Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wiki Student Summit 2024

WMF review and feedback

Hi @Magotech and Open Space Tanzania,

Thank you very much for this proposal and for your initiative in organizing the Wiki Student Summit 2024. I highly appreciate the time and effort you put into this proposal. I have reviewed your proposal and have some comments and follow up questions:

• I see you are planning to host your event in July. Please know that the reviewing process for the Conference Fund program will not be completed before March 29, and if approved, there will be some processing time to wire the fund. So I think that July might be too soon.

Thank you for the heads-up, after a discussion with the team and partners (Academic and educational institutions), this was an idle time for both sides given the teaching timetable for the institutions. However, we are open for flexibility and we are doing our best to make sure that our vendors are also flexible just in case.Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Do you have a confirmed host city?

Yes, we have confirmed the host city being Arusha. Read More about Arusha via: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• I see you are targeting 210 participants to this event. It’s quite high and is considered to be a large-scale event. Are you confident in your ability to attract that many students? What is the scope of the community of contributors you are currently working with?

Yes, we are confident with the ability of attracting the stated number of students. Currently, we are operating in 3 different regions (Morogoro, Dodoma and Iringa) covering 5 Universities, 2 Colleges and 4 Secondary Schools. Not only that, the Wikimedians of Arusha are also working with two Universities in Arusha in implementing their projects with our support. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• I understand the goal of this event is mainly to grow your community of content contributors, to train them and to raise more awareness. But I am worried about having so many first time editors, or people who have no wiki experience for a 3 day event. When we organize multi day community events that include scholarships and overnight stay, this is a form of investment (financial and human resources). We want to make sure we are investing in people who we have some kind of ‘commitment’ to the movement. In this case, we cannot assure that and this is a concern. In general, newcomers welcoming events are highly encouraged. But should be designed as a one day event with an introductory program.

How will you ensure the participants have that kind of commitment?

The mentioned new editors are not referred to fresh new participants rather the editors who has been in the movement not less than 4 months and not more than 1 year, and they have been participating fully in our and other past Wikimedia based events. By setting these criteria we are sure we will have editors who are committed to the movement.Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Post event evaluation - as those are mostly newcomers, I don’t think a survey will be enough to determine the impact of this event. You will need a more intensive evaluation that includes closer tracking of their contributions and engagement, and you will need to form a follow up plan.

As narrated in the above question, we will not be having totally new comers in the event. The term newcomer in our community is used based on the narrated above criteria. For fresh newcomers we term them as newbies. However, be assured that closer tracking will be done after the event. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Will you design any specific engagement with educators?

Yes, there will be specific engagement with educators. One of the engagements we will be using is having educators who are currently implementing Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program to hold sessions dedicated to other educators, where we believe in these sessions, they will have a chance to share they success, experiences, challenges and the way forward on working in the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom.Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Can you please elaborate on the ‘Mentorship Program?

- The Mentorship Program aims to support newcomers to the Wikimedia movement by pairing them with experienced Wikimedians who can guide them in their journey. The goal is to provide a supportive environment where newcomers can learn, ask questions, and develop their skills.

Roles and Responsibilities.

- Mentors: Mentors are experienced Wikimedians who volunteer to guide newcomers. They provide advice, answer questions, and offer support as newcomers navigate the Wikimedia ecosystem. They also share their experiences and best practices, helping newcomers avoid common pitfalls and become effective contributors.

- Mentees: Mentees are newcomers to the Wikimedia movement who are eager to learn and contribute. They are expected to be proactive in seeking advice and feedback from their mentors, and to apply what they learn to their contributions.

Program Structure.

- The Mentorship Program begins during the summit, where mentors and mentees are introduced to each other. Initial sessions focus on getting to know each other, setting expectations, and discussing goals.

- After the summit, the mentorship continues remotely. Mentors and mentees communicate regularly through online platforms, discussing progress, addressing challenges, and celebrating successes.

Benefits:

-The Mentorship Program benefits both mentors and mentees. Mentees receive personalized guidance and support, helping them become confident and effective contributors. Mentors have the opportunity to share their knowledge, develop their leadership skills, and make a meaningful impact on the Wikimedia community.

-We believe that the Mentorship Program is a powerful way to support newcomers and foster a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative community.Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Can you please share a few examples of your last projects or annual plan? Any successful initiatives you would like to share with the committee? I think it will help us to evaluate the potential impact of this initiative.

- As a community we have been always been focus on the sustainability of the community despite any obstacles, and this is all done by implementing projects for the long run. Examples of projects that have been successfully and are ongoing are: Wiki Clubs (regular edit-a-thons, contest), Tanzania: A Wiki Travel Diary, Bantu Trails in Tanzania and we are currently implementing the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom project.

-Furthermore, in July 2023 we were able to host the Wiki Student Summit 2023 with great support from our partner academic, educational institutions and other Wikimedia communities in Tanzania where we hosted 150+ in person participants

- Please find our annual plan via: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YZbQD7krJYtSWHmdLlEYfLEF2sdFd8v5kV2BKuaE-QM/edit?usp=sharing

- Read about our past activities via: https://diff.wikimedia.org/?s=magotech and https://openspacetanzania.org/category/reports/

- Via our events Dashboard: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/university_students_wikimedians/programs and https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/wikimedians_of_arusha_user_group_annual_programs_20232024/programs Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• Do you currently have any collaborations with Educational and Academic institutions or other knowledge communities?

- Yes, we are working in a collaborative way with 5 Universities, 2 Colleges and 4 Secondary Schools. Also, we are working with other open knowledge communities in Tanzania. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• 60 scholarships out of 210 participants - do you expect the rest to be self funded?

- 60 scholarships are to be given from the Wikimedia conference fund is the fund will be approved. Also, with collaboration with our partnering educational institutions we have been able secure 50 scholarships (catering accommodation and dinner) for the event. The remaining 100 participants are self-funded; however, we are currently actively searching for more sponsors for the event and in case we are able to secure any then the number of self-funded participants will decrease. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• How many organizing team members do you have?

- Currently we have 20 members in the C.O.T (proposal updated) and have open positions for volunteers who will be called upon if the conference is funded. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

• I really appreciate the collaboration between Open Space Tanzania; the Wikimedians of Arusha User Group and Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili. This is a really good demonstration of how wiki groups can partner and increase the impact and awareness for the movement’s vision and mission.

- Thank you, we are always striving to promote collaboration in our Wikimedia communities in Tanzania. Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

Thank you again for this proposal! When you're able, please respond to the questions on Meta and revise the proposal on Fluxx if needed (I have sent the application back on Fluxx so you can edit it, just don't forget to re-submit when you are done). These revisions will be due by March 6, 2024 after which the Conference Grant Committee will begin formal review of the proposal to make the funding decisions.

Best, CAlmog (WMF) (talk) 01:55, 1 March 2024 (UTC)\

Thank you, Magotech (Open Space Tanzania) (talk) 13:43, 4 March 2024 (UTC)