Grants:Conference/Celtic Knot 2018
Event overview
editPurpose and vision
Please give a brief description of the event you are planning. What do you hope to accomplish during the event? Why is this event important for your community?
The main objective for Celtic Knot 2018 is the coming together of people working to support language communities in the same room at same time; strengthening the bonds into a 'knot' and leading into action. Attendees can expect to learn about and discuss innovative approaches to open education, open knowledge and open data that support and grow language communities. The Conference will feature two main strands; Data and Community. the Data strand will focus on Wikidata and how in can be used in infoboxes and article placeholders to add value to smaller Wikis. The Community strand will focus on methods for building and developing editor communities for minority languages, including the use of Wikipedia in Education. The event is important to the community as it is a chance to discuss and share experiences on smaller Wikis. Most Wiki conferences are dominated by the English Wikipedia. This event will focus on Wiki in small and minority language communities, who often face very different challenges.
Important details
Please add key information to the table below. The dates, location and number of participants can be estimates and do not need to be finalized at this time.
| Proposed date(s) | 5 July 2018 - 6 July 2018 |
| Proposed location | National Library of wales, Aberystwyth, Wales |
| Number of participants | 60 (estimate, with capacity of 90) |
| Event page | https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Celtic_Knot_Conference_2018 |
| Primary contact person | jason.nlw@gmail.com |
Background
editCommunity input
editUse the results from the community engagement survey to fill in the table below. Since you cannot cover all topics or meet all needs at one event, prioritisation is important. Please rank the priority of each topic, skill, project or problem as high, medium or low. Finally, please answer the questions below the table.
| Description | Priority | |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic discussions:
What are the top issues affecting your community that need to be discussed in person? |
Understanding the use and implementation of Wikidata on smaller Wikis.
strategies for engaging with the education sector. |
High
Medium |
| Capacity development:
Are there important skills that many people in your community need to learn? |
Learning how and why to use Wikidata
How to use/implement Wikidata Placeholders/infoboxes
How to kick start small Wiki communities |
High
High |
| Working groups:
Are there joint projects that need to be planned in person? |
lexicographical Wikidata Project
WiR project discussions |
Medium
Low |
| Community building:
Are there other in-person activities are important for community building? |
Project Presentations/Panel discussions - Sharing experiences
Thematic Meet-ups |
High
Medium |
Survey analysis:
- How many people did you send the survey to? 60 How many people responded to the survey? 8
- Did you see consensus around shared goals that this community wants to focus on in the next 12 months? What were the top 2 goals?
- Yes, The community can almost be split into two main categories: community engagement and Data. For some participants the conference will mainly be about community building on smaller Wikis whilst for others it is more about developing knowledge of the platform, sister projects and the use of Wikidata for info boxes ect in order to help build Capacity
- Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve those goals?
- The survey suggests that presentations, group discussions and panel discussions would be the best way to achieve many of these goals. There was also support for Edit-a-thons and more social style events.
Context
editIt is helpful to get an understanding of why this event is important to your community, and what experiences you have had in the past. Please answer the applicable questions below.
- 1. What inspired your community to begin planning this event?
- My fellow WiR at the University of Edinburgh hosted the first Celtic Knot conference last year. I was the opening keynote speaker and enjoyed the conference very much. There was so much enthusiasm, and many shared issues - Issues that were often very different from those faced on the English Wikipedia. Over the following months at other events such as Wikimania I received very positive feedback about the event from participants but also from people who couldn't make it, but had heard about it and would like to come is it was held again. So I formally agreed to host this the conference this year in Wales
- 2. How does this event relate to other activities that your community is working on?
- The 2017 Celtic Knot conference was attended by government officials from Wales, and also from Cornwall. Following the conference we were offered funding from the Welsh Government to run a 9 month project to improve content on the Welsh Wicipedia. The representative from Cornwall has since began organizing Wicipedia sessions in schools, focusing on the Cornish Wicipedia.
- As a result of discussions with the Catalan and Basque user groups, Wales agreed to form their own user group.
- The 2017 Celtic Knot conference was attended by government officials from Wales, and also from Cornwall. Following the conference we were offered funding from the Welsh Government to run a 9 month project to improve content on the Welsh Wicipedia. The representative from Cornwall has since began organizing Wicipedia sessions in schools, focusing on the Cornish Wicipedia.
- Many smaller Wikis, such as Gaelic were able to implement Wikidata infoboxes for the first time, following a workshop at the conference, and the user of the these infoboxes has been expanded on Welsh Wicipedia.
- In Wales and the Basque country there are initiatives to integrate wiki into the local education programs and the conference is a great place to share experiences in this area and to co-ordinate co-operation.
- 3. Please list the priorities identified in the report from the last conference organized by this community. What progress have you made in those areas?
- No formal report was created by the organizers of the previous conference.
- 4. If your community has hosted a similar conference in the past, what key lessons were learned, and what would you like to improve on?
- Feedback forms from the previous conference was overwhelmingly positive, however there were comments about a packed schedule which did not allow for enough discussion/question time, so this year I am proposing a two day conference with most of the second day set aside for an un-conferenced session, so that participants can set their own agenda and propose their own sessions.
- Last years conference also highlighted the most popular session types, such as Wikidata workshops and community development themed sessions, and this will be valuable knowledge in shaping this years program.
Plan
editVenue and Logistics
edit- 1. If the venue is more than 1 hour away from a major airport or transportation hub, how will participants travel to the event venue?
- The Venue is 2/3 hours from an international airport but the town (Aberystwyth) has hourly trains from London via Birmingham, which provides easy access from most large airports. There are also buses from Cardiff and London several times a day. Details of transport options are included on the event website.
- 2. Is the event venue within walking distance from the hotel? If not, how will people travel between the two locations?
- Yes, all recommended hotels are within 5-20 minutes walking distance from the venue. There are also taxis and buses from the town center.
- 3. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
- Yes. The National Library has wheelchair access throughout and we are partnering with the local University to provide accommodation and they also have excellent access.
- 4. Do you anticipate any challenges with using the space for the event you are planning?
- No
Friendly space policy
editPlease link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
Participation
editIt is crucial that most participants have a minimum level of Wikimedia experience so that they can engage actively in workshops and discussions. Please answer all applicable questions below.
- 1. Please describe the target audience for this conference or event.
- Professionals and volunteers involved in developing small and minority language Wikipedias. We will also target those who came to the conference last year - 87% of respondents to last years conference survey said they would attend again.
- 2. If your conference has an outreach component, how will you ensure engagement with these participants after the conference, and what impact do you see them having on the projects?
- No outreach component as such - but a mailing list for participants will be established and participants will be encouraged to stay in touch via Wiki and social media.
- 3. Are you thinking about inviting WMF staff to attend or participate in the event? If yes, please list individuals or teams who you may want to invite, or describe how you would like WMF staff to be involved in the event.
- Yes.
- Katherine Maher has been approached to speak at the conference. She suggested that she may well be able to attend as she was due to be in the area anyway.
- Léa Lacroix of the Wikidata team in Germany has confirmed her attendance and is helping to put a Wikidata track together
- WMUK staff have committed to attending and will support all UK WiR's to attend
Scholarships
edit- 1. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
- 8
- 2. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
- Travel and basic accommodation
- 3. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
- Applications will be reviewed by the conference organizing committee
Resources and risks
editDescribe the resource potential for successfully executing this project and the key risks/threats.
Resources
edit- Organizing team
| Team | User Names |
|---|---|
| WMUK Liaison | User:Llywelyn2000 |
| user:StinglehammerUser:PelaDiTo | |
| User:ElenHafUser:Jason.nlwUser:Llywelyn2000 | |
| User:ElenHafUser:Prosiect Wici Mon | |
| User:Lea Lacroix (WMDE)User:sic19 | |
- NOTE:The event is being fully supported by WMUK staff and National Library of Wales staff, so much of the organization will be taken on by the relevant people/departments within those organizations.
Risks
editPossible risks and proposed solutions include:
- Low ticket sales.
- Work with the National Library of Wales and WMUK Communication teams to promote the event on social media, mailing lists and local media.
- Little experience in organizing conferences, in the project leadership team
- The team will work closely with the National Library experienced event coordinator in all aspects of organization in the lead up to the conference.
- Difficulty in measuring impact and direct outcomes of the conference.
- Encourage the use of #Celticknot2018 on social media to highlight related outcomes, facilitate the creation of a Celtic Knot Wiki for sharing and discussing, following the event, and send out 6 month follow up survey to all participants.
- Travel difficulties
- Get local volunteers to offer one to one travel advice to participants, to help them plan their journeys.
Budget
editPlease provide a detailed breakdown of project expenses according to the instructions here. See Budget Guidelines.
- Event budget table
| Number | Category | Item description | Unit | Number of units | Cost per unit | Total cost | Currency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food and beverages | Lunch and 2x hot drinks and snacks for day 1 | Per person | 60 | 30.91 | 1854.60 | US Dollar | Quotes provided by National Library in house caterers. Cost covered by ticket sales |
| 2 | Food and beverages | Lunch and 2x hot drinks and snacks for day 2 | Per person | 60 | 30.91 | 1854.60 | US Dollar | Quotes provided by National Library in house caterers. Cost covered by ticket sales |
| 3 | Translation services | Providing simultaneous En > Cy translation for a small number of presentations | Per hour | 4 | 63.01 | 252.04 | US Dollar | Cost covered by WMUK |
| 4 | Venue | Room hire for day one | cost per room | 3 | 266.05 | 798.15 | US Dollar | Quote from National Library of Wales and includes 100 seat lecture theater, large workshop space and small workshop/lecture space - Cost covered by by National Library of Wales. |
| 5 | Venue | Room hire for day one | cost per room | 3 | 266.05 | 798.15 | US Dollar | Quote from National Library of Wales and includes 100 seat lecture theater, large workshop space and small workshop/lecture space - Cost covered by by National Library of Wales. |
| 6 | Ticket fees | Tax (20%) and commission (5%) on ticket sales | per full price day 1 Ticket (£50/$70.01) | 45 | 17.50 | 787.5 | US Dollar | Commission quote from National Libraries contracted ticketing system. Costs covered by ticket sales. |
| 7 | Ticket fees | Tax (20%) and commission (5%) on ticket sales | per full price day 2 Ticket (£50/$70.01) | 45 | 17.50 | 787.5 | US Dollar | Commission quote from National Libraries contracted ticketing system. Costs covered by ticket sales. |
| 8 | Ticket fees | Tax (20%) and commission (5%) on ticket sales | per concession day 1 Ticket (£25/$35.01) | 15 | 8.75 | 131.25 | US Dollar | Commission quote from National Libraries contracted ticketing system. Costs covered by ticket sales. |
| 9 | Ticket fees | Tax (20%) and commission (5%) on ticket sales | per concession day 2 Ticket (£25/$35.01) | 15 | 8.75 | 131.25 | US Dollar | Commission quote from National Libraries contracted ticketing system. Costs covered by ticket sales. |
| 10 | Key note speakers | Covering expenses of keynote speakers | Per person | 3 | 560.11 | 1680.33 | US Dollar | Covers cost of 2 day ticket and £300 ($420.09) travel expenses. Costs covered by ticket sales. |
| 11 | Scholarships | small scholarships for transport and accommodation | Per person | 8 | 560.11 | 4480.91 | US Dollar | Small scholarships of up to £400 ($560.11) to cover Ticket costs, 2 nights basic accommodation at Aberystwyth University ($100.82) and flights/train tickets. *Scholarships are reliant on this grant or other external funding |
- Total cost of event
- $13556.28
- Total amount requested from the Conference and Event Grants program
- $4480.91
- Additional sources of revenue that may fund part of this event, and amounts funded
- Wikimedia UK - $252.04 (for translation services), plus commitment to fund their staff, and UK WiR's to attend the conference.
- National Library of Wales - $1596.30 (for room hire)
- Ticket sales - $7351.5 (based on sales of 45 2 day tickets @ £100 and 15 2 day consesion tickets @ £50)
- Please confirm that you are aware that changes to the approved budget beyond 10% in any category must be approved in advance.
YES
Discussion
editEndorsements
editDo you think this project should be selected for a Conference Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project in the list below. Other feedback, questions or concerns from community members are also highly valued, but please post them on the talk page of this proposal.