Grants:Project/Zblace/Croatia Wikimedian at Large

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Project Grants

Croatian Wikimedian at Large

summaryA series of Wikimedian in Residence activities in Cultural, Academic and NGO sector, research, archival and educational organisations throughout Croatia, while establishing face-to-face meetup groups to support new editors.

targetWikipedias HR - SH - EN, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, Wikivoyage, Wikispore,

type of grantonline, hybrid and offline activities

amountUS$20,000

type of applicantindividual

grantee• Zblace

contact• Zblace@mi2.hr

this project needs...

volunteer

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Friendly space expectations

Project idea

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

Because of its terrible Wikipedia HR history Croatia is still to find a good reason for celebratory 20th birthday of wikipedia. It is still very much the country with that is underrepresented in Wikimedia projects with handful of Wikipedia admins, where half have been autocratic right-wing admins for a decade. There are no affiliates or productive relations with neighbors (boycott of Wikimedia CEE Conference in Belgrade 2 years ago) marked by post-war tensions, complex language politics, but also small population (massively leaving country since Croatia joined EU), and fairly small editing community. In many ways coverage of Croatia in Wikipedia and presence in other Wikimedia projects is behind corresponding countries and languages of our size. To add to this we only started advancing in past few months as one of key admins was globally banned, but with the pandemic and 2 series of Earthquakes in area near Zagreb it is not easy to advance much or fast.

There is almost no visible Wikimedia presence in Croatia, while Wikipedia still did not recovery terrible reputation. Although there are individual editors doing good work, there is no organised editing community yet, and little opportunity for interested enthusiastic editors to learn basic or advanced skills and meet others. While few workshops (mostly organised by me in 2020) are becoming more common, the lack of continuous community support means newly-recruited editors often stop contributing. Even something as simple as regular meetup groups to follow up on Wikipedia training workshops would make a difference in editor retention.

There has only ever been mine Wikimedian-in-Residence placement in Croatia since mid last year... Consequently, while individuals in the GLAM sector, research institutions, or universities might be interested in what Wikimedia projects have to offer, there is a shortage of outreach to them and experienced editors able to work with them on strategies to engage with Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons and other projects. Croatia is, in Wikimedia terms, an emerging community, with huge potential that is not being realized.

What is your solution?

Based on my Wikimedia outreach work of the last year and discussions with GLAM sector institutions and NGOs, I think these problems can be addressed with a full-time, visible Wikimedian supporting both individuals, organizations and institutions. I would have done this before if Autmn call was available and if new of Wikipedian-in-Residence of New Zeland in early 2020, but instead I am applying for support to undertake a series of outreach, educational, capacity building activities as Wikimedian-in-Residence in Croatia for 2021 year, with 3 objectives:

1. EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH: Run public Wikipedia/Commons/Wikidata editing webinars, workshops, panels and edit-a-thons, followed by a series of online check-ins and meetups (if, when and where possible), organised by mailing list, Facebook group, WM Chat and Meet, to provide support for new editors and educators. Use mainstream and alternative media to outreach to target audiences.
2. GLAM OUTREACH: Work with a wide variety of GLAM, culture, education, archiving and research institutions/organizations throughout Croatia, but also supporting whenever possible SEE (Bosnia&Herzegowina, Montenegro and Slovenia) and CEE work (already much involved in CEE Spring), so that each one makes a visible contribution to one or more Wikimedia projects and develops a Wikimedia strategy that can be used as an exemplar for similar institutions.
3. HUMAN RIGHTS/CIVIL SOCIETY OUTREACH: Work with vulnerable individuals and communities (member of WM LGBT+ UG) and individuals as a follow up to my previous work in culture that included creating safe web spaces for inter-sectional feminist queer communities and conversation spaces for gender non-conforming, sex workers, substance users and HIV+ individuals. Try to establish sustainable model for work in near future with support of CEE and closer SEE neighbors (who also did not target LGBT+ topics so far due to prevailing traditionalism in Balkan societies).

Throughout the year of being a "Wikimedian at Large" these activities will be shared through radio, TV, online, and print media to educate the public about how Wikimedia projects work, and inspire other institutions to engage with them (notice: I worked on Radio, TV, webportals and edited newspaper sections, as well as for Ministry of Culture in 2013).

Project goals

The main benefits to the Wikimedia community will be:

1. Immediate and well-publicized improvements in Croatia's coverage and participation of contributors in Wikimedia projects, by helping heritage, research and educational institutions/organisations to host public Wikimedia events and release appropriate media/data collections to Commons, as well as to maintain them when needed.
2. The creation of an editor support network in Croatia’s 4 main cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, and Dubrovnik), but also smaller cities and towns where such activities could land of fertile ground, all with the long-term goal of building a self-sustaining editing community nation wide.
3. Establish for Croatian (and SEE) organisations and individuals participation in Wikimedia projects by helping them develop a Wikimedia engagement strategy, and by training and supporting the key staff who will drive continued Wikipedia activity (unfortunately in 2020 I was the only person from Croatia joining most of international projects, with the exception of CEE Spring 2020 where handful people joined in translation efforts, but no networking or any substantial exchange).

Project impact

How will you know if you have met your goals?

As "Wikimedian at Large", I will organise networking activities, outreach and educational events in a wide range of institutions/organizations in the four main centers in Croatia. This grant will provide support for my sustainable and continuous work, so each entity need only supply a workspace and network access. At the start of this project, I have already established Wikimedian in Residence relation with City Library in Rijeka (on a small now ending RapidGrant) and made physical in person workshops with 2 other libraries, online webinar and workshop with Human Rights Film Festival in Zagreb.

All public activities will be followed by web check-ins and when possible face-to-face meetups for participants; editing coffees, wiki picnics or wiki brunches, which will function as social events as well as support groups for beginning editors. Editors keen to continue organizing meetups will be identified and mentored to help make these self-sustaining.

The long term impact of this grant will be measured as follows:

1. Tracking the use of host-institution Commons items and Wikidata entries in Wikimedia projects. This usage can be summarised on a "Wikimedian at Large" project page and updated monthly for a year, then annually, so institutions can directly track the impact of a Wikimedian’s residency and add the data to their annual reports.
2. The establishment of regular online/in-person meetings of Wikimedia editors in Croatia’s four main cities, logged in the Croatia template.
3. GLAM, research, and education organisations begin developing Wikimedia strategies; the target will be for 8 organisations to have developed a strategy as a result of this project.

Do you have any goals around participation or content?

In 2020 I did Workshops in 3 biggest cities and 3 towns in coastal Croatia. Based on these results, reasonable targets for workshops, assuming monthly mobility and possibility to do hybrid and physical workshops would be:

Co-lead ART+FEMINISM workshop in VOX FEMINAE Festival in Zagreb in May to establish visibility to gender gap work with at least 15 participants.

Lead workshop in the Human Rights Film Festival in Zagreb (as in 2020) as well in city of Rijeka this year with at least 10 participants each increasing number of #Wiki4HumanRights participants to cca 20.

Lead workshop at LGBT Center in Split (as in 2020) this time around SPLIT PRIDE event with at least 12 participants. Lead workshop of Iskorak NGO with LGBTIQ+ population with at least 15 participants, increasing the number of LGBTIQ+ contributors to +25.

• Total participants: 100 as in 60 in bigger centers + at least 20 in smaller and 20 in institutions
• New users: 90
• Pages created or improved: 200
• Over 75% of participants satisfied or very satisfied, with over 50% interested in meetups or further events

The newly-created ExPatYUGOdiasporas group will also help establish regional and diasporic connections and create more sustainable way to keep in touch as well as integrate expats and frequent guests who are committing to support our much too turbulent and troubled region.

Project plan

Activities

Each city placement will be 10-20 days (longer by arrangement). Hosting organisations will be required to supply a workspace, access to their network or access to a computer and projector with same, and a venue with wifi for public events. During each placement, as well as running Wikimedia, Wikidata, Commons, Wikivoyage and Wikispore training for staff, members and helping the organisation develop a Wikimedia strategy. Faculty of Political Science of Zagreb University - Informing, educating and supporting students on Wikimedia and to contribute to (at least) Wikipedia; working with 2 social scientists who want to conduct research on wikipedia with students.

City Library of Korcula - Informing, educating and supporting students on Wikimedia and to contribute to (at least) Wikipedia to upload images of monuments (did in 2020) and create new articles.

Similar projects will be developed as additional institutions and organisations offer to host me as a Wikimedian. In addition, I’ll run a Wikipedia introductory workshop, tailored to the subject matter, at no fewer than three professional meetings or conferences during the year.

Follow-up will be built into every Wikimedia event. Currently I survey all workshop participants for feedback, and ask them for permission to use their edits when calculating analytics. These surveys also ask if they’re interested in attending further events or attending face-to-face meetups; those who agree will now also be invited to join the Wikimedia Croatia communication channels. I will maintain an opt-in email list, used only for geographically-appropriate event and meetup notifications; general discussion will happen in the Facebook group, web forum or at meetups (in coordination with Wikimedia CEE plans).

Budget

Support
For one year of living expenses and accommodation around Croatia

• US$16,000
• US$2,000

Travel
To approximate the travel for one year of travelling across Croatia.

• US$1,000

Conference registration
To enable attending and presenting at at least 2 conferences in the course of the year.

• US$300

Swag, material costs and technical services
Wikimedia branded items to use as event prizes and helper rewards, but also office utilities, cables, batteries, mobile phone costs and similar unexpected costs.

• US$700

Community engagement

As a side-effect of my various Wikimedia activities, I am well-known Cultural worker / Wikimedian in Croatia and in GLAM circles

• https://blogs.ifla.org/lpa/2020/11/06/zeljko-blace-kristian-benic-wikimedian-in-residence-at-the-city-library-of-rijeka-croatia/
• https://www.kulturpunkt.hr/content/povezivanje-iskustava-i-dijeljenje-znanja
• https://www.h-alter.org/vijesti/wikimedijima-za-ljudska-prava

As there’s no chapter in Croatia (and not likely to be with Wikipedia issues) I am the public interface of Wikimedia projects by default. I’m certainly not the most experienced Wikipedia editor in the country, but I have good understanding of Wikimedia ecosystem, its dynamics and transitions toward 2030 movement strategy. I used Wikis before Wikipedia existed and have co-founded prominent NGO working in this field: Multimedia Institute in Zagreb *(that localized CreativeCommons). I am also commited FLOSS and Queer community organizer/cultural producer, with experience in teaching new media (my formal education is media art and pedagogy) and I am good at dealing with the media (worked with both national TV and Radio, as well as civil society online and print media).

For Wikipedia’s 20th birthday, I published (co)authored two articles:

• https://www.kulturpunkt.hr/content/esencijalna-infrastruktura-za-slobodno-znanje
• https://gkr.hr/Vodic-za-korisnike/Lokacije/Narodna-citaonica/Price-iz-Magazina/Wikipedijinih-prvih-20-iliti-zasto-participativnost-i-otvorenost-znanja-sada-imaju-jos-vise-smisla

in which I had an opportunity to explain how Wikimedia works, its history, and its future; possibly the most in-depth media coverage the Wikimedia Foundation has ever had in Croatia. I’ll continue working in this way, arranging radio, newspaper, and TV publicity of Wikimedia events and institutional projects during the course of the year.

Social media outreach will be directly through Twitter, Facebook and I am also investigating Fediverse. Indirect social media will be through the various feeds of host institutions.

I will present on the "Wikimedian at Large" project at the CLUBTURE.org Forum meeting (they were first cultural supporters), the main venue for civil sector for cultural projects in Croatia for 20 years. I’ll also arrange at least two conference presentations/workshops and talk about Open/Free Knowledge and Commons whenever I am given a chance (sample Swiss research http://creatingcommons.zhdk.ch/networking-institutions-interview-with-z-blace/).

Get involved

Participants

Z. Blace (m:User:Zblace)
I'm trained as media artist and art pedagogue, but worked as cultural worker/curator and sporadic graphic/media design, with some IT skills, and cultural writing for over 20 years. I co-founded two most innovative organizations in Croatia that pioneered their respective fields:

• Multimedia Institute and its public space net.culture club MaMa (1999 and 2000)
• qSPORT/QueerSport - society for sport and recreation of LGBTIQ+ athletes and enthusiasts (2006)

I first became interested in Wikis during education at Fine Art Academy in Zagreb in 1999. and followed Wards work, since 2001 I used Wikis for public events and projects I organized contributed to development of TamTam in-house wiki software of Multimedia Institute (based on MoinMoin). I was active in teaching Wikipedia workshops, and as of 2019 promoting Wikimedia tools as part of an outreach strategy for the cultural sector and civil society/activist communities. I actively promote FLOSS and Creative Commons since a decade (curated exhibition Creative Clusters on AV tools). For the last 1,5 years I've been in Wikimedia LGBT+ UG supporting QueeringWikipedia conference and other activities.

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