Grants talk:Project/MSIG/FromPunjab/Movement Charter Ambassador Program

Concerns from the local community

Hi @FromPunjab

I have read your whole proposal and I really appreciate such kind of initiatives who can lead to good community growth and health but being a Punjabi Wikimedian and also a contact person, I have some concerns which I am sharing below:

1. My first concern is about not being consulted by your side from the Punjabi Community before the proposal was submitted. It is essential because this grant is being asked in the name of the community. If you do that in the proper way, it will surely emphasize the value of your input and expertise in contributing to the success of the proposal. Let’s first the community members know about this proposal because after that they also would have to provide feedback and possibly contribute ideas or suggestions that could strengthen the proposal. This engagement and consultation is important also for this reason that this event/program is starting from 25^th of this month and the community still don’t have any idea about it. So I think there should have been a discussion about it in any mode either online or offline community meetup before posting the proposal on Meta and I would really appreciate that if you do the same.
2. The second concern of mine is that last year when this whole process of ambassador program started, we both were selected as Punjabi Community Ambassadors and we completed our task successfully. After that, I have not received any email in which it was said that this discussion of the next phase has started and it is about to start. Yet you submitted a proposal which was funded too. I am not saying you could put my name along with grantee but as a previous Community Representative and Contact Person, I expect you that you should have a discussion or talk with me regarding it. This is also why I am bringing it up here because you have written in this proposal that to make this discussion successful, you will discuss with other ambassadors too.
3. The third problem is regarding the budget because I have done this work last year too and I know what kind of tasks work would involve in it and how much strength or resources will be needed in it. So, when I saw the budget, I felt that this budget is much more than the resources and efforts required for all those works but I might be wrong if this time the workload is higher. As per my understanding, there are majorly two types of works, one in which we have given some material from WMF side and we translated it into Punjabi and latterly we organize a discussion on it and collect feedback on it. So my concern is can you please elaborate the tasks you mentioned in the budget like Research, Facilitation, Documentation and Coordination so that me along with the community can differentiate among them.
4. Reconnecting first point, There is a proper way about how to approach any grant proposal which has been discussed in community meetings too. Firstly a grantee drafts the proposal and then shares it with the community and he or she only publishes it on Meta after getting feedback from the community.  As per this proposal, the community is unaware about it and before this, another proposal was submitted from your side also without informing community and community members gave you the same suggestion that you should convert it into a draft and have a discussion but you didn’t follow the suggestion. Can you please inform here how you collected feedback from the community in that project because being a contact person, I am not aware if any discussion is processing in the community? From this perspective, I am not supporting this proposal.

I hope you would clarify these concerns. Thank you. @Gaurav Jhammat.

Gaurav Jhammat (talk) 10:43, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Gaurav Jhammat

Thank you so much. I hope this will clarify your concerns.

1. I recognize your concerns and value your suggestions. Involving the Punjabi Community in decision-making is crucial, particularly when it affects them directly. I've already brought up the Movement Charter's grant on March 9, 2024, on Sath and requested that for any questions, this should be added to the agenda for our next meeting. The deadline for applying for the grant had already passed, so the talks with the Punjabi community could not be completed. I had also emailed Yop to request an extension of the deadline, but she responded that the time frame was limited and that they could not provide one. My primary goal in requesting an extension was to consult with the community and inquire about possible online meetings. As I've already stated in the grant, these are only tentative dates that will be finalized after community discussion and approval. The meeting with the Punjabi community to discuss the Movement Charter will be virtual because we already have a strategic meeting planned with the support of CIS-A2K in Delhi for the Indian representatives attending the Wikimedia Summit.

2. Thank you for raising this and letting me know about your concerns. Any collaborative project must maintain open lines of communication and transparency. I am aware that you anticipate being updated and involved in talks about the upcoming stage of the ambassador program. However, it is not my role to let you know. It is your responsibility to actively participate in the Movement Charter, to update it, and to promptly verify all of its related information. I have taken an active part in all Movement Charter community consultations & ambassador meetings since the beginning. Also, the announcement on the call for ambassadors was shared on Wikimedia-l and meta. But since spreading awareness of the Movement Charter throughout the community is our shared objective, if you'd like, we can resume our collaboration. As previously stated, I have scheduled a strategic meeting with Indian ambassadors to deliberate on the Movement Charter Drafts. To ensure its success, I am currently consulting with other ambassadors from the region.

3. I'll start by stating that the budget is always completed precisely. I will lay it out for clarity. Every draft has been revised, and the updated draft will have to be reviewed, understood, translated, and explained for context. It is not an easy task to prepare for a meeting, organize one, have a conversation with the community, gather feedback, and write a report. Because many community members are unable to attend meetings because of prior commitments, we occasionally have to engage with the community members individually and/or repeatedly. Please review the grant page; as research is not included in this grant's amount. For the rest, let me clarify as follows:

Facilitation: It could include:

1.Preparing discussion.

2.Moderating the discussions.

3.Guiding the conversation to address key points and gather valuable feedback.

Documentation: It could involve:

1.Taking notes and summarising discussion points.

2.Creating reports based on community feedback.

3.Developing resources for the community, like translated materials or summaries.

Coordination: It could involve:

1.Communication with the WMF team, Movement Charter team, other Movement Ambassadors, and community members.

2.Scheduling meetings and discussions.

4. Yes, I am aware of the appropriate way to apply for grants, but as I've already mentioned, every call is open and has a strict timeline. I am fully authorized to apply for the grant as a Movement Charter Ambassador. For open consultation with the community, I posted about the grant on Sath. Therefore, this accusation of not informing the community is unfair. If you are referring to the previous instance, I had posted about it on the Sath and in the WhatsApp group, where all members of the Punjabi community are present, asking everyone to hold a meeting if they would like to discuss or ask any questions about it. I ought to mention as well that I organized a meeting for this, but not many people showed up to discuss the topic. It is worth noting that the two members were nominated by the entire Punjabi community for the Charter discussions during our first offline meeting in Sangrur, Punjab. In the second iteration, I also actively communicated with these two members and solicited their input in addition to that of those who participated in the online meeting. For a shared understanding, please share if there is an updated decision and if the movement charter will be discussed by the nominated members or if the entire Punjabi community will be present for the discussions. I will plan the engagement accordingly.

Thanks again @ FromPunjab (talk) 04:27, 18 March 2024 (UTC)