Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025

statusUnder review

Conference and Event Fund

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025

proposed start date2025-02-01T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2025-11-30T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)145000 EUR

amount requested (USD)159614.55 USD

decision fiscal year2024-25

applicant• Geraki

organization (if applicable)• Wikimedia Community Greece Association

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant details

A. Are you applying as a(n)

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

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Wikimedia Community Greece Association

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

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Geraki

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

Magioladitis MARKELLOS

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

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025

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

2025-09-25

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2025-09-28

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2025-02-01T00:00:00Z

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

2025-11-30T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Greece

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Thessaloniki

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)

170

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.

The CEE Meeting is a regional conference for Wikimedia affiliates and communities from Central and Eastern Europe. More info: CEE Meta Page. We expect participants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey.

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

https://blog.wikimedia.gr/ https://www.facebook.com/wikimedia.greece https://twitter.com/el_wikipedia

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 community UG Greece 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 CEE Hub representatives are supporting the CEEM organisation process and they are co-organizers of some activities of this conference.

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 movement 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 User Group Greece (Universities, GLAM organisations, other relevant nstitutions, Municipality representatives). In addition, we are expecting more participants from the Wikimedian communities of states neighboring Greece.

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

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2025

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?

180

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 were able to complete the survey by January 29.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

28

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.
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. Sharing ideas and experiences on team-building capacities, leadership, communication, conflict resolution, social, 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?

The topics that we plan to work on during the conference are: CEE Hub, Future of the Wikimedia Movement, Global governance, Attracting and retaining volunteers, Attracting scholars and scientists, Institutional collaborations, Sharing of experiences, Community building, Volunteer burnout, GLAM, Education, Diversity, Gender Gap, AI challenges, Wikidata, Wikimedia Grants, Funding, Group/Affiliate management, CEE Spring, CEE Youth Group, WikiClubs, Translation, Workshops, Raising awareness for non-Wikipedia Projects.

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, 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 meet 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

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

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

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 User Group Greece continues to cooperate actively with various non-Wikimedian organizations within Greece. Among the partners are many educational and cultural institutions and non-governmental organizations. Our partners include Aristotle University, Hellenic International University, Ionian University, Goethe Institute, 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 (like Open Knowledge Greece, GreekLUG, a.o.) of Wikimedia UG Greece who work in the field of free knowledge development in Greece.

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. We plan to engage with students and other volunteers that will be helping at the CEEM conference location and are ‘new’ Wikimedians and use this to raise awareness to youngsters about the project and possibilities.

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

Affiliates and communities in the CEE region are closely connected and Wikimedians keep in touch via various communication channels: CEE FB group, Telegram groups, regional mailing lists and various regional regular online meeting events organised by the CEE hub (CEE hub office hours, CEE Catch up sessions)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 regular contact with affiliates and CEE community representatives and can provide support 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.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development

Logistical Aspects

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

The venue will be the Grand Hotel Palace, which is the largest conference hotel in Thessaloniki with comfortable and functional rooms. The rooms for the delegates and organizers will also be there, which will facilitate travel and organization. Most of the equipment will be provided to us free of charge, as will the venue itself with a very large discount since we will also have lunch and dinner there. We will have a very large conference room that can fit up to 160 people and we will use it for the opening and closing ceremonies. There are three smaller rooms that will be used for the rest of the program, each can fit at least 50 people. Also there will be two separate meeting rooms that can be used for ad hoc meetings and organised meet-ups.

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

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

97 delegates from CEE regional communities. All languages communities from the CEE region get 2 delegates, communities/countries with more than one affiliate have to share them, regional groups get one, and we will include LGBTIQA+ and Education communities, and invited participants.

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

Flight tickets, transfer between the airport and hotel, accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee etc., participation at the finale party event, one optional cultural tour. Swags. For some participants, the cost of the visa fee will also be covered. For participants from neighbouring countries (Bulgaria, North Macedonia), the cost of the road trip will be covered since it will be faster and cheaper compared to flying.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

• For members of Wikimedia chapters or affiliates (UG), the Board or Executive Committee must notify CEEM organizers of their chosen representatives. After confirming they are not globally banned and consulting WMF’s Trust and Safety team, we will confirm their participation.
• For active Wikimedia community members not in any affiliate, selection will be done via discussion or selection on Wikipedia (e.g., village pump). Organizers will review their editing history, Wikimedia contributions, self-evaluation, and experience.

Details will be on the conference registration page. Organizers will encourage fair, diverse representation and assist communities if needed.

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 (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 important and adds value to the event. Also, the community feedback is clear about their wishes of WMF staff being invited to the CEEM.

We don't have a specific limit for Wikimedia Foundation staff, but we expect to invite at least 6-7 WMF staff members.

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

• Marios Magioladitis (User:Magioladitis) - Head of the Organising Team, Program Committee (Together with CEE Hub) and WMF liaison
• Konstantinos Staboulis (User:Geraki) - Logistics, travel arrangements and WMF liaison
• Eleni Christopoulou (User:Eleni.Christopoulou) - Scholarships and social media output
• Dimitrios Ringas (User:DimitriosRingas) - Scholarships and coordination of volunteers
• Markellos Stevis (User:MARKELLOS) - Finance
• Nikos Likomitros (User:NikosLikomitros) - TBD
• Event Manager (TBD)
• Assistant Manager (TBD)
• ~15 volunteers from the community, two universities, OKF, and GreekLUG

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 in preparing this event. We expect the Hub 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?

Financial: Inflation in Greece is consistently 2% and we have budgeted for it, but in some sectors prices change unpredictably. Additionally, for some of our agreements we will need to make an advance payment no later than the end of March or the beginning of April 2025 in order to have the reservation and sign the agreements.

Communication: We have to expect that all conference participants will know English. We have not arranged translators as that cost is extreme in Greece. Volunteers: Some of our helping volunteers are students, and for weekdays they will likely be available only after 14:00. We will be in contact with their teachers and try to enable their earlier participation. In case of their absence, we will have a back up plan i.e. their duties will be covered by other volunteers.

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_2025/Safety

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

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.
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 final report.	40
Partner Involvement	We are expecting 15 representatives from the WMGR Partner Organizations	15
Institutions	We expect the involvement of at least four educational institutions in Greece in our event.	4

Financial Proposal

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

145000

34. Select your local currency.

EUR

Requested amount in USD

159614.55 USD

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

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ccY64kdi6YmgsEoHjSpbyqOLiGbVbfXl__5XMWdx97Q/edit?usp=sharing

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

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