Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikimedia Hackathon Local Meetup Accra 2023 (ID: 22114455)
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Applicant Details edit
- Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.
Joris Darlington Quarshie
- Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.
Joris Darlington Quarshie
- Organization
N/A
- Are you a member of any Wikimedia affiliate or group, including informal groups like Wiki Fan Clubs, emerging language communities, not recognized Wikimedia groups etc.? Please list them all.
Member, Open Foundation West Africa Community Lead, African Wikimedia Technical Community
Grant Proposal edit
- M. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Wikimedia Hackathon Local Meetup Accra 2023
- Q. Indicate if it is a local, international, or regional proposal and if it involves several countries? (optional)
Local
- Q2. If you have answered regional or international, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.
- R. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
- 1. What is the change that you are trying to bring about and why is this important.
The change we are trying to bring about through this event is fostering a more robust and engaged community of technical contributors within the Wikimedia ecosystem. This event aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to create new tools and improve upon some existing tools, and documentation that can be used to improve the user experience of Wikimedia projects.
One of the main challenges that the Wikimedia community in Africa faces is the lack of technical contributors who have the knowledge and skills to create new tools and extensions for the platform. This event seeks to address this issue by providing participants with hands-on training and collaboration opportunities to develop new tools and documentations that can be used to enhance the platform.
The importance of this change has been assessed by examining the current state of the Wikimedia ecosystem and identifying areas where technical contributions can have the most significant impact. With the increasing demand for new features and functionalities on the Wikimedia platform, there is a critical need to foster a more engaged and knowledgeable community of technical contributors who can create and maintain these features.
Creating new tools and documentation will enable the Wikimedia community to improve the platform's user experience, making it more accessible and user-friendly for a wider audience. By fostering a more robust and engaged community of technical contributors, the Wikimedia ecosystem can continue to grow and evolve, meeting the needs of its users and contributing to the broader mission of providing free and open access to knowledge.
Lastly, the importance of this change is rooted in the long-term sustainability and growth of the Wikimedia platform. By providing opportunities for technical contributors to learn, collaborate, and create new tools, we can ensure that the platform continues to evolve and improve, providing the best possible user experience for its users.
- 2. Describe your main approaches or strategies to achieve these changes and why you think they will be effective.
The Technical Local Meetup aims to address the challenges of the Wikimedia ecosystem by providing hands-on technical training, building a community of technical contributors, providing a hacking session for participants to create and improve existing tools and fostering knowledge sharing and documentation. These approaches are based on previous research and evidence highlighting the importance of community building, practical training, hacking session and knowledge sharing in fostering a more engaged and knowledgeable community of technical contributors. The event will empower participants to create new tools and features, improve the platform's user experience, and contribute to the growth of the Wikimedia ecosystem.
- 3. What are the activities you will be developing and delivering as part of these approaches or strategies?
Our event will include a range of activities designed to achieve our desired changes. These activities include:
- 1. Technical training sessions: We will provide participants with hands-on training on creating tools, bots, skins, extensions, and gadgets using Wikimedia APIs. These training sessions will be conducted by experienced technical contributors and will cover a range of technical topics and skills.
- 2. Hackathon and Collaboration sessions: Participants will have the opportunity to work on collaborative projects during the event. We will facilitate the formation of project teams and provide technical support and guidance as needed. This will foster collaboration and help build a community of technical contributors.
- 3. Documentation and tutorial guide creation: We will encourage participants to create documentation and tutorial guides on the tools and extensions they make during the event. This documentation will be shared on Wikimedia platforms to facilitate knowledge sharing and dissemination.
- 4. Networking opportunities: We will provide opportunities for participants to connect with each other and the broader Wikimedia technical community. This will include informal networking events and social activities.
We believe these activities will effectively achieve our desired changes because they align with our strategies of providing hands-on technical training and collaboration opportunities, building a community of technical contributors, and fostering knowledge sharing and documentation. By providing participants with practical technical training, collaborative project opportunities, and networking opportunities, we can help build a more engaged and knowledgeable community of technical contributors.
Furthermore, by encouraging participants to create documentation and tutorial guides, we can help disseminate knowledge and empower other contributors to use and build upon these tools.
- 4. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign or event? If so, please select the relevant campaign below. If so, please select all the relevant campaigns from the list below. If "other", please state which.
Other (please specify)
- Wikimedia Hackathon Satellite events
- 5. Do you have the team that is needed to implement this proposal?
Joris Darlington Quarshie, African Wikimedia Technical Community, Volunteer, Project Lead & Facilitator AfiMaame, African Wikimedia Technical Community, Volunteer, Facilitator Jwale2, African Wikimedia Technical Community, Volunteer, Tech Support & Production Caleb Nanigah, African Wikimedia Technical Community, Volunteer, Facilitator Kondas Majid, African Wikimedia Technical Community, Volunteer, Facilitator
- 6. 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, Socioeconomic Status, Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 6.1 In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge.
This event addresses the content gap and knowledge inequity by providing technical training and collaboration opportunities to underrepresented communities. It empowers them to create tools and features and encourages documentation and tutorial guides to disseminate knowledge and increase diverse representation on the platform.
- 7. 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, Advocacy, Diversity
- 8. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?
Gender Identity, Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Socioeconomic status
- 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?
Our target participants are individuals from underrepresented communities, including women LGBTQ+ individuals, and people from low-income backgrounds. We will engage participants through targeted outreach efforts, including reaching out to relevant open-source communities, sharing information on social media and mailing lists, and partnering with local groups.
Before the activities, we will provide participants with pre-event materials, including reading materials and video tutorials, to help prepare them for the technical training and collaboration opportunities. During the event, we will use a variety of engagement strategies, including live demonstrations, interactive exercises, and breakout sessions, to ensure that participants are actively engaged and have opportunities to collaborate with other contributors.
After the activities, we will follow up with participants to gather feedback on their experience and access the impact of the event. We will also provide ongoing support to help participants continue to develop their technical skills and engage with the Wikimedia community.
To reach underrepresented groups, we will make targeted investments in outreach and support. This includes partnering with relevant open-source communities, providing scholarships to help cover travel and offering ongoing mentorship and support to help participants continue to develop their technical skills.
To retain participants after the event, we will use a variety of strategies, including ongoing communication and support, opportunities for collaboration and networking, and ongoing technical training and mentorship. We will also encourage participants to contribute to ongoing Wikimedia projects and initiatives, providing them with opportunities to make meaningful contributions and continue to develop their skills and knowledge.
- 10. In what ways are you actively seeking to contribute towards creating a safer, supportive, more equitable environment for participants?
We will create a safer, supportive, and equitable environment for participants by offering the Wikimedia universal code of conduct, Friendly Space Policy and a reporting platform, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and ensuring accessibility. Targeted outreach efforts will be made to underrepresented groups, and all participants will be made to feel included and valued.
- 11. Please tell us about how you have let your Wikimedia communities know about the planned activities and this proposal. Use this space to describe the processes you carried out to make the community more involved in planning this proposal. Please link the on-wiki community discussion(s) around the proposals.
We used multiple communication channels such as community telegram groups and WhatsApp community platforms to inform the communities about the planned activities and this proposal. Before drafting the proposal, we conducted a needed assessment and engaged with relevant groups and affiliates to gather feedback and insights. We also leveraged existing partnerships to ensure the proposal reached a broader audience. These processes helped us involve the community and align the proposal with the needs and goals of the Wikimedia ecosystem.
- 12. Are you aware of other Rapid Fund proposals in your local group, community, or region that are being submitted and that align with your proposed project?
No
If yes:
- 12.1 Did you explore the possibility of doing a joint proposal with other leaders in your group?
- N/A
- 12.2 How will this joint proposal allow you to have better results?
- N/A
- 13. Will you be working with other external, non-Wikimedia partners to implement this proposal? Required.
No
- 13.1 Please describe these partnerships and what motivates the potential partner to be part of the proposal and how they add value to your work.
- 14. 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, Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation edit
- 15. What do you hope to learn from your work in this fund proposal?
The organizers hope to learn the following from this work:
Did the proposed activities effectively address the identified technical gaps and needs within the African Wikimedia communities? What were the most effective strategies for engaging and retaining underrepresented groups in the event? How did the Universal Code of Conduct and other efforts to create a safer and more equitable environment for participants impact the overall success of the event? What were the most significant challenges faced during the implementation of the proposal, and how can they be addressed in future events? How can the lessons learned from this proposal be applied to future efforts to support the development and growth of the African Wikimedia communities? The data collected from participant feedback surveys, attendance data, and engagement metrics will help answer these learning questions and inform future efforts to support the African Wikimedia communities.
- 16. 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 spaces provided.
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
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- 17. Core quantitative metrics.
| Core metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | We will aim to attract a diverse group of participants, including those who are new to Wikimedia events as well as returning participants who have participated in other Wikimedia projects or activities. We will track the number of new and returning participants separately to measure the success of our outreach efforts in engaging underrepresented groups. Additionally, we will track the demographic data of the participants, including gender, age, ethnicity, and geographic location, to ensure that we are reaching a diverse audience and to help identify any areas where we need to improve our outreach efforts. | 30 |
| Number of editors | ||
| Number of organizers | The target for this metric is the number of organizers involved in planning and implementing the activities proposed. This includes planners, coordinators, trainers, teachers, outreach liaisons, advisors, facilitators, publicity leaders, speakers, and other roles necessary for the successful execution of the project. The goal is to have a diverse and inclusive team of organizers who can work together to create a safe and supportive environment for all participants. The aim is to have enough organizers to ensure the success of the project while maintaining a manageable workload for each individual. | 5 |
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
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- 17.1 If for some reason your proposal will not measure these core metrics please provide an explanation.
- 18. What tools would you use to measure each metric selected? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support.
For the metric of # participants, we will use a combination of tools to measure the different types of participation.
For tracking the number of participants attending offline events, we will use sign-in sheets and registration forms. For virtual events, we will track the number of participants through the event platform's registration system and by monitoring attendance during the sessions. We will also use surveys to gather feedback from participants on their experience and to track any changes in their knowledge or behaviour related to the topic.
To track the number of new participants, we will ask participants during registration if they have previously attended a Wikimedia event. For returning participants, we will ask if they have participated in Wikimedia events in other projects or activities.
For measuring # of organizers, we will keep a record of individuals involved in planning, coordinating, training, outreach, and facilitating the activities. We will also track the number of volunteers and staff involved in the implementation of the project.
We will use various tools to collect and analyze the data, including Google Forms for surveys, spreadsheets for data management, and statistical software such as SPSS or R for data analysis. We will also use qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups to gather in-depth feedback from participants and organizers.
For contributions, we will use the phabricator and Gerrit to track the contributions of participants.
If necessary, we may seek support from the Wikimedia community or the WMF Learning and Evaluation team for guidance on selecting appropriate tools and methods for data collection and analysis.
Financial Proposal edit
- 19. & 19.1 What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.
27994.73 GHS
- 19.2 What is this amount in US Currency (to the best of your knowledge)?
2505 USD
- 20. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SG4yECHrh9We6zvMu6ouVGBQObf3OA7pbS2aFB4kEqA/edit?usp=sharing
- 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).