Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/EduWiki Conference 2024 in Rwanda

statusDraft
EduWiki Conference 2024 in Rwanda
proposed start date2024-06-10T00:00:00Z
proposed end date2024-12-14T00:00:00Z
budget (local currency)147793 USD
decision fiscal year2023-24
applicant• RebeccaRwanda
organization (if applicable)• Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda

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Applicant details edit

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda

F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

RebeccaRwanda

F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

Liannadavis (Wikipedia & Education UG) Joalpe (Wikipedia & Education UG) Bukky658 (Wikipedia & Education UG) Ndahiro derrick(Wikimedia Rwanda UG ) Cnyirahabihirwe123 (Wikimedia Rwanda UG ) Mrbobax (Wikimedia Rwanda UG )

G. Are you legally registered?

Yes

If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.

Objectives and Strategy edit

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

EduWiki Conference 2024 in Rwanda

2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.

2024-10-10

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2024-10-14

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2024-06-10T00:00:00Z

3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?

2024-12-14T00:00:00Z

4. Where will this proposal be implemented? Where will the conference take place?

Rwanda

5. Is it a remote or in-person event?

In-person event

5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)

110

6. 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.

International

6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.

This is a global conference, for people involved in Education and Wikimedia all over the world.

7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Community_User_Group_Rwanda https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_%26_Education_User_Group wikimedia.rw

8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.

No

8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.


9. Please describe the target participants for this event.

The target audience will be all people who are involved in Education and Wikipedia on any level and anywhere in the globe. Nevertheless, we intend to have a level of priority given to local and regional attendees, as we understand this event might contribute to catalyzing the local and regional communities. From the global movement, we expect many Wikipedians and Wikimedians to be interested in the conference, but we’ll focus on bringing in educators who have been using Wikipedia and its sister projects as teaching tools and education program officers. Partners from local and global organizations like UNESCO, governments, NGOs, and others who are already involved in the Wikimedia and education movement are also encouraged to attend. We see this conference as an opportunity to move forward in the direction of establishing global coordination infrastructure for Wikimedia & Education.

10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EduWiki_Conference_2024

The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.

11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?

8200

11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?

The Community Survey was distributed to participants from August 30th through September 10th.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

169

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

The Edu Wiki Con 2024 will serve as a pivotal platform for strategic deliberations and implementing a hub pilot for Wikimedia and Education. Moreover, this event will facilitate the formulation, strategic planning, expansion, and promotion of Wikimedia Education initiatives and campaigns. Additionally, it will play a crucial role in bolstering capabilities and fostering knowledge exchange through capacity building. These objectives are rooted in insights from a needs assessment research published in the latter half of 2023 and the community engagement survey that was shared with the EduWiki community, ensuring a participatory agenda for the conference.

We have identified that around 50% of the immediate stakeholders in Edu Wiki are not necessarily as connected to the Edu Wiki governance discussions as we/they would like them to be. The conference is therefore also an opportunity to bridge this gap.

14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?

As presented in our recently published needs assessment research report, we should: prioritize defining "Wikimedia and Education"; create a plan for the development, maintenance and documentation of a shared sustainable technology base; recognize program diversity based on size and context, share nuanced strategies and improve tailoring solutions to address unique challenges faced by different types of communities; design and maintain an efficient model of communication and decision-making with empowering participatory governance; foster capacity building, training and sharing of good practices, and establish an ongoing plan for capacity building, training and sharing of good practices.

A full analysis of the community engagement survey, highlighting regional and thematic interest, strategic and topic priorities, and perceived challenges to the Edu Wiki community is available on the document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hvhm5u6ehQ--Zw1oRpD5pKnCKrBUwgGlWgxs5LsG8SM/edit

15. 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.

Language, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context), Geography

15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).

As what happened in the Edu Wiki Conference in 2023, we expect participants to submit proposals for dedicated sessions and workshops that focus on knowledge gaps, including gender, language, geography and topics for impact. These sessions will provide insights into the challenges surrounding knowledge inequity and offer practical strategies to involve more diverse contributors in the Wikimedia & Education movement.

16. 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, Open Technology, Diversity

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Gender Identity, Geographic , Linguistic / Language, Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Digital Access

18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?

Connections between partners are key for success in the education program. Without educational partners, the program can't even begin. Growing education programs, though, requires additional partnerships, and we think providing an opportunity to collaborate with external partners will provide an opportunity for them and our Wikimedian participants to identify mutual synergy points.

Partners from local and global organizations like UNESCO, governments, NGOs, and others who are already involved in the Wikimedia and education movement or work with collaborative open educational resources are especially encouraged to attend. The engagement of these non-Wikimedian partners is especially important for the Edu Wiki Conference in 2024 as we expect this event to provide resources for producing and supporting the implementation of a global partnership plan for the promotion of Wikimedia and education.

19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?

This conference is part of a continuing process to engage and empower the Wikimedia & Education community globally. In this sense, we expect the event to be preceded and followed by smaller, online engagement meetings and trainings that will be regularly held by our user group with support from the WMF team. We also expect the conference to be an opportunity to engage participants in structuring processes for the Wikimedia & Education Movement, including: the presentation/discussion of a Theory of Change (due Dec 2023), of a governance model, with roles and responsibilities (due Mar 2024), of a shared identity and brand plan (due May 2024) and of a transition plan between our current governance model and the agreed model (due Aug 2024); and processes for an efficient model of communication and decision-making, for a global partnership plan for W&E, for a plan of a shared sustainable technology base and for a plan for capacity building, training and sharing of good practices.

20. 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.

Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development

Logistical Aspects edit

21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?

We have three hotel options, close to the Kigali International Airport. They are 15 minutes from the airport by taxi and approximately 30 minutes by public transport. The event venue is within Kigali, so no additional logistics/ additional logistics is deemed necessary.

22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
  • 50 full scholarships for international attendees including the regional attendees
  • 15 partial scholarships for international attendees including the regional attendees
  • 10 local participants from Rwanda will receive conference packages including meals and local transport
  • 8 Wikimedia foundation staff and board members,
  • 16 Participants from self sponsored affiliates
  • 11 Local and international organising committee
24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

The Scholarship will cover:

  • Flights
  • Accommodation
  • Registration
  • Meals at the event
  • Travel insurance
  • Online visa cost to Rwanda
25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

We shall establish a global Fellowship Committee, with a wide open call in the Wikimedia Movement. We shall launch a global Fellowship Award call, to be shared in all pertaining movement online channels. We shall establish Guidelines for the EduWiki Conference 2024 Scholarship Committee, including a timeline, general instructions and categories for grading. We shall have on these guidelines an intersectional breakdown for fellowship awardees that will prioritize underrepresented communities and local/regional attendees.

26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?

We collaborate with the Wikimedia Foundation's Education team regularly, so we'd expect them to naturally participate in the program. Other staff directly related to the education program's efforts could also attend, but we expect the vast majority of the organizing work and session leads will be done by education program leaders. We will look to guidance from Wikimedia Foundation staff around any public health guidelines we should be implementing for the conference.

26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.

Yes, we intend to invite WMF staff members to the conference. We expect from 5 to 10 staff members to join us. We hope at least three WMF trustees might join as well.

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.
  • Wikimedia Foundation Liaison: Joalpe; Liannadavis
  • Logistics: RebeccaRwanda , Derrick
  • Conference Program: Ziko; Bukky658, Boris
  • Scholarships: Dungodung; WikiTatik , RebeccaRwanda
  • Communications: Liannadavis
  • Volunteer Coordinators: Cnyirahabihirwe123, Mrbobax

Onsite organization: Ndahiro derrick, RebeccaRwanda

  • Other team members: Esh77 (TBC)
28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

Yes

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.
  • W&E: program / fellowships / WMF liaison
  • Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda: logistics / onsite organization / volunteer coordination
  • WMRS: support for logistics
29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?
  • As the host we have an had experience in regional conference organizing , for this event on the global level we will need to double the efforts and increase the collaboration working together for the first time with wikimedia education user group where their board is all involved in the planning of this conference and has worked together to organize the Edu Wiki Conference in 2023. The user group Rwanda will concentrate on the logistics even if it will give a support hand in programs and other aspects, and organizing an event like this will be a test of the relationships we’ve built, and we are confident that the open communication and trust will serve us well. We will schedule regular meetings and will increase their frequency the closer we get to the event to ensure clear communication among team members continues.
  • Badly prepared speakers: The Wikimedia Foundation has flagged to us that preparing external speakers for this event is something we should spend time on. They have offered their expertise in helping us on this task, and we look forward to working with them to help prepare speakers.
  • Lack of volunteers in the organization team: We have good volunteer base that will help us coordinate activities before and during the conference. the user group in in RWanda will open call for volunteers in order to form bigger team and will create specific tasks for each of them. Since Wikipedians and Wikimedians like to help, we are counting on them to help at the event as well, if needed.
  • Problems with internet connection: We need to choose a location in which we can count with reliable internet connection for participants of the conference.
  • Global health situation: It will be important to ensure our participants are safe, given the Covid-19 pandemic. We'll follow all health and safety guidelines from the Wikimedia Foundation about global events.
30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

We will be following the FSP in: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiIndaba_conference_2022/Friendly_space_policy

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation edit

31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?
  • Did the Conference Effectively Address Content Gaps?
    • Did sessions, workshops and discussions etc. covered the role of W&E in addressing content gaps?
    • Have learnings on content gap informed our plan for global partnerships and for capacity building, training and sharing of good practices?
  • Did the Conference Promote Sustainable Collaborations?
    • Did sessions, workshops and discussions etc. foster sustainable collaborations for W&E?
    • Have learnings on sustainable collaborations contributed to the design and implementation of an efficient model of communication and decision-making with empowering participatory governance in W&E?
  • Did the Conference Lead to Consolidating the W&E Global Infrastructure?
    • Were we able to address questions from our needs assessment research on coordination and governance:
      • Which organization or individual is best suited to lead the future structures?
      • Should the future structures be an extension of an existing organization?
      • What changes or improvements should be implemented compared to the existing structures? Who would benefit from these changes?
      • With sufficient funding, would the current structures be effective in achieving their goals?
      • Can the future structures adequately respond to the various contexts they aim to serve?
      • How can the future structures better cater to the needs of those currently underserved by existing structures?
    • Did sessions, workshops and discussions etc. covered topics pertaining to the W&E global coordination and governance needs?
    • Have learnings on the W&E global infrastructure lead to sharing and consolidating our theory of change and governance model, with roles and responsibilities?
  • How Did Capacity Exchange Sessions Enhance Participant Skills?
    • Did sessions, workshops and discussions etc. were or led to hands-on capacity building?
    • Have learnings on capacity exchange informed our plan for capacity building, training and sharing of good practices?
  • Did the Conference Contribute to Fostering the Sense of Belonging of the W&E Community?
    • To what extent did the implementation of a shared identity for W&E contribute to creating a cohesive and recognizable experience?
    • Have learnings on community belonging informed our shared identity and brand plan?
  • In What Ways Did the Conference Shape a Tech Agenda for W&E?
    • Did sessions, workshops and discussions etc. covered topics pertaining to the W&E tech agenda?
    • Have learnings on the W&E tech agenda informed our plan for the development, maintenance and documentation of a shared sustainable technology base?
32. Main open metrics
Main Open Metrics Data
Main Open Metrics Description Target
Content Gaps Number of sessions, workshops, and discussions specifically addressing gender gap, language diversity, important topics, and other content gaps. 20
Collaborations Follow-up interviews or surveys with participants, capturing their reflections on sustained involvement, factors influencing their continued engagement, and the lasting impact of the conference on their collaborations 5
Global Infrastructure Number of participants who contributed to or expressed commitment to executing actionable plans related to the implementation of a W&E Global Infrastructure 25
Capacity Exchange Feedback on the cross-community learning experience and insights gained from participants belonging to diverse communities 30
Interest from partners Representatives from different organizations coming to the event 10

Financial Proposal edit

33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

147793

34. Select your local currency.

USD

35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iR3gP5hnjTQ7jm5IBA5UBFgZyg6u-lLc/edit#gid=902689912

36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?

No

36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?


We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.
Other public document(s):

Endorsements and Feedback edit

Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.

Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:

  • Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
  • Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
  • Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
  • Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
  • Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).

Endorse