Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/EveryBooksItsReader 2024:African Books and Authors (ID: 22445813)
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Applicant Details edit
- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Favourdare123
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal edit
- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
EveryBooksItsReader 2024:African Books and Authors
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2024-04-15 - 2024-06-17
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) EveryBookItsReader
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Books give form to compelling human stories, both real and imagined, revealing the diversity of human experience. Books inspire admiration, provoke dialogue, and invite conversation across and between cultures and people. Wikipedia articles about books are read millions of times every year; In recent years, there has been an increased focus on promoting diverse voices and perspectives in literature, which has led to a greater interest in books and literature from African authors. African Authors and their books not only serve as a form of Education, Entertainment, Cultural Preservation, and Language development but also brings about a significant impact on African literature, culture, and society.
The project aims to foster a transformative change in the representation and accessibility of African books on Wikidata and Wikipedia. The primary aim is to amplify the visibility and recognition of African literary works and their creators on a global scale. By comprehensively documenting African books and authors, the project aims to rectify the pervasive underrepresentation and misconceptions about the richness and diversity of African books.
The main challenges we address center on the documentation and accessibility of African books and authors. One primary issue involves significant gaps in documenting African literary works and authors, and limiting exposure to these achievements. Additionally, inadequate representation in structured databases leads to limited accessibility, resulting in unrecognized literary works and their creators. The project aims to bridge this gap by curating verified data, enhancing global access, and ensuring a proper dissemination of knowledge about African books and authors.
To address these challenges, the project employs several primary approaches;
1)Awareness and Advocacy Outreach: The project employs diverse strategies to raise awareness and advocate for comprehensive representation. This involves conducting public talks, launching social media campaigns, and engaging with various media platforms to highlight the importance of documenting African books and authors accurately. These initiatives aim to encourage broader participation and support for the project's goals. Additionally, the #EveryBookItsReader coincide with World Book Day on April 23, engaging global volunteers to contribute actively. This campaign serves as a pivotal tool in raising awareness and mobilizing a collective effort to enrich the representation of African books and authors.
2)Content Creation: Our strategy involves organizing a series of engaging activities, including editing campaigns, workshops, physical and online training sessions, and edit-a-thons. This encompasses creating new articles and enriching existing ones on Wikipedia concerning African books and authors. Additionally, documenting specific details about African books and authors on Wikidata is integral to enhancing the structured database for improved searchability and information retrieval, ultimately increasing the accessibility and visibility of African literary works and authors.
3)Community Collaboration and Engagement: Our project prioritizes active involvement and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including authors, scholars, publishers, literary enthusiasts, and volunteers. Through workshops, forums, and outreach programs, we aim to engage these communities in contributing their expertise, knowledge, and perspectives to enrich the representation of African books and authors. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of ownership and collective responsibility in accurately documenting and highlighting the diverse spectrum of African literature. By building a strong community network, we strive to create a collaborative environment that ensures comprehensive and accurate representation, encouraging continuous contributions and support for this shared endeavor.
The Project aims to significantly impact the Wikimedia projects by documenting African literature on Wikipedia and Wikidata, elevating the global visibility and recognition of African-authored books and their creators. This initiative intends to enhance accessibility to accurate information, and foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders. By engaging communities, the project seeks to establish a framework for ongoing contributions, ensuring a more equitable distribution of knowledge. Additionally, beyond documentation, it strives to cultivate a deeper appreciation and scholarly discourse around African literature, fostering cultural exchange and contributing to a more inclusive global literary landscape that honors the richness and importance of African-authored books and their authors.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
1)Creating Awareness About the Event: Our approach to raising event awareness involves a multi-dimensional strategy. We aim to disseminate digital materials such as posters, flyers, and concise videos across diverse platforms, including social media channels and various online communities relevant to our target audience. Furthermore, we'll create a dedicated WhatsApp group tailored for interested participants, providing a dynamic space conducive to fostering ongoing discussions, sharing resources, and facilitating seamless communication and encourage real-time engagement. By adopting this multi-platform approach, our goal is to reach a broad audience that generate significant interest in the event.
2)Physical Training and Edit-a-thon Day 1 (Wikipedia Training): The event starts with an interactive session enlightening participants about the event's significance, objectives, and anticipated outcomes. Following this introduction, the event features a series of workshops and sessions meticulously design to educate and train participants and cover various editing areas, including:
Simple Editing Tasks:
- Wikilinking book and author articles
- Correcting typos and rectifying misspellings in book articles
- Adding references
- Creating sections for literary awards won
Complex Editing Tasks:
- Creating entirely new articles for books and authors
- Expanding existing book articles by incorporating additional sections such as Plot Summary, Controversies/Censorship, Awards, and Nominations, along with infobox additions.
The edit-a-thon session offers practical, hands-on experience, equipping participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed to make effective contributions to Wikipedia articles on African Books and authors. Led by experienced trainers and facilitators, these training sessions guide participants through the editing, enhancement, and creation processes. This integrative approach fosters a collaborative and practical learning environment, encouraging active participation and contributions towards Wikipedia articles aligned with the project's objectives.
3)Physical Training and Data-a-Thon Day 2 (Wikidata Training): This activity comprises engaging sessions meticulously tailored to educate and train participants, encompassing both new and experienced Wikimedian editors, in the art of improving and creating Wikidata articles associated with African books and authors. The hands-on training will cover:
- Creation of new Wikidata Articles about African books and authors
- Utilizing Wikidata Mix'n'Match Tool for integrating external datasets and enriching Wikidata's representation of African literature and authors.
- Utilizing Quickstatements for structured additions of information related to books, authors, and awards
- Harnessing Wikidata Query Service for data retrieval and analysis linked to African books, authors, and awards.
The data-a-thon session offers practical experience where participants actively apply knowledge gained during the physical training. Throughout this hands-on activity, our team will be readily available to provide guidance and support. This session not only consolidates and advances technical skills but also serves as an opportunity to generate tangible contributions. Emphasizing collaboration, this integrative approach fosters a practical learning environment, encouraging active participation in enhancing Wikidata articles aligned with the project's objectives.
4)Virtual Training (Online Follow-up Training): This sessions extend our event, offering continual learning avenues and skill enhancement for participants. Tailored to complement previous physical training, these online modules delve deeper into editing techniques, data curation, and collaborative methodologies dedicated to documenting African books and authors. Led by experienced trainers, these virtual sessions provide an interactive platform, empowering participants to make additional contributions to Wikidata and Wikipedia articles aligned with our project's goals. The structured format of Virtual Training accommodates various schedules and geographical locations, ensuring accessibility and broad participation for individuals passionate about this project.
5)Contest: This contest offers participants a platform to utilize their newly acquired skills in editing and content creation. The contest endeavors to enhance the quality and accessibility of content related to African books and authors on Wikipedia and Wikidata, contributing as a valuable resource for the global knowledge community. With a focus on fostering engagement,recognizing outstanding contributions, and further enriching the documentation of African literary works, this contest aims to encourage active participation and excellence in content development.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
Our local activity will be organized within a global framework, coordinated by the EverybookitsReader global team. The global team provides essential communication materials (e.g., social media cards and posts), communication channels, and organizes online training and support for participating groups (office hours, one-on-one sessions, telegram group, etc.). Key mentors for this project are User:Bridges2Information, User:Lilian Viana, User:Stela Madruga, User:Mtenaespinoza and User:Alequihdez
Our local team members possess the necessary qualifications and expertise to effectively execute this project. Proficient in utilizing Wikipedia and Wikidata, along with various Wikidata technical tools for streamlined editing workflows, we are well-equipped with extensive knowledge, insights, and available resources to ensure the successful completion of this project.
Favourdare123 (Project Lead): I am an experienced editor with extensive training experience, having led the WikiVibrance International Youth Day (IYD) 2022 project and co-facilitated significant editing campaigns on both Wikipedia and Wikidata. Notably, I co-facilitated the Wikimedia Awareness Outreach at Abuja and the Harnessing the Power of Open Data: Maximizing Wikidata Technical Tools workshops, providing training on Mix’n’Match, QuickStatements, and writing queries on Wikidata Query service. As the project lead, I will develop tailored training resources to enhance contributions for both new and experienced editors. Throughout our physical and online events, I will guide participants in interactive Edit-a-thons to ensure they acquire essential skills aligned with our project's objectives.
Sylvesterchukwu04 (Co-facilitator and Jury): He holds key roles within the team, serving as both a Co-facilitator and Jury member. Leading the project titled Harnessing the Power of Open Data: Maximizing Wikidata Technical Tools, he showcased adeptness in employing Wikidata's query service by crafting SPARQL queries for efficient data retrieval and presentation. In his role as a Co-facilitator, he actively contributes under a volunteer capacity, training editors in utilizing quick statements and writing queries on Wikidata Query Service, aiming to streamline seamless editing workflows. His responsibilities encompass guiding participants through editing sessions and offering support during events. Furthermore, serving as a Jury member, he plays a pivotal role in the evaluation process, ensuring fairness and upholding high-quality content selection standards.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
The target participants for our project encompass individuals keen on contributing to Wikimedia projects, focusing on documenting African books and authors on Wikipedia and Wikidata. Our audience comprises both new and experienced editors, including writers, scholars, librarians, educators, and enthusiasts devoted to African literature and cultural heritage.
Engaging participants before the activities will leverage diverse communication channels, like social media, relevant online forums, and direct outreach within targeted communities. These platforms serve to disseminate project information, elucidate goals, benefits, and organize informational sessions, including Q&A forums to generate interest and address inquiries.
During the activities, our engagement plan involves interactive workshops, edit-a-thons, and training sessions offering practical experiences and guidance in editing, content creation, data curation, and the utilization of Wikidata technical tools. Facilitators will be readily available to provide support, respond to queries, and foster collaboration among participants.
Post-activity engagement includes gathering insights via surveys or feedback forms to evaluate participant experiences and identify areas for enhancement. Establishing dedicated communication channels such as WhatsApp groups will promote ongoing discussions, resource sharing, and continuous support for participants in their Wikimedia contributions and future EverybookitsReader campaigns. Furthermore, arranging virtual follow-up sessions or office hours will ensure ongoing guidance, sustaining community engagement beyond the activities. These efforts are aimed at fostering continual participation, knowledge exchange, and community development to ensure sustained involvement in documenting African books and authors on Wikipedia and Wikidata.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
No
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
N/A
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
I have discussed the idea of my project, seeking support and explaining its goals, on the discussion page of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. You can find the details of the discussion via this link: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_User_Group_Nigeria#EveryBooksItsReader_2024:African_Books_and_Authors
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Culture, heritage or GLAM
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning and metrics edit
- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
1)Engagement Effectiveness: Assess the efficacy of our engagement strategies across diverse platforms and communities, understanding which methods yield better participation and sustained involvement.
2)Contributor Challenges: Identify the specific hurdles and challenges faced by contributors focusing on African books and authors documentation. This understanding will help tailor support mechanisms and resources to address these issues effectively.
3)Feedback and Improvement: Gather participant feedback to refine our project strategies, activities, and support structures. Insights gained will aid in making our activities more impactful and encouraging continuous participation.
4)Community Growth and Enrichment: Learn about the growth of the community, evaluate the depth of contributions, and understand how documenting African literature on Wikimedia platforms can foster a more inclusive and enriched representation of African culture and heritage.This knowledge will help in applying valuable insights to future EveryBookItsReader campaigns aimed at similar goals.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 30 | New Participants:10
Returning Participant:20 |
| Number of editors | 30 | New Participants:10
Returning Participant:20 |
| Number of organizers | 2 | There will be 2 Wikimedia volunteers (including the project lead) |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 250 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | 500 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open 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 |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
We will use EditSummary x Sigma Hashtags x EveryBookItsReader2024, Outreach Dashboard Pages Created - XTools and Global account information
Financial proposal edit
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P7arEFQTaVblFF0zzh9m21lyyeqYBx1pRpa2OHjA3vU/edit#gid=0
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
1600000 NGN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
1000 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
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).