Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024

statusFunded
Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024
proposed start date2024-06-01T00:00:00Z
proposed end date2024-11-30T00:00:00Z
budget (local currency)134960 USD
amount recommended (local)134960 USD
decision fiscal year2023-24
applicant• Zafer
organization (if applicable)• Dijital Bilgi Derneği
Review Final Report

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Applicant details

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A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Dijital Bilgi Derneği

F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Zafer

F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

1. Zafer Batik (User:Zafer) 2. Hayriye Başak Tosun (User:Basak) 3. Mehman Ibragimov (User:Mehman)

G. Are you legally registered?

Yes

If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.

I. Fiscal organization name.

N/A

Objectives and Strategy

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1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024

2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.

2024-09-27

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2024-09-29

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2024-06-01T00:00:00Z

3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?

2024-11-30T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Turkey

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Istanbul

5. Is it a remote or in-person event?

In-person event

5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)

150

6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.

Regional

6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.

CEE: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey.

CA: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

WMTR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WikimediaTurkey

WMTR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wikimediaturkey/

WMTR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaTurkey

Diijital Bilgi Derneği website: https://www.dijitalbilgi.org.tr/

8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.

Yes

8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.

Our platform for cooperation in the region is Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe.

Wikimedia Turkey is part of the CEE region and has close ties with the region, including the affiliation taking part in the annual regional joint "CEE Spring" contest. In addition, we cooperate within the region, and through the CEE Hub, the co-organizer of this conference is also the Wikimedia CEE Hub.

9. Please describe the target participants for this event.

Wikimedia CEE Meetings are primarily attended by representatives of affiliations and communities in the region, which means that the conference is attended by people who have a close connection with the Wikimedia Movement and projects, in addition to the organizational institutions of Wikimedia. Based on the specifics of the meetings and the topics of the conference, a minimum level of knowledge and experience in Wikimedia is required.

In addition to representatives of affiliations and communities from the region, we also expect external partners at our conference. These may be representatives of the Wikimedia Foundation and partners of Wikimedia Turkey (Universities, Institutions, Municipality representatives). In addition, we are expecting more people from the Wiki communities of Turkey's neighboring states.

10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2024

The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.

11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?

60

11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?

The survey was prepared and sent on January 14, and the representatives of the communities can complete the survey by January 31.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

24

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

1. Promotion of free knowledge and free access to knowledge for the community and audience in CEE and CA.

2. Strengthen the cooperation capacities and improve the collaboration between different Wikimedia affiliates in the region.

3. Proving help and support for small-size Wikimedia affiliates and organizations, encouraging them to expand their scope of work and international collaboration via CEE Hub.

4. Exchanging knowledge and experience in terms of Wikimedia Projects and activities concerning those projects and GLAM and Edu Wiki-oriented activities.

5. Promoting collaboration and mutual projects or activities between affiliates without such experience.

6. Share ideas and experiences about team-building capacities, leadership, communication, conflict resolution, social skills, and organizational and logistic skills.

7. Work on the creation and implementation of fundraising and advocacy in the countries of the region.

14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?

Work on:

CEE Hub; Global governance; Sharing of experiences and learnings; Improvement and diversification of CEE region activities; Diversity; Conflict between users and functionaries; Community meetings and engagement; Institutional collaborations; Freedom of panorama; Wikimedia Grants; Sharing program experiences; Cooperation and knowledge exchange / joint projects (international); GLAM; Edu-Wiki; Attract and retain volunteers; Capacity development; Workshops; Project management; CEE Spring.

More detailed goals are given in the results of our survey, which you can find at this link: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2024/Programme_development#Topics_of_interest

15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.

Geography, Language, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)

15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).

The region of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia, is very diverse and culturally distinct, which doesn't provide the same opportunities for communities in the region. The CEE unity, as well as the recently created CEE Hub, strives to provide opportunities for all communities in the region to develop the Wikimedia Movement locally. It is important here that communities have a permanent platform and the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge, learn from each other, and share knowledge. This creates an opportunity for everyone to develop their skills and establish new partnerships for development. The CEE Meetings platform is an ideal opportunity for communities to learn and learn new things.

The purpose of this meeting is a great opportunity to exchange experiences, learn best practices, and create a meta-community that spans country borders but has tighter connections than the global Wikimedia community.

16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.

Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM , Open Technology, Advocacy

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Geographic , Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Linguistic / Language, Age

18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?

Wikimedia Türkiye continues to cooperate actively with various non-Wikimedian organizations within Türkiye. Among the partners are many educational and cultural institutions and non-governmental organizations. Our partners include Kadir Has University, Üsküdar University, Koç University Library, Bilgi University, the Association for Migration Research, The British Institute at Ankara, Troy Museum, etc. We are going to invite and also encourage our partners to participate in the conference, including the program part of the meeting. We will also invite non-governmental partners of Wikimedia Türkiye who work in the field of free knowledge development in Türkiye.

We aim to strengthen our relationships with our partners and invest in developing a network of partners locally. In addition, we want to share our experience and knowledge with our partners, as well as give incentives to other communities in the development and cooperation.

19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?

In the CEE region affiliations and communities, there is a close connection, which is established with different communication channels. We want to follow up with the conference's outcomes by getting feedback from affiliate members attending those events. The organizers of the conference and representatives of the CEE Hub will actively monitor and, if necessary, help various affiliations and communities in the region in achieving their goals or in case of any need for help. Also, CEE Hub is in constant contact with affiliation representatives if they need to help everyone in the post-conference stage.

20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.

Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Manage Internal Knowledge

Logistical Aspects

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21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?

1. Uskudar University is surrounded by hotels and easily accessible by public transportation. Previously hosted several Wikimedia events; has 4 conference halls and many classrooms for parallel multiple tracks of events and meetings. 2. Bilgi University Santral Istanbul Campus is a unique place located by the Golden Horn. Bilgi University is also an art and culture center attracting outside visitors to its museum and art gallery, which is located in a historically renovated power plant.

22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

WMTR and the organizing committee, based on a grant from the WMF, will provide scholarships for representatives of regional affiliations (for two representatives) and communities (1 representative). Priority will be given to language communities and affiliations. In total, we are going to provide 90 scholarships. Scholarships will be divided into the following categories:

1. Scholarships for affiliations and communities - 79 2. Scholarships for local community - 5 3. Invited guests - 6.

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

The scholarship will cover only travel (air, train, or bus), accommodation (hotel), and food and drink during the conference. For some participants, the cost of the visa fee (only) will also be covered.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

The selection of scholarship recipients will be carried out in two ways:

1. The first is recipients who are active members of already established Wikimedia affiliations (UG and chapters). Representatives of the Board or the Executive Committee will be required to submit to us proof of their selection as delegates, and after checking, we will confirm their participation.

2. The second one is groups of active members of the Wikimedia community who are not members of any Wikimedia chapters of affiliations. The local Wikipedia community will select them via discussion or selection process on Wikipedia (through the village pump). In addition, conference organizers will check their editing history, their contribution to the Wikimedia movement and projects, and their submitted self-evaluation and Wikimedia experience.

All details of the selection of delegates will be on the conference registration page. If needed, the organizers will help all communities select delegates.

26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?

We expect that the Wikimedia Foundation, during our conference, will provide maximum information about the Global initiatives and work of the WMF to the region. We also expect the WMF to help us contact various committees within the community (MCDC, AffCom, UCoC), as well as various departments within the Foundation, for their assistance.

We also expect the staff of the Wikimedia Foundation to take part in the conference and provide us with their reports on various activities of the Foundation. It would be great if we see people from the Community Resources, Legal, Technology, Language, and others, as based on community feedback, there is interest in the work of these teams.

26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.

Yes, we want to invite WMF staff to our conference, as their participation is critical per the community feedback (for example, the input of Asaf Bartov, etc).

We don't have a specific limit for WMF staff, but we expect to invite at least 4-6 WMF staff members.

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.

Core Team:

1. Zafer Batik (User:Zafer) — Head of the Organizing Committee and WMF liaison. 2. Mehman Ibragimov (User:Mehman) — Budget, Staff Support, and WMF liaison. 3. Basak Tosun (User:Basak) — Programm and WMF liaison. 4. Yilmaz Caner Ozyayikci (User:Kurmanbek) — Designer. 5. Hakan (User:HakanIST) – Logistics. 6. Adem Unsal (User:Adem) — Photographer. 7. Selman Utku (User:Selman Utku) - Volunteer coordination. 8. N/A — Event Manager. 9. Volunteers from Uskudar University WikiClub. 10. Volunteers from Bilgi University WikiClub.

Programme Committee:

1. Chair: Kiril Simeonovski (Shared Knowledge) 2. Local Team: Mehman Ibragimov (Wikimedia UG Georgia) 3. Local Team: Basak Tosun (Wikimedia UG Turkey) 4. Wojciech Pędzich (Wikimedia CEE Hub) 5. Nataliia Tymkiv (Wikimedia Ukraine) 6. Barbara Klen (observer; Wikimedia CEE Hub)

28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

Yes

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.

We are collaborating with CEE Hub and Wikimedia Georgia (WMGE) in preparing this event. Based on their knowledge, we expect the Hub and WMGE to help us coordinate the event and prepare the conference program.

29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?

Russia: Unfortunately, the oppression of representatives of the Wikimedia affiliation in Russia continues, and there is a risk for volunteers living in Russia. Recently, the head of Wikimedia Russia was declared a foreign agent (undesirable person), which gives us reason to worry about the volunteers. We cannot fully know what impact this fact will have on our conference, but the participation of volunteers from Russia at the event may be limited.

Financial: Turkey's national currency continues to lose value against the USD, which could lead to hyperinflation and higher service prices. This may result in unexpected conference costs. Unfortunately, we cannot influence this situation, but we will assess the situation around this topic as accurately as possible.

30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2024/Safety

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

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31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?

1. We first expect to learn how to organize large regional events with the participation of people from different countries and communities. WMTR has previously held regional conferences with fewer participants, but this will be the largest for the affiliation. This will help us, as well as the Hub, to organize and host such events successfully in the future.

2. We expect to learn how to organize a successful call for submissions to organize a successful program for large conferences that will respond to the needs of the event participants. And for the first time, we will try to make the conference as flexible as possible to change.

3. We want to learn from the participants' feedback, where we made mistakes, and where we were strong during the organization of the conference. This will help us analyze our efforts and successfully organize the next events.

32. Main open metrics
Main Open Metrics Data
Main Open Metrics Description Target
Number of Participants We expect at least 150 members from different affiliations and communities, invited guests, and local and self-funded participants. 150
Number of Submissions We expect approximately 80 submissions for the program based on the number of previous conferences. 80
Feedback from participants The number of feedback we expect from participants will help us analyze our event while preparing a report. 40
Partner Involvement We are expecting 15 representatives from the WMTR Partner Organization 15
Institutions We expect the involvement of at least five educational institutions in Turkey in our event. 5

Financial Proposal

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33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

134960

34. Select your local currency.

USD

35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12DWmQcX9If9zs7cURz7LLS86JFvmjDql/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101115743245955179476&rtpof=true&sd=true

36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?

No

36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?


We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.
Other public document(s):

Endorsements and Feedback

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Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.

Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:

  • Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
  • Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
  • Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
  • Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
  • Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).

Endorse