Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikijunior:African Countries (ID: 22666756)
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Applicant Details
edit- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Sylvesterchukwu04
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
edit- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Wikijunior: African Countries
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2024-08-01 - 2024-08-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Not applicable
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Wikipedia stands as a vast online encyclopedia renowned for its comprehensive educational articles across diverse subjects, serving as a valuable global knowledge resource. However, its complexity often hinders accessibility, especially as an educational tool for children. Wikijunior, a collaborative project under Wikibooks, aims to bridge this gap by creating educational articles and books tailored specifically for children aged birth to 12, covering subjects like science, geography, and history in a simple, understandable, informative, and captivating manner. By providing free educational learning resources, Wikijunior facilitates global education, ensuring children worldwide access quality learning materials. Despite this, there is a significant gap in articles on African countries on Wikijunior.
This project aims to provide engaging educational articles tailored for children to learn about African countries, thereby bridging the content gap. By bridging this gap, we aim to foster understanding of African culture and history among children worldwide, while simultaneously bridging educational content gaps and promoting global education.
The main challenges we address center on the underrepresentation and documentation of the 54 African countries on Wikijunior. Presently, only a few articles on African countries are partially developed, leaving the majority yet to be created as shown [1].To visualize these gaps, we've developed a detailed graphical summary using Matplotlib, which can be accessed here(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_p54V2s6sc8TDaBw0pFusgA7VMLK3qE9sHQrDErw_jM/edit).
Our project will utilize two primary approaches to address these challenges:
1) Awareness and Advocacy: We will launch a multifaceted outreach campaign to raise awareness about the need for comprehensive representation of African countries on Wikijunior. Our activities will include public talks, social media campaigns, and engagements with various media outlets. These efforts aim to boost participation and support, thereby mobilizing a collective effort to enrich the representation of African countries on Wikijunior. This awareness outreach serves as a pivotal tool in raising awareness about Wikibooks, as it is an underused Wiki sister project in Africa.
2) Content Creation: We will organize targeted editing campaigns, host training sessions both online and physical, and conduct edit-a-thon sessions. These activities are designed to encourage community involvement and ensure the creation of high-quality, engaging content about African countries. Our goal is to enrich Wikijunior with complete and accessible articles for each of the 54 African nations, thereby enhancing the educational experience for young learners.
This project will substantially enhance the educational landscape on Wikijunior by providing detailed, engaging, and culturally rich content about African countries. By addressing documentation and accessibility gaps, our project enriches Wikijunior and contributes to building a more inclusive and interconnected global community. Through sustained effort and community involvement, we aim to create a lasting impact that extends beyond educational enrichment to cultural integration, global awareness, and equitable access to quality learning materials.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
Creating Awareness About the Event: Our approach to raising awareness involves a multi-dimensional approach. We plan to distribute digital materials, including posters, flyers, and concise videos, across a variety of platforms of our target participants, such as social media channels and various online community forums. In addition,we'll create a dedicated WhatsApp group exclusively for interested participants. This group will serve as a dynamic forum for real-time discussions, resource sharing, and continuous communication, fostering a community spirit and ensuring ongoing engagement both before and after the event. This comprehensive approach is designed to generate extensive interest and participation, ultimately contributing to the event's success and impact.
Physical Training and Edit-a-thon, Day 1:The event will commence with an interactive session that introduces participants to the event’s significance, objectives, anticipated outcomes, and the editing policies and guidelines of Wikibooks and Wikijunior. Subsequent to this introduction, a series of meticulously planned workshops and sessions will be conducted, aiming to educate and train participants. These sessions will encompass various editing tasks, segmented into simple and advanced levels:
Simple Editing Tasks:
- Wikilinking articles related to African countries.
- Correcting typos and rectifying spelling errors.
- Adding images to articles.
Advanced Editing Tasks:
- Creating new articles for African countries.
- Expanding existing articles by adding sections on:
- Geography of the country.
- People of the country.
- Sports prevalent in the country. - Notable sights of the country.
These training sessions are designed to equip participants with valuable practical skills and deep insights into the process of editing and contributing to Wikijunior and Wikibooks. This comprehensive training will ensure participants are well-prepared to make meaningful contributions to the platform.
Physical Meet-Up (Edit-a-thon):The edit-a-thon will involve hands-on editing sessions where participants will actively create and improve content on Wikijunior articles about African countries. Our team will offer guidance throughout these sessions, promoting a collaborative environment that enables participants to apply their skills and contribute effectively to the project's goals. The primary objective is to collectively enhance and broaden the representation of African countries on Wikijunior, thereby enriching the educational resources available to children worldwide.
Contest:The contest will provide an opportunity for participants to utilize their newly acquired editing skills by creating and enhancing articles. This contest aims to improve the quality and accessibility of articles about African countries on Wikijunior, thereby serving as a valuable resource for the global knowledge community. Edits entries will be evaluated based on accuracy, completeness, and adherence to established editing guidelines. Prizes and recognition will be awarded to the top contributors as gift vouchers, serving as an incentive for participants to engage actively in editing developing content for Wikijunior. The contest is designed to foster collaborative editing efforts, encourage active participation, and maintain high standards in content development.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
Our team members possess the necessary qualifications, expertise, and training experience to effectively execute this project. Proficient in streamlined editing workflows on Wikibooks and Wikijunior, we are well-equipped with extensive knowledge, insights, and available resources to ensure the successful completion of this project.
Sylvesterchukwu04 (Project Lead): As an experienced editor with extensive editing and training experience and a background in leading workshops such as "Harnessing the Power of Open Data: Maximizing Wikidata Technical Tools," I have co-facilitated significant editing campaigns on Wikipedia and Wikidata. Notably, I co-facilitated the EveryBookItsReader2024:African Books and Authors Project. With over 250 articles created on Wikibooks and success in winning editing contests focused on Nigerian and African Cuisine on Wikibooks, I also serve as a Reviewer since 2022 on Wikibooks. In my role as the project lead, I will develop tailored training resources to enhance contributions for both new and experienced editors. Throughout the event, I will guide participants in interactive Edit-a-thons to ensure they acquire essential skills aligned with our project's objectives.
Kingaustin07 (Co-facilitator and Jury): Holding key roles within the team, serving as both a Co-facilitator and Jury member. With experience in co-facilitating projects like AfroLiterature: Quotes From Literature on Wikiquote, demonstrating his training experience. Having created over 50 articles on Wikibooks and succeeding in winning editing contests focused on Nigerian and African Cuisine on Wikibooks, he also serves as a Reviewer on Wikibooks. In his role as a Co-facilitator, he actively contributes under a volunteer capacity, training editors on creating high-quality articles to bridge the gap. His responsibilities include guiding participants through editing sessions and offering support during events. Furthermore, as a Jury member, he plays a pivotal role in the evaluation process, ensuring fairness and upholding high-quality content selection standards.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
The Target Participants for our project are individuals keen on contributing to Wikimedia projects, focusing on documenting African countries on Wikijunior section of wikibooks. Our audience comprises of both new and experienced wikimedia editors, including writers, teachers, and educators within and across Africa interested in contributing to educational resources tailored for children.
Before the Event:
We will engage participants through targeted outreach efforts across relevant online platforms and communities, such as Wikimedia forums, social media groups(Whatsapp and Telegram), and educational networks. We will utilize digital materials such as posters, flyers, and social media posts to raise awareness about the upcoming events and encourage participation. These platforms serve to disseminate project information, elucidate goals, benefits, and organize informational sessions, including Q&A forums to generate interest and address inquiries.
During the Event :
Our engagement plan involves interactive workshops, edit-a-thons, and training sessions offering practical experiences and guidance in editing, content creation, data curation, and the utilization of Wikidata technical tools. Facilitators will be readily available to provide support, respond to queries, and foster collaboration among participants.
After the Event:
We will follow up with participants to gather feedback and insights on their experiences. This will involve conducting surveys, hosting feedback sessions, and engaging in one-on-one discussions to gather qualitative and quantitative data about the effectiveness of the activities and areas for improvement. Additionally, we will maintain communication channels such as Whatsapp with participants to provide ongoing support, answer questions, and encourage continued engagement with the project. These efforts are aimed at fostering continual participation, knowledge exchange, and community development to ensure sustained involvement in enriching educational resources for children on Wikijunior.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
Our commitment to the safety and well-being of youth in our activities is paramount. We strictly adhere to the Wikimedia Youth Safety Policy, which aligns with international and local laws safeguarding youths both online and offline.
At the start of each event, we will read and summarize the Wikimedia Youth Safety Policy, ensuring all participants understand its guidelines. Throughout the event, our team will rigorously follow these policies to ensure the safety and well-being of all attendees, especially youth. You can find the full Wikimedia Youth Safety Policy here: [2].
Following the event, we actively engage participants and gathering feedback through surveys and discussions. This helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of our safety measures and identify any areas for improvement. We maintain open communication channels, such as our WhatsApp group, to provide ongoing support and address any subsequent concerns.
We are dedicated to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for everyone involved. The Wikimedia Youth Safety Policy serves as a foundational framework for promoting the well-being and protection of youth participating in our event.
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
The announcement of this project has been made on the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria discussion page to inform the community about the goals and objectives of this project, and to solicit their support, comments, and recommendations via this link(https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_User_Group_Nigeria#Wikijunior%3A_African_Countries)
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Geography
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Education
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning and metrics
edit- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
In this project, we aim to learn and achieve several learning outcomes :
1. Effective Educational Content Creation: We aim to create engaging and informative educational content for children. This involves mastering age-appropriate language, incorporating interactive elements, and addressing gaps in documentation and accessibility on Wikijunior. We'll also focus on researching, writing, and improving educational materials to make them engaging and accessible for young learners worldwide.
2. Project Management and Coordination: We seek practical experience in project planning, execution, and evaluation. This includes organizing and coordinating activities like content creation, editing, and outreach. Skills in time management, resource allocation, and team coordination will be essential for successful project execution.
3. Impact Assessment and Reflection: We aim to learn how to assess the impact and effectiveness of educational initiatives like Wikijunior. This involves collecting and analyzing data, feedback, and metrics to evaluate outcomes and identify areas for improvement. Developing the ability to critically reflect on our work and apply lessons to future projects is an integral part of our learning journey.
4.Editor Retention: We seek to understand and implement strategies to retain editors beyond the duration of this project. By providing ongoing support, mentorship, and opportunities for engagement, we aim to create a welcoming and supportive environment that encourages continued participation in Wikijunior,wikibooks and other wikimedia projects.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 25 | New Participants:10
Returning Participant:15 |
| Number of editors | 25 | New Participants:10
Returning Participant:15 |
| Number of organizers | 2 | Organizers faciltating and co-facilitating the event |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | 54 |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
54 articles created and improved
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
Outreach Dashboard ,X tools and Global account information to efficiently and accurately track editors contributions.
Financial proposal
edit- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sWRqEkbLzy7iiyU3BMvIoNaL5ai26df0fXvzNVMz2ng/edit#gid=0
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
962500 NGN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
655.23 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
Endorsements and Feedback
editPlease 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).