The goal of this project is to educate Kenyan youth about election misinformation. The concept is inspired by the recently concluded election, in which social media and other platforms were used to disseminate misinformation about the election process, baseless allegations to divide the nation, propaganda to elicit hate, and other vices. It is critical to remember that an informed society is a safe society. The following are the contributors to the misinformation about the election in Kenya; 1.Lack of understanding of the purpose of election and its contribution to well- the being of the country in the development 2.Lack of civic education to enlighten the youths on the purpose of the election 3.Lack of youth participation in decision-making channels hence the misinformation 4.There is a severe scarcity of credible, unbiased, and trustworthy digital news sources or curated references. 5.Propaganda and skewed information to the public 6.Lack of integrity, objectivity and biases by the custodians of the information such as politicians, and media houses.
| Misinformation and Disinformation | |
|---|---|
| A WikiCred 2022 Grant Proposal | |
| Project Type | Workshop |
| Author | (Ngangaesther, Cosmas Chumba) |
| Contact | ngangaesther8@gmail.com,kchumba.cosmas@gmail.com |
| Requested amount | 6519USD |
| Award amount | Unknown |
- What is your idea?
- Why is it important?
This project will give youths the right information that will help them have a better understanding of the purpose of the election. Civic education empowers the youth to make informed decisions and the importance of their participation in the development of the country. We will encourage youths to always be participating in decision-making channels so that they become owners of decisions hence they can't be misinformed about elections. It will enhance awareness and create an enabling culture demystifying political discourse and thus prevent youth from being radicalized and misinformed during the electioneering period hence won't participate in hate , political witch hunt and abuse
- Link(s) to your resume or anything else (CV, GitHub, etc.) that may be relevant
- Is your project already in progress?
No
- How is this project relevant to credibility and Wikipedia?
Wikipedia has emerged as a source of content and resources for reference in the world. It has fostered on credible and verifiable information output to the masses and users which in turn can be a great tool for demystifying misinformation regarding elections in Kenyan counties. We will Recruit and empower youths to be champions of fighting fake news, particularly during election season, by creating or verifying the accuracy of Wikipedia articles through wiki clubs. Ngangaesther will do orientation to youths who will attend the event to understand how Wikipedia works, how they can join the Wikipedia campaigns and how they can volunteer in various Wikipedia programs hence enhancing credibility and goals in tandem with Wikipedia's Agenda. We aim to have all the youth who will attend to create Wikipedia accounts and make a small contribution ,add citations, add references source, improve Wikipedia contents by adding more reliable information and correct typo on Kenya election articles on Wikipedia .
- What is the ultimate impact of this project?
The ultimate impact of the project will be to enhance awareness to the youth on the presence and subsequent impact of misinformation regarding politics. This project also aims to conduct research on the causes of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the Kenyan election. To this end, we will invite researchers and journalists to assist in identifying these causes as well as ways to combat disinformation and improve the reliability of information. We will organize talks with youth in mostly misinformed areas Namely; Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa. These tend to be the hot spot areas when it comes to political intolerance and violence thus, holding the project in their respective county halls and involving youth from these counties will be a success. We will endeavor to establish wiki clubs in the said counties to foster on Wikipedia goals and objectives as well as act as ambassadors of the Wikipedia projects. We shall invite guest speakers who are professionals in election-related fields and also youths leaders from various fields; namely, Universities student leaders, Local youth leaders in the above-mentioned counties.
- Can your project scale?
Yes, we are targeting a few hotspot counties with prevalence of political misinformation leading to political intolerance, but we believe that this project has the potential to benefit larger Kenya and even the political world at large.
- Why are you the people to do it?
Because we are young and have been severely damaged by political misinformation that has caused worry, trauma, negative ethnicity, political intolerance, and hostility, we are the ones that engage in it. Being involved in Wikimedia offers a fantastic opportunity to influence change and engage in a unique political conversation free of disinformation.
- What is the impact of your idea on diversity and inclusiveness of the Wikimedia movement?
We plan to reach Kenya's four counties, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa with diverse cultural and community backgrounds ,and engage the youth and community members. Initiate wiki-clubs , interested affiliates to be part of the Wikimedia movement and projects that we shall be undertaking henceforth. This diversity in youth involved is one of the most interesting parts of this project. Through the program, we will be able to dismantle any false beliefs associated with open knowledge and the use of Wikipedia as a source of knowledge. Our target number of program participants, who will come from the four participating counties, is 400. During the event, volunteers from each of the four counties will add their first articles to Wikipedia. Our goal is for each county to edit or contribute to Wikipedia 1000 times.
- What are the challenges associated with this project and how you will overcome them?
financing for project administration. We're confident that WikiCred will be useful and timely, and that our project is in line with WikiCred's objective. We're hoping to get funding for this initiative.
- How will you spend your funds?
Nairobi county-Recruitment drive =200,000 KES (1629.99 USD) Nakuru County- Recruitment drive=200,000 KES(1629.99 USD) Mombasa County-Recruitment =200,000 KES (1629.99 USD) Kisumu county-Recruitment =200,000 KES(1629.99USD)
- How long will your project take?
2 months
- Have you worked on projects for previous grants before?
Rapid Fund, Wikimedia Community Fund