Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Wikimedians of UAE User Group General Support 2023/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 2024-01-31T00:00:00Z
Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund
Report type: Final
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General information edit
This form is for organizations, groups, or individuals receiving Wikimedia Community Funds or Wikimedia Alliances Funds to report on their final results.
- Name of Organization: Wikimedians of United Arab Emirates User Group
- Title of Proposal: Wikimedians of UAE User Group General Support 2023
- Amount awarded: 87000 USD, 319516.2 AED
- Amount spent: 31955013 AED
Part 1 Understanding your work edit
1. Briefly describe how your proposed activities and strategies were implemented.
The implementation of proposed activities and strategies for the grant by the Wikimedians of UAE user group was characterized by adaptability and strategic decision-making. Firstly, to optimize focus and resources, certain activities such as the Wiktionary competition in Arabic and Wikiclubs were removed from the plan. This decision reflected a conscious effort to streamline efforts towards more impactful endeavors. In their place, innovative approaches were introduced, including the Training of Librarians, which aimed to extend engagement beyond traditional Wikimedia circles and foster broader community involvement. Furthermore, the execution of planned Edit-a-thons proceeded as scheduled, indicating effective project management and a commitment to fulfilling outlined objectives. Notably, the addition of the WikiForHumanRights event underscored the group's responsiveness to emerging themes and opportunities within the Wikimedia community. This inclusion demonstrated a proactive approach to addressing relevant issues and engaging with current affairs through Wikimedia platforms. Moreover, the reallocation of budget originally designated for Wikiclubs to support the WikiForHumanRights event showcased the user group's strategic financial management. This flexibility in resource allocation underscored the group's ability to adapt to evolving project needs and prioritize initiatives based on their potential impact and relevance.
2. Were there any strategies or approaches that you felt were effective in achieving your goals?
In developing our strategy within the Wikimedians of UAE user group, flexibility was crucial. We learned to adapt plans based on evolving needs, resources, and community feedback. Clear communication and collaboration helped us coordinate effectively, while strategic resource management ensured efficient use of our budget. We also learned the importance of setting realistic goals and seeking feedback regularly to course-correct as needed. It's essential not to overcommit and to continuously evaluate progress for improvement. Embracing adaptability, communication, strategic resource management, realistic goal-setting, and feedback loops were key to achieving our goals effectively.
3. Would you say that your project had any innovations? Are there things that you did very differently than you have seen them done by others?
Our project indeed featured several innovations that set it apart from traditional approaches within the Wikimedia community. One notable innovation was the adoption of a new format for the writing competition. Instead of focusing solely on Wikipedia, we expanded the competition to include Wikiquote and Commons simultaneously. This multi-platform approach yielded more diverse results and encouraged broader participation across different Wikimedia projects. Additionally, our strategy for Wikidata training of librarians showcased another innovative approach. We capitalized on a local event to deliver our training sessions, maximizing resources and leveraging existing opportunities for engagement. Despite initial plans, the unexpected need for two additional training sessions arose, which we addressed promptly. This adaptive approach demonstrated our readiness to accommodate unforeseen circumstances and scale our initiatives accordingly.
4. Please describe how different communities participated and/or were informed about your work.
Our engagement with diverse communities, including the UNA located, Arab-speaking, and Gulf region communities, involved targeted banners, mass messages, and social media updates to inform and involve them in our work. We utilized platforms like Facebook, and Instagram and mailing lists for direct engagement and encouraged participation. and we always contact our partners in universities and educational institutions to have their students in our events. Our approach emphasized inclusivity, transparency, and active participation, enabling community members to contribute ideas and feedback, fostering a sense of ownership in our initiatives within the Wikimedians of UAE user group.
5. Documentation of your impact. Please use the two spaces below to share files and links that help tell your story and impact. This can be documentation that shows your results through testimonies, videos, sound files, images (photos and infographics, etc.) social media posts, dashboards, etc.
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/ويكيبيديا:مسابقة_حرر https://www.instagram.com/wikimedians_uae
6. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement. | Neither agree nor disagree |
7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?
N/A
Part 2: Your main learning edit
8. In your application, you outlined your learning priorities. What did you learn about these areas during this period?
After the competition Harir concluded, participants were surveyed for their feedback. Approximately 50% rated the competition as "very good," while over 18% deemed it "excellent." Participants praised the clear rules and article publication guidelines. Some noted personal development from the experience. The freedom to choose articles was appreciated for fostering creativity, but concerns arose over the short duration and delayed orientation videos. Difficulty in name enlistment and suggestions for improving the evaluation system were voiced. Participants advocated for longer promotion periods and expanding the competition beyond new articles. Judges appreciated the defined topics but acknowledged user misunderstanding of participation terms. University Training Program: The survey revealed students faced time constraints, editing knowledge gaps, and website navigation challenges during training. Future strategies aim to balance training demands with student capacities by adjusting workload or extending timeframes. Emphasis will be on the programs and events dashboard, providing real-time statistics on participant numbers, tasks, published articles, modifications, and total content size for immediate feedback and assessment.
ADIBF Edit-a-thon Successful exploration of new ventures like Wikiquote, diversifying contributions. Revitalization of the stagnant Wikiquote project. Positive engagement with stakeholders. Achievement of the goal to publish 2000 contributions.
9. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities?
we have had a lot of new events, and we was forced to change our budget and allocate from some planed event to other that we have not planed
10. How do you hope to use this learning? For instance, do you have any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future?
-Prioritize Space and Infrastructure: Address the limitations identified, such as insufficient space and weak internet connectivity, for future events to ensure smooth operations and participant satisfaction.
- Enhance Stakeholder Engagement: Build upon the positive engagement with stakeholders by fostering stronger relationships and collaboration to amplify the impact of future activities and projects.
- Explore New Ventures: Continue exploring new projects and initiatives, leveraging the success of ventures like Wikiquote to diversify contributions and engage with different audiences.
- Set Clear Goals: Define clear and achievable goals for future endeavors, as the achievement of set objectives can serve as a motivating factor and measure of success.
- Continuous Improvement: Embrace a culture of continuous improvement by learning from past experiences, addressing weaknesses, and refining processes to enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency.
11. If you were sitting with a friend to tell them one thing about your work during this fund, what would it be (think of inspiring or fascinating moments, tough challenges, interesting anecdotes, or anything that feels important to you)?
From the Wiki Loves Earth contest to the Ramadan Edit-a-Thon, each event presented unique challenges and successes. Despite facing obstacles like time shortages and delayed announcements, we're dedicated to improving future events.
The ESE Summer Camp Training Programme highlighted the transformative power of interactive learning, despite organizational hurdles.
Conducting SWOT analyses after events, like the ADIBF Edit-a-thon, provided valuable insights into our strengths and weaknesses. Celebrating successes such as revitalizing Wikiquote and positive stakeholder engagement, we're mindful of areas for improvement like space limitations and connectivity issues.
12. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- N/A
Part 3: Metrics edit
13a. Open and additional metrics data
| Open Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia Articles | All the articles in English and Arabic Wikipedia will be created through our edit-a-thon, workshops, and/or contents | 5000 | 3129 | N/A | https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/wikimedians_of_uae_user_group/programs
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xlP8CntMlp7b8MH2wszhHfiGbWhQmGlv/edit#gid=1061897779 |
| Wikidata Items | All the items will be created through our volunteers, researchers, partners by gathering in edit-a-thons and creating Wikidata items. Some of the items will be uploaded by using a Bot. | 16500 | N/A | issue to filter all the collected data | N/A |
| Wikimedia Commons | We will uploading photos through our applying our program of local identity such as participating in Wiki Loves X, and other activities. | 10600 | 4260 | N/A | N/A |
| Wikinews | Through our edit-a-thon and workshops, our journalism students will be creating articles on Wikinews. | 50 | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| Newcomers | Through our community reaching program we aim to have newcomers to all Wikimedia projects. | 200 | 104 | N/A | N/A |
| Additional Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Diversity of participants brought in by grantees | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of people reached through social media publications | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of activities developed | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of volunteer hours | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
13b. Additional core metrics data.
| Core metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 500 | 425 | |||
| Number of editors | 200 | 109 | |||
| Number of organizers | 12 | 20 |
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | N/A | 5000 | 3129 | 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 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
14. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?
Yes
15. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future.
we have added many Wikidata items but it was difficult to calculate the exact number of contributions
16. Use this space to link or upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your data collection (e.g., dashboards, surveys you have carried out, communications material, training material, etc).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships edit
17. Organizational Capacity
| A. Financial capacity and management | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| B. Conflict management or transformation | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values) | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| D. Partnership building | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| E. Strategic planning | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| F. Program design, implementation, and management | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| G. Scoping and testing new approaches, innovation | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| H. Recruiting new contributors (volunteer) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| I. Support and growth path for different types of contributors (volunteers) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| J. Governance | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| K. Communications, marketing, and social media | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| L. Staffing - hiring, monitoring, supporting in the areas needed for program implementation and sustainability | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| M. On-wiki technical skills | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| N. Accessing and using data | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| O. Evaluating and learning from our work | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
17a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Formal training provided by the Wikimedia Foundation, Formal training provided by a Wikimedia Movement organizing group (i.e., Affiliates, Grantees, Regional or Thematic Hub, etc.), Formal training provided from outside the Wikimedia Movement, Peer to peer learning with other community members in conferences/events, Peer to peer learning with other community members in community/ies of practice* (structured and continuous learning and sharing spaces), Peer to peer learning with other community members (but that is not continuous or structured), Using capacity building/training resources online from sources WITHIN the Wikimedia Movement
17b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Lack of financial resources
18. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your organizational capacity has grown, and areas where you require support?
N/A
19. Partnerships over the funding period.
| A. We built strategic partnerships with other institutions or groups that will help us grow in the medium term (3 year time frame) | Neither agree nor disagree |
| B. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to bring in more contributors from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| C. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to build out more content on underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
19a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Permanent staff outreach, Board members’ outreach, Staff hired through the fund, Institutional support from the Wikimedia Foundation, Partners proactive interest
19b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Difficulties specific to our context that hindered partnerships, Local policies or other legal factors
20. Please share your learning about strategies to build partnerships with other institutions and groups and any other learning about working with partners?
Establishing clear communication is vital for partnerships. Articulate expectations, responsibilities, and goals early to prevent misunderstandings. Identify shared goals and values with potential partners to build trust. Invest in building relationships, demonstrating reliability, integrity, and transparency. Be flexible as partnerships evolve, adapting strategies to maximize collaboration.
Part 5: Sense of belonging and collaboration edit
21. What would it mean for your organization to feel a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement?
Feeling a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement signifies alignment with core principles such as democratizing access to knowledge and fostering inclusivity. It involves actively contributing to platforms like Wikipedia, supporting open collaboration, and advocating for free knowledge initiatives. Organizations part of this movement prioritize open access, educational resources, and community-driven efforts to expand and improve the world's knowledge base.
22. How has your (for individual grantees) or your group/organization’s (for organizational grantees) sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Stayed the same
23. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
N/A
24. How has your group/organization’s sense of personal investment in the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Increased significantly
25. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
we have changed our strategy and now we have a clear view of what we want to be
26. Are there other movements besides the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement that play a central role in your motivation to contribute to Wikimedia projects? (for example, Black Lives Matter, Feminist movement, Climate Justice, or other activism spaces) If so, please describe it below.
no
Supporting Peer Learning and Collaboration edit
We are interested in better supporting peer learning and collaboration in the movement.
27. Have you shared these results with Wikimedia affiliates or community members?
Yes
27a. Please describe how you have already shared them. Would you like to do more sharing, and if so how?
we share all our work when we send a annual activities report through the mailing list
28. How often do you currently share what you have learned with other Wikimedia Foundation grantees, and learn from them?
We do this rarely (less than twice a year)
29. How does your organization currently share mutual learning with other grantees?
through the social media always when we have an event of through the village pumps of Wikimedia projects
Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance edit
30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.
31955013
31. Local currency type
AED
32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
33. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.
N/A
34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
34a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
N/A
34b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
34c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.
36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
37. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.