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

Conference Fund Final Report

Report Status: Under review

Due date: 30 September 2024

Funding program: Conference Fund

Report type: Final

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General information

Title of proposal: Wiki Student Summit 2024
Username of applicant: magotech
Name of organization: N/A
Amount awarded: 49136.66
Amount spent: 50941.7 USD, 135710614 TZS

Part 1: Understanding your work

1. Did your event have any impact that you did not expect, positive or negative?

The Wiki Student Summit 2024 generated several unexpected positive impacts, most notably in the formation of independent study and editing groups by participants who were eager to continue learning and collaborating beyond the event. These groups allowed attendees to deepen their understanding of Wikimedia projects, apply the skills they gained during the summit, and provide mutual support in creating content and troubleshooting challenges. This initiative highlights the participants’ dedication to digital literacy and collaborative learning, as well as a collective enthusiasm to contribute actively to the growth of open knowledge. Such self-organized groups underscore a sustainable interest in Wikimedia projects, laying a foundation for an ongoing community of contributors motivated by shared goals.

Additionally, the summit attracted the attention of educators and local educational stakeholders, sparking post-summit discussions on integrating Wikimedia projects into the learning environment. Many educators recognized the potential of Wikimedia as a resource for enhancing students’ research skills, critical thinking, and digital literacy in an increasingly online world. These preliminary discussions revealed a community-wide commitment to advancing digital knowledge sharing and creating new pathways for student engagement in open knowledge. This interest from educational professionals suggests a promising direction for Wikimedia’s role within formal education, where students could eventually learn to view themselves as both consumers and creators of information on globally accessible platforms. Together, these impacts reflect a broad-based enthusiasm and institutional curiosity that extend the summit's influence and potential for lasting change.

One last thing was that the number of participants who were interested in attending the summit was higher than expected and exceeded the capacity of the venue.

2. What do you think will be the long term impact of this conference?

The long-term impact of the Wiki Student Summit 2024 will likely include increased engagement with Wikimedia projects and a more robust presence of Tanzanian knowledge on these platforms. Students are expected to continue contributing content that reflects Tanzanian culture, history, and notable figures, increasing the country's representation online. The growing interest from educators in using Wikipedia in classrooms suggests that the conference could also influence how digital literacy is incorporated into the Tanzanian education system. This would foster a broader understanding of knowledge creation and encourage a generation of students to actively participate in open knowledge platforms.

3. Would you say that your work improved participants’ ability to apply new skills and knowledge?

Yes

3a. If yes, please describe how and why you think this was successful. Please describe why you think this is the case.

The success of the summit can be attributed to its hands-on, interactive approach to learning, which made digital skills more accessible to participants. Workshops were structured to provide practical experience, allowing attendees to see the immediate results of their efforts and build confidence. The event's clear objectives, such as enhancing digital literacy and encouraging content creation, provided a focused structure that resonated with participants. Post-event surveys and activity logs demonstrated that a majority of attendees left with a greater understanding and motivation to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects, fulfilling the summit’s main objective.

4. Please use this space to upload media and other files that help tell your story and impact. You can also provide links to them.

Field to type in URLs.

1. Story of Impact: https://openspacetanzania.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/story-of-impact.pdf

2. Detailed Report: https://openspacetanzania.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WSS24-Final-Report.pdf

5. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community	Strongly agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives	Agree
E. Encourage the retention of editors	Strongly agree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Strongly agree

6. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

https://openspacetanzania.org/resources/

7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?

Efforts to bring in participants and build out content for underrepresented groups at the Wiki Student Summit 2024 focused on creating an inclusive and accessible environment that encouraged broad participation. Outreach efforts were designed to ensure regional representation by actively engaging schools, universities, and local community organizations across Tanzania.

Special attention was given to encouraging young women and students from remote areas to participate, which helped to address the digital access and gender gaps in Wikimedia projects. These outreach efforts included targeted messaging about the importance of underrepresented voices in online knowledge repositories and the unique role that Tanzanian students could play in documenting their cultural heritage, local histories, and contemporary issues.

To further support this inclusivity, the summit included specialized workshops and sessions aimed at addressing barriers commonly faced by underrepresented groups in digital spaces. For example, introductory training sessions covered foundational digital literacy skills, allowing participants with varied experience levels to engage more confidently.

Hands-on editing workshops provided practical experience in creating content that reflected their communities’ perspectives, traditions, and stories, which have historically been less visible online. These strategies enabled participants from diverse backgrounds to contribute meaningful content to Wikimedia projects and empowered them to become advocates for continued representation and knowledge equity.

Part 2: Your main learning

8. Were there any major challenges or things you found difficult that you would like to share? What would you do differently next time?

One significant challenge was accommodating participants from diverse and sometimes remote areas, where differences in digital literacy posed varying needs for support. Additionally, connectivity issues hindered some participants’ access to online resources and activities. In future events, providing pre-event training on digital literacy basics for those who need it and ensuring access to offline Wikimedia resources would address these challenges and enable broader participation. We would also explore hybrid event formats to accommodate those who may be unable to attend in person, providing a more inclusive experience overall.

9. Was there any non-financial support that the Wikimedia Foundation could have provided that would have better supported you in achieving your goals?

We received consistent support from the Wikimedia Foundation throughout the planning, execution, and follow-up stages of the Wiki Student Summit 2024, which was invaluable in reaching our objectives. The Foundation’s guidance on organizing large-scale community events and their access to resources like Wikimedia training materials greatly helped in shaping the summit’s workshops and sessions. Additionally, their involvement in participant engagement strategies contributed to an inclusive and impactful event.

Additional non-financial resources, such as experienced Wikimedia trainers or mentors specifically who were available during and immediately after the event further enhanced our outcomes. Having dedicated experts onsite or virtually available for post-event follow-up also offered participants an added layer of support, reinforcing their learning and guiding them as they began contributing independently. This type of ongoing mentorship further embedded participants’ engagement with Wikimedia projects, sustaining momentum in the longer term.

10. What would you recommend on a local and/or regional level as the best next step to leverage your success and momentum?

Locally, supporting independent student-led initiatives and groups focused on Wikimedia project contributions would be beneficial. Offering these groups access to resources and training from experienced Wikimedia editors would help maintain momentum.

Regionally, scaling the pilot program for incorporating Wikimedia projects into educational curricula could have a significant impact on the education system.

Collaborating with other East African Wikimedia communities would foster knowledge sharing across borders, enhancing local representation on Wikimedia platforms and creating a strong regional network of open knowledge contributors.

11. Please add any 3 operational recommendations for future events organizers.

1. Conduct Pre-Event Digital Literacy Assessments: Assessing digital literacy levels beforehand would allow for tailored session planning, ensuring that both beginners and advanced users can benefit from the summit effectively.

2. Develop Hybrid Participation Models: Offering a blend of in-person and virtual options would expand access for participants from remote or resource-limited areas. This model would promote inclusivity and broaden the summit’s reach.

3. Establish Follow-Up Mechanisms: Implementing structured follow-up initiatives post-event, such as regular progress check-ins and mentorship, can keep participants engaged and motivated to continue their work on Wikimedia projects, ensuring the event's long-term impact.

Part 3: Metrics

12. Open Metrics reporting

In your application, you defined some open metrics and targets (goals). You will see a table like the one below with your metric in the title and the target you set in your proposal automatically filled in.

Google Forms

Open Metrics Summary
Open Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Community Building	We would need to measure the number of new connections made during the event, such as the number of participants who have started collaborating on a project or formed a mentorship relationship.	100	180	N/A	Google Form
Participant Experience	We would need to conduct post-event surveys to quantitatively assess participants’ satisfaction with the event, their perceived learning outcomes, and their overall experience.	150	310	278 Normal Participants' Feedback 32 Speakers & Presenters' Feedback	Google Form
Post-Event Engagement	We would need to track participant activity on Wikimedia projects after the event, such as the number of edits made, the number of new articles created, and the number of ongoing collaborations or projects.	100	253	253 participants have continued engaging with Wikimedia projects
Organizational Learning	We would need to track metrics related to event organization, such as the number of volunteers, the budget spent versus the budget planned, and the number of issues or challenges encountered and resolved.	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

13. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?

No

13a. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future. Also mention why you felt you had to change some metrics.

N/A

14. Here are the templates of registration and survey tools that the Wikimedia Foundation has developed so that you can use in your conference fund work.

5. I used other survey or registration tools

14a. Please share the result(s) with us, provide the link(s) or summarize the main result(s) and insight(s) from them.

N/A

14b. If you used other forms, please share them with us, as these forms might be useful for others to use.

Part 4: Financial reporting and compliance

15. & 16. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.

135710614 TZS

17. Please state the total amount spent in USD.

50941.7 USD

18. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.

Upload a financial report file.

Please provide a link to your financial reporting document.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MAk0-Upn0WdojUY4EPk_GXUXy1qk2p7E_RGipc2CC98/edit?usp=sharing

As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.

19. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.

N/A

20. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

No

20a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

N/A

20b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

N/A

20c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

N/A

21. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

Yes

22. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

23. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.

Yes

24. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Wikimedia Foundation for their ongoing support before, during, and after the Wiki Student Summit 2024. Their guidance, resources, and encouragement played a crucial role in the success of the event, helping us bring together diverse groups and foster a culture of collaborative learning and content creation. The Foundation's training resources and strategic advice were invaluable in creating an inclusive and effective program that resonated with participants from varied backgrounds.

In reflecting on the summit, a centralized online resource hub specifically for summit organizers would be beneficial, offering templates, training guides, and case studies from past events to streamline planning and execution. Once again, we are grateful for the Foundation’s support and look forward to continued collaboration in empowering new contributors and expanding representation on Wikimedia platforms.