that can summarise a change we want to create is "We hope that students will stop passing Wikipedia as their research, and instead start to incorporate their research into Wikipedia.".
My experience in CIP has shown me that speaking extensively about subjects or taking part in well-planned activities leads to a lot more egalitarian and diverse set of opinions. This ranges from people understanding gender and sexual orientation phenomena better, to having first hand experience working with disabled people etc. If this leads to a desire to do research about these subjects, it creates people who benefit society.
Wikipedia is used a lot by many people in our university, however the understanding of what it is and how it works is very much lacking. My vision is to encourage the usage of Wikipedia in the way that it is intended to be used.
This proposal is inspired by my many talks about Wikipedia with other students and university staff. It's also inspired by the motivation I have seen in some of my CIP projects from previous terms. My goal is to combine these in order to create a project that will continue even after my graduation.
2. What is the change that you are trying to bring about and why is this important?
Sabancı University has hundreds of students enrolling in the CIP101 course every term. (CIP101 is a pass/fail course that every student must pass at least once in order to graduate) These students do either "outside projects" or "campus projects". Outside projects include, visiting elementary schools, helping tend animals in shelters, visiting retirement homes, working with disabled people, cleaning shores etc. Campus projects are intended to train students to help marginalised communities, such as sign language courses etc. or to raise awareness among students about issues like gender discrimination, human rights abuses, sexual health etc.
This course helps a lot of students to learn and care more about social justice causes. This does often translate very well into their personal lives. However, there is no serious documentation of all of the research and the thinking that goes on during the activities. Incorporating Wikipedia editing into their programs will let all of the outputs of these projects contribute to the collective sum of human knowledge. This will also raise awareness about how Wikipedia functions and how one can be part of these communities. The aim is to influence the students to such a degree that some will be returning editors after they pass the course.
This change will be very important for a variety of reasons. One of them is that students will have a much better grasp of what Wikipedia is and isn't, this will increase the culture of discussions within the campus. It will also help them utilise all of the Wikipedia projects within their fields of work. This may be Computer Science students learning more about Wikidata or Biology students learning more about Wikispecies etc.
Another importance of this change is that knowing that contributing to Wikipedia can be a fun thing would improve their likelihood to want to contribute to it in the future. CIP101 is a lesson that many students are really happy to have taken and the CIP team really cares about helping students contribute to society even after they graduate. When the students see that contributing to Wikipedia can be through many different approaches, (not only by article writing) it will turn into something that they always keep in mind.
Another change is demonstrating the link between real life activism/volunteer work with Wikipedia contributions. This is important because it shows the nature of Wikipedia as a tool for social progress. The physical side of CIP101 projects (visiting retirement homes, elementary schools etc.) can be combined very well with creating Wikidata pages for said buildings and demonstrating their usefulness through virtual maps. This will show that not only is Wikipedia a fun pasttime, but also a way of making the world a better place.
3. Describe your main approaches or strategies to achieve these changes and why you think they will be effective.
I will explain my strategies through 4 points:
Strategy 1: Training the supervisors through fun activities
Our supervisor and counsellor team consists of volunteers that are a part of the CIP operation. Since this is a completely voluntary job, people here tend to be really interested in improving themselves and helping others. One of the main challenges tends to be that people need to know that it's going to be entertaining, otherwise the attendance decreases. I plan to make the trainings, speeches etc. as fun and as comfortable as I can.
Strategy 2: Encouraging quality content creation through prizes
I am planning to run some contests relating to content creation. CIP is a course that facilitates and sometimes requires content creation. (such as video-shoots, audiobook narration, blog-writing etc.) These range from things submitted just to pass the course to surprisingly impressive content such as songs about social justice, very well researched blog articles etc. I want to incentivize people willing to put in the effort to create such things if they're willing to publish them on Wiki Commons. This will both increase awareness about CC licenses and also help create lots of Wikipedia articles.
Strategy 3: Impressing CIP101 students from other projects by making events about their subjects
Wikipedia is a project that is about everything, or at least a project that can be made about everything. This is not necessarily recognised by the general population. I want to show people from different projects that their fields of interest intersect with what they can do as Wikipedia editors. Therefore I'll be reaching out to them in their own line of work.
Strategy 4: Training CIP101 students from the Wikipedia project to have a comprehensive grasp of Wikipedia
There will be a CIP group, consisting of 15-20 students, whose CIP project will be primarily about Wikipedia. They will be taught extensively about Wikipedia's principles, dynamics, and its sister projects. I expect some of them to be lifelong editors. I expect most of them to be the authority on how Wikipedia works in their own social circles when the topic comes up.
Strategy 5: Give out merch related to the collaboration of CIP and Wikipedia to make the project memorable
Having t-shirts, cups etc. that remind you of projects has a lingering effect that will help with the sustainability of both the project, and the students who became editors
4. What are the activities you will be developing and delivering as part of these approaches or strategies?
Strategy 1: Training the supervisors through fun activities
- A "CIPs Akademi" event. "CIPs Akademi" is an event in which people knowledgeable in their fields give seminars to supervisors.
- Two or three "CIPs" events, in which supervisors teach other supervisors about things they know about
Strategy 2: Encouraging quality content creation through prizes
- Having university-wide competitions for the creation of good articles, handing out cash prizes to successful editors
- Creating merch and distributing it to volunteer students who attend our events
- CIP holds fairs in which food, drinks, and clothes are sold. There may be Wikipedia related activities that provide a discount to students, encouraging outreach
Strategy 3: Impressing CIP101 students from other projects by making events about their subjects
- Going out to specific areas in accordance with the fields of the students. This could include going to protected sites for the environment related projects, going to history museums with students in the human rights projects etc. These will all be done with Wiki Commons and Wikipedia contributions in mind
- Doing workshops about social justice using academic/journalistic sources.
Strategy 4: Training CIP101 students from the Wikipedia project to have a comprehensive grasp of Wikipedia
- Ten or more weeks of 2-3 hour workshops specifically devoted to understanding Wikipedia and contributing to it
- Outside projects that are Wikipedia centred
5. Do you want to apply for multi-year funding?
No
5.1 If yes, provide a brief overview of Year 2 and Year 3 of the proposed plan and how this relates to the current proposal and your strategic plan?
- N/A
6. Please include a timeline (operational calendar) for your proposal.
- Spring 2023: (Will be done regardless of the approval/disapproval of this grant)
1 "CIPs Akademi" event about Wikipedia ("CIPs Akademi" is a CIP function in which an authority in a field gives a talk to CIP supervisors) 1 "CIPs" about socially progressive Wikipedia editing ("CIPs" is a CIP function in which the supervisors teach each other about things they know about) 3-5 Wikipedia related workshops directed towards CIP101 students.
Summer 2023: Planning the CIP program, creating a tentative syllabus, reaching out to organizations for possible collaborations
Fall 2023: The execution of the programme detailed in this proposal
7. Do you have the team that is needed to implement this proposal?
Our team consists of 2 people. However, the whole CIP team is going to be working with us throughout the whole process. I will discuss their roles in the operation as well.
User:Egezort - I have been a CIP supervisor since early 2020. I have also contributed to many CIP functions, such as walks related to raising awareness. I am experienced in leading groups in projects and running workshops. I have been active in university clubs such as our schools gender club, debate club, and philosophy club. I have experience in simplifying information in order to make it easier to understand. I will use those skills to run this project.
User:Gufo46 - Gufo46 has previous experiences of working with me in University Club functions and also Wikipedia projects. They are very skilled in helping with logistics and planning. They also have extensive knowledge about many rights struggles and progressive language usage, both of which will be helpful when planning events. They will also be the lead programmer in the project to help out with programming related necessities. They will be designing, or hiring others to design, the logos and posters for the project.
The CIP team:
The CIP office (5-6 people) - The office will make sure that everything goes smoothly, they will help us reach different organisations and groups. They have a long history of running this project, so they will be providing their experiences and expertise on anything we may need. They will also be helping us document everything. (Both to report to the university and to Wikimedia)
CIP counsellors and supervisors - CIP counsellors and supervisors are Sabancı University students who are volunteers for the CIP project. After this term in which we will have Wikipedia related events, I'm hoping that some of them will be available to help us out with running the project.
8. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.
Content Gender gap, Sexual Orientation, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)
8.1 In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge.
CIP101's campus projects usually include a focus on a specific form of social justice. This includes gender equality, human rights, disability related issues etc. Including Wikipedia editing into those projects will be done through asking them what they learned and contributing to that on Wikipedia. It could also be done through asking them if they have gained any theoretical insights into what they had been working on, finding the English Wikipedia page for that theoretical approach, and translating it into Turkish Wikipedia.
9. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.
Education, Human Rights, Other
- Volunteer Work
10. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Please note, we had previously asked about inclusion and diversity in terms of CONTENTS, in this question we are asking about the diversity of PARTICIPANTS. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.
Not applicable
11. What are your strategies for engaging participants, particularly those that currently are non-Wikimedia?
CIP101 is a lesson that every student has to pass at least once, and the biggest criteria for passing is attendance. This means that there will be a large number of students who will be joining in these courses (either one-time or for the entire project). So there will not be too much difficulty finding participants. However, making the participants willing to contribute and to join in on the activities will be difficult. I am hoping to plan the course in such a way that it will be both fun and fulfilling, so that there will be more participants willing to actively join in the activities, as opposed to participants participating merely to fill their attendance scores.
12. In what ways are you actively seeking to contribute towards creating a safer, supportive, more equitable environment for participants and promoting the UCOC and Friendly Space Policy, and/or equivalent local policies and processes?
CIP is run by people who care a lot about values such as diversity and inclusion. Their many projects related to human rights, gender equality and sexual orientation have always been run through the advice of activists. These include an extensive focus on team-building dynamics and the encouragement of the participation of everyone involved. These values are taught to every supervisor by their counsellors in the beginning of their terms.
In the context of this project, everyone in the Wikipedia projects will be taught extensively about the principles of Wikipedia (including the relevant parts of the UCOC). The supervisors who join the "CIPs" and "CIPs Akademi" events will also be taught about these. The one-time events will dedicate a few minutes to giving an overall idea of what kind of an environment is necessary, and any issues that may rise up will be dealt with through the supervisors and counsellors.
13. Do you have plans to work with Wikimedia communities, groups, or affiliates in your country, or in other countries, to implement this proposal?
Yes
13.1 If yes, please tell us about these connections online and offline and how you have let Wikimedia communities know about this proposal.
I want to work with the Wikimedia chapter in Turkey. I have talked face to face with people from the Wikimedia Community about this project and they were open to contributing if I could arrange the necessary things for the project. I will be talking to them about the "CIPs Akademi" events and they have expressed interest in reaching our supervisor base.
14. Will you be working with other external, non-Wikimedian partners to implement this proposal?
Yes
14.1 Please describe these partnerships and what motivates the potential partner to be part of the proposal and how they add value to your work.
I will be working with the CIP office.
The CIP office will help actualise projects by directing some of the labour power of the supervisors and counsellors in the program towards this project. We hope that the successes of this term will encourage the supervisors to be volunteers for such projects.
They will help us reach and communicate with other organisations and activists.
They will allow us to have a better hand while asking for logistic support from the school, such as technical support and physical spaces.
They will also work with me in order to make this a sustainable project which can continue into the following terms.
15. How do you hope to sustain or expand the work carried out in this proposal after the grant?
I want to set a concrete (yet flexible) syllabus that can be used by CIP supervisors in the following semestres. This could be in the form of another grant application, or stay as a campus project. The university will hopefully be willing to financially help the Wikipedia CIP project then, seeing its success from the previous term. The "CIPs Akademi" events will continue to host Wikipedia related subjects. I myself may be a counsellor for the supervisors from the Wikipedia projects.
16. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these. This can include factors such as external/contextual issues that may affect implementation, as well as internal issues, such as governance/leadership changes.
- 1) Turkey is very unstable in terms of its education policies. This may translate to an education term in which campuses are unreachable etc.
I'm planning to have an alternative tentative plan for online education. This will of course use less of the budget than intended, however I'm still planning to continue with the project as long as the CIP course continues.
2) There may be a disregard of the impact of Wikipedia and its indirect ties with social progress.
Even though CIP is fully on board with this project, the organisations that we may have contact with might not see the potential of what we're doing, we're planning to provide examples of how impactful Wikipedia and open culture in general can be when reaching out to external organisations.
3) There may be a prejudice against CC licenses and open culture.
Many organisations are either very protective of their work or have a poorly functioning bureaucratic process, which may cause them to reject any project that is centered on CC licensing. I'm planning to stay in touch with the Creative Commons Turkey group in order to mitigate the harm of that scenario.
4) There may be bureaucratic hurdles coming from our university.
Since CIP is a function of the university, they aren't always free to take bold steps without the approval of the schools management board. I'm hoping to show the successes of the Wikipedia events of this term in order for them to give more wiggle room for us and for the CIP office.
17. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of three options that most apply.
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Identify Topics for Impact
18. Please state if your organization or group has a Strategic Plan that can help us further understand your proposal. You can also upload it here.
- No
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation edit
19. What do you hope to learn from your work in this fund proposal?
How much would prizes affect the motivation of editors to create high quality articles?
What Wikipedia subjects can be delved deeply into in the span of a university course?
How do activist groups and organisations view Wikipedia?
Would people be convinced that editing Wikipedia is a way of furthering social progress?
What are the specific actions that can be taken to ensure that the barriers of entry of Wikipedia can be lowered?
20. Based on these learning questions, what is the information or data you need to collect to answer these questions? Please register this information (as metric description) in the following space provided.
| Main Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Here are some additional metrics that you can use if they are relevant to your work. Please note that this is just an optional list, mostly of quantitative metrics. They may complement the qualitative metrics you have defined in the previous boxes.
| Additional Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | N/A |
| Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | |
| Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability | N/A | N/A |
| Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors | N/A | N/A |
| Diversity of participants brought in by grantees | N/A | N/A |
| Number of people reached through social media publications | N/A | N/A |
| Number of activities developed | N/A | N/A |
| Number of volunteer hours | N/A | N/A |
21. Additional core quantitative metrics. These core metrics will not tell the whole story about your work, but they are important for measuring some Movement-wide changes. Please try to include these core metrics if they are relevant to your work. If they are not, please use the space provided to explain why they are not relevant or why you can not capture this data. Your explanation will help us review our core metrics and make sure we are using the best ones for the movement as a whole.
| Core metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | Participants with an extensive knowledge about Wikipedia | 20 |
| Number of editors | New editors with a basic level understanding of Wikipedia | 100 |
| Number of organizers | New supervisors to continue the project after this term | 4 |
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Wikimedia Commons | Photos and videos | 100 |
| Wikidata | Data values about different places, events etc. | 100 |
| Wikipedia | Stub level articles | 250 |
| Wikipedia | Articles | 50 |
| Wikipedia | Featured Articles | 5 |
21.1 If for some reason your proposal will not measure these core metrics please provide an explanation.
N/A
22. What tools would you use to measure each metric selected?
User:Gufo46 will be dealing with the programming aspects of our project. They will use SparQL in order to get the necessary data to measure our success with our goals.
Financial Proposal edit
23. & 23.1 What is the amount you are requesting from WMF? Please provide this amount in your local currency. If you are thinking about a multi-year fund, please provide the amount for the first year.
- 400000 TRY
23.2 What is this amount in US Currency (to the best of your knowledge)?
- 21200 USD
23.3 Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.
23.4 Please include any additional observations or comments you would like to include about your budget.
- I am planning to use certain funds in accordance with projects that CIP comes up with. So there is no clear plan on how the transportation costs, accomodation costs etc. will be used. Thus, the numbers I give should be considered as the upper limit of such spending. Taxes for the staff will be paid from within their budgets.
Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.
- Other public document(s):
Final Message edit
By submitting your proposal/funding request you agree that you are in agreement with the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct.
We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes
Feedback edit
- Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.