Grants:Project/Rapid/GMRC/Project CLV

statusfunded

Rapid Grants

GMRC/Project CLV 2017

The primary purpose of this grant request is to initiate the process of English language Wikimedia/Wikipedia community development in the CLV countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion — Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

targetWikipedia, Wikisource, and Wikivoyage (among others) in English (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) and Khmer languages (Cambodia only).

start dateDecember 1

end dateFebruary 28 April 15

budget (local currency)USD 2000

budget (USD)USD 2000 2060

grant typeIndividual

non-profit statusNon-profit corporation registered with the office of the Secretary of State in Olympia, WA (see this link for registration details)

grantee• Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington

contact(s)• anirudhmekongresearch.org, anirudhsbhgmail.com• adminmekongresearch.org

organization (if applicable)• Greater Mekong Research Center

website (if applicable)• https://www.mekongresearch.org

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The Wikimedia and Wikipedia communities in the CLV countries — Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – are relatively small and users residing in these countries do not engage each other in offline activities at regular intervals (specially those editing English language projects). In order to encourage community spirit, creating opportunities for new collaborative efforts and building synergies, we intend to organize Wikimedia events at educational and vocational training institutions located in the three countries over a period of 18 weeks beginning in September 2017.

Project Goal

Choose one or more of the following goals. You can add or delete goals as needed.

1. Recruit new editors
2. Increase skills for existing editors
3. Add or improve content
4. Build momentum for local events

Project Plan

Activities

Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:

1. Are you doing one editathon or training or a series of editathons or trainings?

With the support of local volunteers, we will be organizing multiple events including meet-ups and workshops.

2. How will you let your community know about the event? Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions.

I have left messages on the following forums: (i) wikimedia-asia-chapters mailing list, (ii) left a message on the Vietnamese Wikipedia noticeboard, (iii) Facebook message board of the Khmer Wikipedia community and (iv) have reached out to a Vietnamese Wikipedian living abroad who is helping me connect with the local community.

3. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead the event?

I have been an editor on the English Wikipedia since January 2006 (and have been an administrator since August 2006). I also have experience working on other Wikimedia related projects and have either conducted or been involved in the organization of dozens of Wikipedia meet-ups, workshops and conferences over the past few years, specially in India, but also in Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.

4. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?

All participants would be expected to possess appropriate equipment including electronic devices while participating in training sessions and workshops. I have also built good relations with organizations, educational institutions and vocational training centers that are in a position to provide the requisite equipment to the participants.

5. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?

We will collect contact details and other relevant information from our participants and will seek to remain in touch with them specially through the use of, and updates on, social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

6. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?

I will begin this project with preparations for the first meet-up to be organized in Phnom Penh Capital City next week, beginning on Saturday 23 September 2017. However, I expect to start expending funds only for travel beyond Phnom Penh for the purpose of travel costs (airfare or by road), accommodation and meals. I will seek to secure event venues either free of charge or at nominal rates (where unavoidable).

Impact

How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets:

1. Number of events: 3 (Phnom Penh) + 1 (Siem Reap) + 1 (Kampot) + 2 (Ho Chi Minh City) + 2 (Hanoi) + 1 (Da Nang) + 1 (Vientiane) [tentative]
2. Number of participants: 20-30 participants at each event
3. Number of new editors: 5 to 10 (in total)
4. Number of of articles created or improved: 10 to 30 articles (in total)
5. Number of repeat participants (for projects that include a series of events): 10 to 20 (in total)

Resources

What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

I will be taking the lead on the project and will seek support from local volunteers, wherever possible, for the efficient organization of the events and workshops. I have secured support from educational institutions, vocational training centers and other entities that are willing to provide the venue and other logistical support in terms of electronic equipment and Internet access for the successful execution of the events. In addition to the monetary grant request, I will be seeking Wikimedia/Wikipedia merchandise for the participants of my events, from the Wikimedia Foundation.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense and include a total amount.

Visa(s): ~USD 140

Travel: USD 860 [airfare+road travel]

Accommodation+meals: USD 1000

Total: USD 2000

[Please note that these are tentative figures and are subject to change.]

Endorsements

Community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!

•  Support Currently, the region is underrepresented. There is a potential for CLV to learn more about the Wikimedia movement and use our resources to grow. Taweethaも (talk) 03:43, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
•  Support Regions and communities that are underrepresented on Wikipedia will benefit a lot from the experience of someone like the grant applicant. --Ravi (talk) 10:54, 30 September 2017 (UTC)
•  Support There is a potential for CLV to become a larger community. Now it's time to get your voice heard. --Athikhun.suw (talk) 14:16, 4 October 2017 (UTC)
•  Support I believe the CLV communities will be benefited by this project. XoXo (talk) 12:11, 10 October 2017 (UTC)
•  Support A strong contributor wanting to dynamize an under-represented community, so I say yes! Amqui (talk) 23:34, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
•  Support Anirudh is a long-time Wikimedia contributor, and I have confidence that he'll undertake this project in the best interest of fulfilling our mission. Abbasjnr (talk) 05:18, 16 November 2017 (UTC)
•  Support Anirudh is well-positioned to do outreach in those countries, which are still relatively isolated from the broader movement. Asaf (WMF) (talk) 06:45, 18 November 2017 (UTC)
•  Support Excellent and well-balanced initiative for a region that is not just underrepresented, but seriously lacking support from the movement. Having worked with Anirudh for years, I am confident he will do a tremendous job "waking up" the contributors in the region and encouraging more people to work and expand knowledge in English, Lao, Vietnamese and Khmer with a very limited budget, as he knows the region much better than we do. Maor X (talk) 18:13, 18 November 2017 (UTC)
•  Support Good project, I am vietnamese and now I live in Hanoi, Looking forward to your event in Hanoi ! Bkt92 (talk) 07:31, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
• * Support Good luck for this project. -- Beeyan (talk) 08:00, 28 November 2017 (UTC)