Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Telugu Wikipedia's 21st Anniversary:Fostering Growth and Capacity Building

statusUnder review

Conference and Event Fund

Telugu Wikipedia's 21st Anniversary: Fostering Growth and Capacity Building

proposed start date2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2025-03-15T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)2779458 INR

amount requested (USD)33436.88 USD

decision fiscal year2024-25

applicant• యర్రా రామారావు

organization (if applicable)• Telugu Wikimedians User Group

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

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

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Group of individuals not registered with an organization

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Telugu Wikimedians User Group

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

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

యర్రా రామారావు

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

I.Mahesh, ప్రభాకర్ గౌడ్ నోముల, Saiphani02, Rajasekhar1961, A.Murali, Chaduvari

G. Are you legally registered?

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.

I. Fiscal organization name.

Objectives and Strategy

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Telugu Wikipedia's 21st Anniversary: Fostering Growth and Capacity Building

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

2025-02-14

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2025-02-16

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

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

2025-03-15T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

India

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Tirupati

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)

60

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.

Local

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

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

https://www.facebook.com/groups/560945180622204 https://x.com/TeWikipedia https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Telugu_Wikimedians_User_Group

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.

Active contributors: Experienced editors and content creators who can benefit from advanced training and skill development. New contributors: Individuals interested in contributing to Telugu Wikipedia but lacking the necessary knowledge or skills. Potential contributors: Students, researchers, and enthusiasts who can be motivated to contribute to the platform.

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

https://w.wiki/B4pi

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?

90

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

We conducted the survey for over a week from 23rd August to 31st August.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

44

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

The primary objectives of our event are centered on capacity development, following the roadmap our community has set for itself in our previous annual meet. This will help us in sustaining and improving our contributions in the long term. The event also aims to increase the number and diversity of active contributors, attracting and retaining more participants. For this, we are planning to work on developing support resources and improving documentation to better aid new contributors.We are also seeing a growth in active contributors from the telugu language community focused on sister projects like Commons, Wikidata, and Wikisource. We plan to work on building these verticals in the Telugu Wikimedians user group. As the Telugu Wikipedia is reaching the hundred thousand articles milestone and enters its 21st year, we plan to make use of these successes through our outreach programs in the event.

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

As per survey response, major respondents opined that our community needs to focus on improving skills and capabilities of existing contributors, creating support resources and systems to better onboard new contributors, and improving the engagement rates of users. We have also gotten specific suggestions and ideas on various aspects which we plan to include in the conference. For this, we plan to organise talks and discussions on capacity building, team work, and collaboration. Based on the success of a book we published in our last annual meet, the community is also working on publishing a book at the conference introducing Wikipedia, its sister projects, and the philosophy behind the movement to a wide range of audiences. Our 20th Anniversary review and future plans: https://w.wiki/B4xL Telugu Wikipedia 20th Anniversary on Commons: https://w.wiki/9Acw

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.

Content Gender gap, Language, Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial

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).

By providing targeted training, mentorship, and resources to new and existing contributors, we aim to ensure that a wider range of topics and perspectives are represented. This approach not only enhances the accuracy and breadth of information available but also empowers a more inclusive community of editors, ultimately enriching the knowledge base in Telugu Wikipedia. Our work will help to identify areas where Telugu Wikipedia lacks coverage, suggesting potential topics for new articles. We have successfully completed 20 editions of our weekly sessions called Tewiki badi (Tewiki school) and we will work on improving upon these learnings.

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, Culture, heritage or GLAM , Open Technology

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

Gender Identity, Linguistic / Language, 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?

Yes, individuals passionate about preserving Telugu language and culture and who can support the capacity building initiatives. Our focus includes capacity building by attracting, retaining, and upskilling new users. We emphasize collaboration, working collectively, sharing experiences, and making informed decisions. Additionally, we aim to enhance the quality of articles by increasing both their number and overall standard. Promotion efforts are also key, as we seek to raise awareness of Telugu Wikipedia and draw in more users.

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

To keep conference participants continue to engage in our activities, we plan to implement several strategies. First, offering tailored workshops and sessions that focus on Wikipedia editing (at all levels), content creation, and community engagement, giving participants hands-on experience during the conference. Second, establishing mentorship programs by pairing new contributors with experienced Wikipedia editors for guidance and support, to sustain relationships post the event. Third, organize focused and collaborative wiki projects to foster team work. The post-event engagement activities To keep participants continue to engage in our activities, we plan to do the following things: 1. Prepare an initial list of tasks for the new users to accomplish. 2. Allocate a mentor for close guidance and nurture leadership among new participants to make them take lead and organise sessions in their cities/towns. 3. Create customized learning paths for new users based on specific project needs.

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, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Innovate in Free Knowledge

Logistical Aspects

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

We have selected the city of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh as the venue for this event. Tirupati's heritage and prominence can draw substantial media attention, both locally and nationally. The city has ample connectivity through road, rail, and air. Tirupati has several institutions focused on Telugu language and culture with whom we plan to collaborate.

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

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

Active Contributors (20): Experienced editors seeking advanced training and skill development. New Contributors (20): New Telugu Wikipedia contributors needing foundational knowledge and skills. Language and Culture Enthusiasts (10): Passionate individuals dedicated to preserving the Telugu language and culture. Technologists and Developers (5): Experts in open-source software who can support the platform's development. Potential contributors(5): Students, researchers, and enthusiasts.

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

The scholarship will cover travel expenses, including accommodation, transportation, and food.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on their active contributions to Telugu Wiki projects over the past year, with a focus on individuals who have consistently demonstrated dedication to the Wikimedia community. This ensures that the scholarships benefit those who have already made significant impacts and are likely to continue contributing positively to community growth and capacity building. The application will ask candidates to detail their past involvement, express their interest in leading or participating in future activities, and specify the skills they wish to acquire for program creation and training content development.

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

WMF staff can help us in conducting sessions on improving outreach, working together with regional and international organisations, and helping us with any other aspects which are beneficial to our community.

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 believe it would be helpful for us to connect with the foundations' staff by inviting them to our conference. We are happy to invite two members to the event.

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.

Program Committee:

• Define the conference theme and scope
• Design the overall agenda, including plenary sessions, parallel tracks, and workshops
• Identify and invite prominent experts in the field

Book Committee:

• Prepare, review, and publish the Telugu Wikipedia book

Communication & Scholarship Committee:

• Develop scholarship criteria and application processes
• Manage the application and review stages
• Select scholarship recipients
• Create and implement a communication strategy to promote the scholarship program

Execution & Logistics Committee:

• Identify suitable venues based on capacity, amenities, and location
• Coordinate with venue staff for technical requirements
• Arrange transportation and accommodation for participants
• Negotiate contracts with venue providers
• Execute plans based on the Program Committee's input

28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

No

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.

29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?

We anticipate some risks, including external factors like changes in laws, public health emergencies, or natural disasters, which are considered unlikely but will be monitored closely with contingency plans and clear communication. Technological risks, such as internet disruptions will be managed by our technical team. We allocated 10% of our budget to unforeseen circumstances to address financial uncertainties.

30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct/te

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?

From organising this conference, we hope to learn our strengths and limitations as a community. We plan to learn by reviewing our past strategies, progress and reflect upon our works. We are also hoping that we will be able to improve our teamwork, collaboration,active contribution , capacity building and leadership building activities by organising this conference.

32. Main open metrics

Main Open Metrics Data

Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Capacity building of participants	number of total participants of the conference including Scholars and local participants and self funded participants	60
Active contributors	contribution frequency, article creation rate, editing patterns, participation in community forums post the event.	30
Wiki Sister Projects	The conference will feature at least five strategic discussions, culminating in a strategy to enhance Wikipedia's sister projects.	5
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A

Financial Proposal

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

2779458

34. Select your local currency.

INR

Requested amount in USD

33436.88 USD

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

• _Telugu Wikipedia Conference 2025 Fund Budget_Final.xlsx

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bxBTOR1qi7m3bD_sz_7-HGuFuLNewaaic_vrHxvAaJY/edit?usp=sharing

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): Community Engagement Survey Responses:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q6ncz5vAF0_MKJC43Sxw2gsOHJ939RTK5ce4orYnAi8/edit?usp=sharing

Endorsements and Feedback

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