Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wiki for Minorities Inaugural Conference Abuja 2024

statusUnder review

Conference and Event Fund

Wiki for Minorities Inaugural Conference Abuja 2024

proposed start date2024-05-02T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2024-08-31T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)66668338 NGN

amount requested (USD)44001.1 USD

decision fiscal year2023-24

applicant• Igallards7

organization (if applicable)• Wiki for Minorities

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.

Wiki for Minorities

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

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Igallards7

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

Managerial tasks: Igallards7 Kambai Akau Oby Ezeilo Rotana Nawwaf Al Hasanat NikosLikomitros

Other tasks: AgnesAbah inyor4mr Fulani215 Accuratecy051

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.

Igbo Wikimedia Organization

Objectives and Strategy

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Wiki for Minorities Inaugural Conference Abuja 2024

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

2024-07-25

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2024-07-27

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2024-05-02T00:00:00Z

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

2024-08-31T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Nigeria

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Abuja

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

Hybrid 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)

50

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.

The scope of our work is global, for any country, however the countries that have so far carried out in-person and virtual activities that are directly related to the conference are the following: Chile, Greece, Jordan, Norway, East Timor, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Ghana, plus the host country Nigeria. Somehow a user is involved with our work and the youth of CEE, but we have not reached a formal agreement so far to say that we are working on it.

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

Our page on Meta in the languages that currently we're working on, including all the related links, multimedia and additional information: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_for_Minorities

Our Telegram global group: https://t.me/+Xqx8BNiEmdBiNWUx (invitation). As of February 2024 we have 55 active members.

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 majority of participants are registered users of some project within the wiki movement and have a degree of knowledge in how to edit articles, upload audiovisual material to Wikimedia Commons and some degree of mastery and experience in Wikidata mainly.

We selected participants from different parts of the world: one from the Americas, one from Southeast Asia, two from the Middle East, one from Southeast Europe, one from Northern Europe, two from East Africa, and the majority from West Africa, the host sub-region, because we want the most parts of the world to be represented in our maiden event. We hope earlier wanted having more representatives but the cost would soar too high. This being our maiden conference, we hope to offer travel scholarships to only 10 people from out of Nigeria to participate. Meanwhile, others wishing to participate from abroad can do so online. That is why we hope to go hybrid, to enable outside participants to join the conference. The majority would be from Nigeria, the host country. Nigeria was chosen because it is a melting pot of cultures and that reinforces our purposes with the high potential that the country has in our work. A country of more than 200 million inhabitants with a large number of Wikipedias and active user groups is a good place to maintain and spread free knowledge.

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

Event page on Meta-Wiki: https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Wiki_for_Minorities_Inaugural_Conference_Abuja_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?

100

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

The survey was carried out between January 25 and February 1 to all those interested in the conference taking place for 1 week long.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

94

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

The inaugural conference seeks among its main objectives to consolidate the group that constantly works in a virtual global network, present the activities we have carried out to date and coordinate in person all the aspects that we cannot do virtually, motivate and retain active users, it is also am important showcase to make ourselves known within the movement and meet with other actors who work on the related issues that we are involved in, among other relevant objectives. As a group of voluntary users without their own funds, it is essential to have such an instance for future development strategies.After some virtual meetings, users stated that those of us who work at a local level in our realities meeting for the first time in this global need to make minorities visible is almost a right that we should have enshrined. In this way we can show the world that collaborative work on diversity and minorities is possible in an environment of tolerance and respect.

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

Diversity is an important element, always considering all minorities in a broad sense without detriment to one over the other. The project should be about minorities and should represent all of the ethnics in Nigeria, without favouritism to a certain ethnic group. Security for the participants is also another issue that has been named by many due to security issues in the country. Diverse participation in the event from many countries, defining the term of minority, accessibility guarantees and making it accessible to non English speaking participants. Promoting inclusivity as well as ensuring the best possible inclusion of people from minority groups in the conference, as well showcasing their work. A location with many participants living in it to reduce expenses. Scholarships, accommodation for people who need it with various criteria, avoiding gatekeeping on scholarships and informing the media about the event. Also ensuring a location that many people can easily reach.

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.

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

Being a project for the promotion of the voices of minorities, in various regions of the globe. We focus on people with disabilities; languages, ethnicities, and religions considered as minorities; and other minority groups including gender minorities, worldwide. We develop Wikipedia articles about these minoritized groups, intending to make their plights known to people around the world, besides uploading pictures and other audiovisual material related and also working on Wikidata with these topics. The intersectional work we do has high potential and a high interest in participating, we focus on different minorities, where we can even work on more than one minority at the same time, so our work is in multiple gaps In many cases, the sense of belonging further reinforces this (users with disabilities or belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities)..

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.

Culture, heritage or GLAM , Diversity, Advocacy

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

Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Disabilities, Linguistic / Language

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

We intend to invite an organization known as the Joint National Association of People with Disability (JONAPWD), based in Abuja, Nigeria. The purpose is to bring in people with knowledge on the plights of the disabled who would also be aided to become Wikimedians during the conference if they all aren’t yet. We have a nationwide agreement with this organization where they allow us to attend all events they (and their related organizations) organize to take photographs and obtain content for Wikipedia. They consider an in-person meeting with Wiki for Minorities leaders to be important, since until now we have done everything virtually in a collaborative effort to give Nigerian users access in each state of the country where they are present. Additionally, other actors specialized in minority topics, such as university academics linguists of minority languages and experts in the sociology of religion and spiritualities, who can give us an experienced vision to improve and enrich our work. Most have already been contacted and carry out their work within Abuja, so for logistical reasons it makes it easier for them to attend our conference.

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

The majority are users who have been committed since the first day they joined the initiative and are constantly contributing to our initiative's projects. In fact, the need to establish an inaugural conference was proposed by the users themselves in one of our virtual meetings. . A conference would not only help us keep our active users contributing, but it would rally others to our volunteer cause. A conference has been shown to increase motivation even more and having an international in-person activity gives us an important base as a group. We aim to continue our conversations on our social media handles, as well as on our Meta-Wiki pages to continue to receive insights related to the plights of minorities in certain places and make articles on them. The main aim is to be a voice to the voiceless and make known the plights of the minority.

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.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Improve User Experience, Provide for Safety and Inclusion

Logistical Aspects

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

Nicon Luxury Hotel Abuja is an hotel that meets all the conditions to carry out activities appropriately, in an environment in the center of the city and close to an area intended for holding conferences throughout the year, with sufficient security elements in that area where national government offices and national company headquarters are located, and an auditorium to reduce transportation costs. Nigerian user groups within the wiki movement have successfully organized activities there

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

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

Full scholarships Outside Nigeria:10 people; 25 people (1 representative from each of the Wikimedia User Groups of Nigeria and networks (11 representatives), and 14 dedicated Wikimedia editors from these affiliates and networks interested in promoting our cause across Nigeria) Partial Scholarships From Nigeria (in and around Abuja):15 people (co-organizers living in Abuja, and speicially invited attendees like JONAPWD invitees) Online participants:Data reimbursements for those viewing virtually

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

Full scholarship to be offered to people from outside of Nigeria would include flight ticket, visa, feeding, and accommodation. In Nigeria, the full scholarships for attendees would include flight (for those coming from more distant locations) or bus (for those from neighbouring locations) tickets, accommodation, and feeding. Partial scholarships would include feeding during the conference and transport reimbursements to and from the event centre. However, this excludes hotel accommodation.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

Being that this event would have a limited number of attendees, strictly 50, our scholarships is intended to cater for only that number of participants whom we are organizing from the Wikimedia User Groups and represented by the organizing team. This team operates Telegram and WhatsApp groups with tens of participating members and still counting. The three key criteria for selection would be first, the leaders of the respective user groups and networks, then main editors in each user group with known efforts in contributing to Wikimedia activities, then the last criterion shall be based on referrals from leaders or organizers, especially that involving attendees from Abuja. All of those mentioned above are expected to have some degree of active participation in Wiki for Minorities, which will be measured when applying for a scholarship or a seat at the conference.

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

We intend to create articles for minoritized groups during the event. Hence, we anticipate IP blocks for editors during the conference. When this unfortunate incident happens, we would need the support of WMF staff and volunteers alike, to help unblock our editors so that our aim would be achieved. The virtual or in-person assistance of any member of the foundation who has experience in the issues we are working on and who wants to contribute to us will always be welcome and we hope for a positive relationship of reciprocity.

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.

Two or three people in an initial instance would be welcome in person.As the nature of the event is hybrid and has been designed this way, some who want to contribute and participate can also be incorporated virtually.

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

Wikimedia Foundation Liaison: Helping participants during the conference and with technical problem-solving and troubleshooting Communications: Communication and media and sending emails and collecting data Tickets and Visa reservation: In charge of making reservations for tickets and Visa interviews with respective institutions Hotel reservation and logistics: In charge of hotel bookings and runnings around related to accommodation Conference Program: Designing conference program, banners and logo, and event materials Inventory management: Keeping records of expenses Documentation: Writing survey and the proposal application (draft, survey, etc.) Volunteer Coordinators: Mobilizing participants from different groups, networks and organizations Conference management: (before and during the conference), inside Nigeria and outside Nigeria

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.

Wikimedia User Groups in Nigeria, such as the: Hausa Wikimedians User Group Igbo Wikimedians User Group Tyap Wikimedians User Group Yoruba Wikimedians User Group Wikimedia Nigeria User Group Can be quite instrumental in gaining translators to translate the works created through the Wiki for Minorities efforts in the English Wikipedia. This is necessary to spread the messages across to native language speakers. Also, the leaders of these user groups could be quite instrumental in the spreading of information related to the Wiki for Minorities movement.

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

A potential risk we anticipate is the rising inflation in the value of the Nigerian currency against the US Dollar. By the time the event is held in July, one may not be able to tell what the exchange rate would be like, causing the initial costs of items to skyrocket. However, we have in the budget, estimated values for goods and services, hoping that all things remain equal. Also, the issue of Visa being denied would be mitigated by early Visa application so that all participants initially rejected can reapply and stand a chance to feature. Abuja was chosen for security and logistical reasons, as it is the national capital of Nigeria that presents the conditions for holding a conference of this type. In this way we save time and funds to avoid future inconveniences.

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

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeFzydK7yBYje81ulsRu3YFThqOTRkDvPO12wGsmt_A/edit

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

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

When organizing this conference, there are several key areas that I hope to learn from to assess the effectiveness of our strategies and determine if we have achieved the desired change. The following learning questions will guide our data collection efforts to evaluate the impact and success of the conference: To what extent did the conference foster knowledge sharing and exchange? Did participants actively engage in discussions, workshops, and networking sessions? Did attendees gain new insights, perspectives, and knowledge relevant to the conference theme? Did the conference provide a platform for attendees to share their expertise and experiences? How effective were our efforts in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment? Did participants feel respected, safe, and comfortable throughout the conference? Were diverse voices and perspectives represented and valued during sessions and discussions? Did attendees report positive experiences of inclusivity and diversity at the conference? Did the conference inspire and facilitate meaningful connections and collaborations? Did attendees establish new professional networks and relationships? Did participants find opportunities for collaboration and future partnerships? Did the conference contribute to the formation of lasting connections within the community? To what extent were the conference sessions informative, engaging, and relevant? Did the topics covered align with the needs and interests of the participants? Were the presentations and workshops well-received, interactive, and thought-provoking? Did attendees find the content of the sessions applicable to their work or personal development? How effectively did the conference address the identified challenges or opportunities? Did the conference provide practical solutions, strategies, or resources to address the identified issues? Were attendees able to apply the knowledge gained at the conference to their work or projects? Did the conference contribute to the advancement of the field or area of focus? What suggestions or feedback do participants have to improve future conferences? Did attendees provide constructive feedback on the conference organization, logistics, or content? Were there any specific recommendations for enhancing future conferences? Did participants express any unmet needs or areas for improvement? By collecting data and insights to answer these learning questions, we aim to evaluate the impact of our strategies and determine if we have successfully created the desired change through the conference. This information will help us identify strengths, areas for improvement, and best practices for future conferences, ultimately contributing to the ongoing growth and development of our organization and community.

32. Main open metrics

Main Open Metrics Data

Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Number of participants	This includes all participants from outside of Nigeria and from within Nigeria. It also includes invitees from special groups including WMF and others who may provide one service or the other.	60
Number of editors	Out of those to be present at the conference, there may be one challenge or the other that may lead to some people not being able to participate at all. Hence, the 40 editors above are those with registered Wikimedian accounts either before or created during the conference who would be able to create articles.	40
Number of people with disabilities	These are people with one form of disability who may want to be part of the conference from within Abuja.	5
Number of new editors	These are editors who came in for the first time to register as Wikimedians and become editors to promote the cause of minorities.	10
Number of existing editors	These are people who are already Wikimedia editors who would be coming with their wealth of knowledge to contribute during the conference	30

Financial Proposal

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

66668338

34. Select your local currency.

NGN

Requested amount in USD

44001.1 USD

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

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AkCwrj3IIN-H-ipvsQoED9BfpLcErKzQU3C-7BoHt3s/edit#gid=0

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

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