Grants:Project/FLG/History of Quebec and French-speaking North America 2020-2021
This project is funded by a Project Grant
| proposal | people | timeline & progress | finances | midpoint report | final report |
Project idea edit
What is the problem you're trying to solve? edit
What problem are you trying to solve by doing this project? This problem should be small enough that you expect it to be completely or mostly resolved by the end of this project.
Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.
Quebecers, and more generally French speakers in North America, are a small minority of all contributors to the French-language Wikimedia projects. Despite constant improvements, we can observe that many Wikipedia articles, general in their nature, are centered on France or Europe, neglecting the North American perspective. Moreover, the articles on subjects related to the history of Québec, Canada and French-speaking North America are in too many cases poorly sourced stubs, including those articles treating of major events and major figures in history. That is the main reason why around 2014 the Fondation Lionel-Groulx (FLG) decided to participate to the Wikimedia Movement alongside important partners like Wikimedia Canada, BAnQ and Acfas.
In march 2019, we went further through the “History of Quebec and French-speaking North America” project which we were able to launch thanks to a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation.
As we noted in our final report, the demand was overwhelming and the project was a real success. We wish to continue our work, however with a new focus on training and support for academia, in particular through the production of new online educational resources.
What is your solution to this problem? edit
For the problem you identified in the previous section, briefly describe your how you would like to address this problem.
We recognize that there are many ways to solve a problem. We’d like to understand why you chose this particular solution, and why you think it is worth pursuing.
Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.
Through a Wikimedia Foundation project grant, continue to employ JBouchez, a now well-trained Wikimedian-in-Residence, who will be dedicated to a) organizing training and contribution events, b) producing educational resources, and c) supporting both individuals and organizations in their Wikimedia-related projects.
Project goals edit
What are your goals for this project? Your goals should describe the top two or three benefits that will come out of your project. These should be benefits to the Wikimedia projects or Wikimedia communities. They should not be benefits to you individually.
Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.
With a Wikimedian-in-Residence, our organization is able to achieve its main Wikimedia-related goal, which is (as quoted and translated from our 2018-2019-2020 Action Plan): "contribute to the development of high quality contents on the history of Québec and French-speaking North America in Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Commons, and to build a community of institutional partners and individual volunteers willing to work concretely on such an endeavor."
Through our action, more individuals and organizations will contribute to Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Commons with the desire and the means to improve and enrich contents concerning the history of Québec and French-speaking North America. Through our work, we will continue to have a strong impact on a) participation to Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Commons and b) the general improvement of content quality.
Project impact edit
How will you know if you have met your goals? edit
For each of your goals, we’d like you to answer the following questions:
- During your project, what will you do to achieve this goal? (These are your outputs.)
- Once your project is over, how will it continue to positively impact the Wikimedia community or projects? (These are your outcomes.)
For each of your answers, think about how you will capture this information. Will you capture it with a survey? With a story? Will you measure it with a number? Remember, if you plan to measure a number, you will need to set a numeric target in your proposal (i.e. 45 people, 10 articles, 100 scanned documents).
Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.
We will know that we have achieved our main goals for the June 2020-June 2021 period if we have:
- produced 6 new short video tutorials and 3 longer video documents, most likely webinars (one for Wikipédia, one for Wikisource and one for Commons)
- trained 60 new wikimedians among professional or amateur historians, history teachers and students, who will be able to continue adding and improving contents later on
- organized – in collaboration with our partners – at least 8 training and/or contribution events involving on average 10 or more participants per event (for a total of 80 participants or more)
- assisted at least 3 new history teachers (one per session) in the steps needed to bring student contributions to Wikipedia, Wikisource or Commons in the classroom
- improved the quality of 40 articles in the French-language version of Wikipedia
- created 20 new articles in the French-language version of Wikipedia
When our project is over, it will continue to positively impact the Wikimedia movement. In particular, we expect that:
- at least 10 to 15% of the 80 participants to our events will continue to contribute from time to time
- 7 new institutions or associations (public, charity, non-profit) will be inspired by our initiatives and continue to organize on their own (or co-organize with us) other training and contribution events to improve the contents on the history of Québec and French-speaking North America in Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Commons
- some of the professional or amateur historians, history teachers and students, etc., that we have trained will become regular contributors and influence others around them
Do you have any goals around participation or content? edit
Are any of your goals related to increasing participation within the Wikimedia movement, or increasing/improving the content on Wikimedia projects? If so, we ask that you look through these three metrics, and include any that are relevant to your project. Please set a numeric target against the metrics, if applicable.
(Yes. The relevant metrics are included in the section above.)
Project plan edit
Activities edit
Tell us how you'll carry out your project. What will you and other organizers spend your time doing? What will you have done at the end of your project? How will you follow-up with people that are involved with your project?
Producing new training material edit
We have already established the FLG's Montréal office as the headquarters for both our in-person and virtual training sessions. With the help of our partners, we will continue to offer a flexible schedule of free training and support sessions for using and contributing to Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Commons.
In support of our training work, we will produce new online education resources. We already have experience producing 2 short video tutorials as part of the previous Wikimedia project grant. We will continue what we started by producing the following new resources:
- 6 short video tutorials of < 5 min. long, focusing on answering simple questions (“How to perform action X?” and “What is concept or notion Y?”) and avoiding unnecessary duplication of already existing quality material (such as the videos of the French-language WikiMOOC produced by Wikimedia France).
- 3 longer video documents of > 25 min. and < 60 min. long, that will likely take the form of webinars so we do not have to spend hours with editing. There will be one document for Wikipédia, one for Wikisource and one for Commons.
The production calendar is as follows:
- June 2020 : Brainstorming, planning and scripting
- July-August 2020 : (Summer Break)
- September-October-November 2020 : 1st and 2nd short videos and 1st webinar
- December 2020-January-February 2021 : 3rd and 4th short videos and 2nd webinar
- March-April-May 2021 : 5th and 6th short videos and 3rd webinar
Training and contribution events edit
Together with our partners, we will identify themes for our training and contribution events.
- June 2020 : Brainstorming and planning
- July-August 2020 : (Summer Break)
- September-October 2020 : 1st and 2nd training and/or contribution events
- November-December 2020 : 3rd and 4th training and/or contribution events
- January-February 2021 : 5th and 6th training and/or contribution events
- March-April-May 2021 : 7th and 8th training and/or contribution events
For our Wikimedian-in-Residence, the planning of training and contribution events will involve the following:
- coordinating with partners and training them when required
- evaluating possible improvements to articles so as to propose improvement "missions" to participants
- preparatory work prior to event to facilitate contribution (digitizing, uploading media to Commons, finding solid reference works to be used by participants, etc.)
- training participants prior to the event or during the event depending on the case
- provide expertise during the event for the benefit of participants
- communication and outreach before, during and after event
General Outreach edit
While the main communication and outreach efforts will continue to be done by MathieuGP, our Wikimedian-in-Residence will also be asked from time to time to help by giving talks throughout Québec, writing articles and other documents, broadcasting messages in social media, etc.
COVID-19 planning edit
In mid-March 2020, the people who were in habit of working at the FLG's Montréal office were instructed to start working from home as much as possible. It has been going surprisingly well so far. All of FLG's people are equipped with webcams and microphones they can use from home. We use Jitsi Meet in addition to e-mail and telephone.
The FLG has the experience to hold quality online events. The last two events as part of our previous grant were in fact held online.
We plan to hold all our events online and avoid travel for as long as required by WMF. We are confident we can meet all our goals despite the pandemic.
Budget edit
How you will use the funds you are requesting? List bullet points for each expense. (You can create a table later if needed.) Don’t forget to include a total amount, and update this amount in the Probox at the top of your page too!
As was the case in 2019-2020, the FLG will fund the project by providing a workplace (with Internet, printers, office spaces, conference room, kitchen, library, etc.), administrative support by a paid employee (Étienne Lafrance), project coordination by a paid employee (Myriam D'Arcy), supervision and support of the WiR and GLAM outreach by a paid employee (MathieuGP). We will be able to provide even more resources in 2020-2021. Indeed, as we were hoping, the success of our first full-time WiR experiment helped us convince our partners to renew and increase the funding of our Wikimedia-related projects. As a result, the FLG is already able to contract a new team member (Hamza.Tabaichount) and will also assume several of the expenses that were part of the previous Wikimedia project grant (traveling, room renting and prizes). Therefore, this year, we only submit this grant application to renew the one-year contract of our now experienced Wikimedian-in-Residence:
- $40,000 USD - Contract revenue (32 hours per week, Monday through Thursday)
- TOTAL = $40,000 USD
Community engagement edit
How will you let others in your community know about your project? Why are you targeting a specific audience? How will you engage the community you’re aiming to serve at various points during your project? Community input and participation helps make projects successful.
We are targeting the community that is passionate about history and heritage: professional and amateur historians, history teachers and students, history societies, but also more widely the communities of professionals, amateurs, teachers and students revolving around archives, museums, galleries, libraries, and interested in fields of knowledge very close to history (archeology, genealogy, etc.). The FLG is already at the heart of the network of institutions and associations that make up this milieu in Québec.
Get involved edit
Participants edit
Please use this section to tell us more about who is working on this project. For each member of the team, please describe any project-related skills, experience, or other background you have that might help contribute to making this idea a success.
- JBouchez – Wikimedian-in-Residence at FLG since March 2019, Wikipedian since 2008, solid experience in organizing training and contribution events. Will be working 32 out of 32 hours per week on the FLG’s Wikimedia-related projects.
- MathieuGP – Digital projects manager at FLG since 2011, Wikipedian since 2003, long experience in training, and newly acquired experience in training and supporting a WiR and performing GLAM outreach. Will be managing the FLG’s Wikimedia-related projects for some 16 out of 32 hours per week.
- Hamza.Tabaichount – History promotion officer since January 2020, Wikipedian since May 2019, History B.A. graduate, currently finishing his M.A. thesis on the history of Québec’s and Canada’s refugee programs. Will be performing research and editing for the FLG’s Wikimedia-related projects for some 24 out of 32 hours per week.
- Myriam D'Arcy – Chief executive officer at FLG since June 2020, responsible for coordinating all our projects.
- Étienne Lafrance – Administrative assistant of the CEO at FLG since 2010, responsible for accounting and other administrative tasks for all our projects.
Community notification edit
You are responsible for notifying relevant communities of your proposal, so that they can help you! Depending on your project, notification may be most appropriate on a Village Pump, talk page, mailing list, etc.--> Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions. Need notification tips?
- Projet:Québec (fr.wikipedia.org)
Endorsements edit
Do you think this project should be selected for a Project Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project below! (Other constructive feedback is welcome on the discussion page).
- Jérémy Bouchez joue un rôle très important pour améliorer la couverture de l'encyclopédie sur l'histoire du Québec et de l'Amérique francophone. D'une part, il y contribue lui-même en créant/améliorant des pages sur le sujet. D'autre part, il favorise l'émergence d'une relève en formant des étudiant.e.s d'histoire à l'écriture wikipédienne. -- Gaélant (talk) 16:05, 24 February 2020 (UTC)
- Jérémy Bouchez améliore énormément les notices en français sur l'histoire du Québec. Il aide mes étudiants a bonifier les articles. Il dynamise beaucoup le portail Québec. J'ai toujours eu un bon service de ce wikipédien en résidence à la Fondation Lionel-Groulx -- Lancia Spaghetti (talk) 20:25, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
- Jérémy is very knowledgeable about the wiki projects and is an easygoing and fun person to work with. I totally support this important project, first because it is in great hands, and second because Fondation Lionel-Groulx proved they are a key component to foster a "wikimedian culture" in Montréal's GLAM institutions. Benjamenta (talk) 19:53, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
- This project help to develop and maintain an active community centered on history topics. It also give exposure to Wikimedia projects in Quebec and help to continue the wiki and education difficult wedding. Simon Villeneuve 17:00, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
- Il est très précieux quand une résidence réussie peut être prolongée. Jérémy a beaucoup apporté à la communauté par les compétences qu'il a développé, et fait non négligeable, parce qu'il peut s'y dédier à temps plein, tout en étant bien encadré par la Fondation Lionel-Groulx. Je ne peux qu'appuyer la poursuite d'une telle initiative. Sacré Marmotte (talk) 09:26, 20 Février 2020 (UTC)
- Communicateur efficace et compétent dans son domaine, Jérémy Bouchez apporte une contribution importante au portail Québec en plus de former de nouveau Wikipédiens Silk666 (talk) 14:33, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
- I was lucky to participate in one of the workshops offered by the Fondation Lionel-Groulx last year, thanks to Wiki-grant it received. Not only did I enjoy it very much, but it also gave me the spur I needed to become an active contributor. The project in itself, "improve and enrich contents concerning the history of Québec and French-speaking North America" is of utter importance. There are many many things that need to be documented, and many people willing to contribute, not really knowing where to start. PascalineQc (talk) 14:31, 24 February 2020 (UTC)
- Paid resources to contribute in Wikimedia projects always give a leverage for the local chapter. They relieve the volunteers and make a significant change in contribution and education. --Thekidpossum (talk) 15:33, 24 February 2020 (UTC)
- Bonjour, The history of Montréal, Québec and French America is an important part of the history of the whole continent. Many of our ancestors founded cities in the US, and developed good relations with Native people. They even guided Lewis and Clark in their expedition. Today, we are still millions of people in North America always and ever speaking French and it is important that Wikipedia reflects our history. Merci Mario Robert, président Société historique de Montréal 142.243.254.109 17:00, 24 February 2020 (UTC)
- Merci à Jérémy pour l'apport à la communauté. Le travail que Jérémy a fait avec la Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) a été très utile pour nous permettre d’améliorer le contenu des pages concernant le mouvement syndical québécois. Nous entendons poursuivre ces efforts avec nos syndicats affiliés. 204.101.218.252 14:56, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Le dynamisme de la FLG et son équipe est une grande contribution pour Wikimédia au Québec. J'appuie cette demande qui est importante pour stimuler la communauté. --Antoine2711 (talk) 05:22, 5 March 2020 (UTC)
Support. WiR are a great way for reaching our goals of freeing and sharing knowledge. --Wikinade (talk) 12:49, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
