Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/WCNA/WikiConference North America 2024
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Applicant details[edit]
- A. Are you applying as a(n)
Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)
- B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.
WikiConference North America
- F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?
Yes
- F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.
econterms
- F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.
dominic; econterms ; peaceray ; pharos
- 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.
Wiki Society of Washington DC Inc. dba Wikimedia DC
Objectives and Strategy[edit]
- 1. Please state the title of your proposal.
WCNA/WikiConference North America 2024
- 2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.
2024-10-03
- 2.2. When is the last day of your event?
2024-10-06
- 3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?
2024-05-20T00:00:00Z
- 3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?
2024-12-10T00:00:00Z
- 4. In which country will the conference take place?
United States of America
- 4.1. In which city will the conference take place?
- 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)
240
- 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.
By North America we mean: Canada, Mexico, United States, and the Caribbean countries. Some interest and participation from Central America, Europe, and other regions is normal. The Wikimedians of Indiana, a new user group, is managing local arrangements.
- 7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
Several years we have shared some videos on youtube and on Commons. For a list see https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wikiconference+north+america. 2022's conference was called WikiConference North America + Mapping USA 2022 Photos are in for Commons categories under , separated by year
- 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.
We are proposing and gently developing a North America hub -- a coalition of the user groups and chapters already active there. In practice, we have representation from GLAM-wiki organizations at these conferences and they are places for organizing in person.
- 9. Please describe the target participants for this event.
Wikimedians in North America generally, and also other GLAM and university community people, and people near Indianapolis. One of the strengths of the Wikimedians of Indiana user group is that it has effective local connections to the university, state library, and other nearby institutions. We expect to have significant attendance from these local GLAM professionals and the University community. Wikimedians have not held large events in this region, and millions of people nearby are welcome to attend.
- 10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.
This event is annual. The front page will be shown at wikiconference.org when ready . For now it shows the 2023 pages. We have set up the 2024 pages starting at https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2024/Main_Page. Our technique is to copy the previous setup and make changes without deleting the old one. When ready we will flip a software switch to make the 2024 event page come up as the main page. We are trying out a logo that incorporates the city flag on that page. (Indianapolis is a "Crossroads of America" and a "Circle City".)
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?
300
- 11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?
From 28 Jan 2024 to Feb 4 2024, about 7 days.
- 12. How many people responded to the survey?
19
- 13. What are the main objectives of the event?
Discuss matters of common interest ; plan shared activities (e.g. in the North American hub context). Learn about our region with culture crawl and by meeting one another. Create and sustain personal contacts within our networks.
- 14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?
Make personal contacts among our movers and doers and thinkers. Have sessions and discussions addressing these topics: #1: nurture and recruit future admins, editors, developers, and other contributors (whose numbers are generally falling); Make participation for Spanish and French speakers as easy as possible; we have not done very well at this. And many others: how AI affects our projects and users ; address misinformation ; address what the hub or other cooperative efforts would do and how they should be organized ; enable and support translation, e.g. through the content translation tools ; make sure Wikimedia organizations are financially secure and well-managed ; partner with other orgs outside Wikimedia effectively ; make it fun to be an editor, so we sustain our population ; develop skills of existing organizers and editors
- 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.
Not applicable
- 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 conference focus is not mainly on knowledge gaps, although there will be presentations relevant to that. We take knowledge gaps into account in the program submission and acceptance process.
- 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
- 17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?
Socioeconomic status
- 18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?
Indiana University Libraries are co-sponsoring. Because of our connections there, we have discounted rates (prices) to rent the conference space.
The local team will be reaching out to GLAM institutions where they have held editathons and other aligned institutions; these are likely culture-crawl destinations too.
In most years we are sponsored by Hacks/Hackers, the software/journalism nonprofit. Their Wikicred program is now a user group in the Wikimedia ecosystem. They may cosponsor. We usually check with Internet Archive and will be happy to have them as a sponsor again but have not followed through on this yet.
- 19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?
We invite participants to join a big WCNA-related Telegram group during the conference and some conversations continue afterward.
We always email to invite participants to fill out the Community Engagement Survey after the conference.
Our outreach has been somewhat unstable but may regularize as we form a hub across the continent and have roles for people outside existing chapters and user groups.
We expect to continue to have similar annual North American conferences in the future, and the participants at this one will be invited to those.
- 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, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Logistical Aspects[edit]
- 21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?
Yes, we can use an auditorium and several classrooms at the university, described here: "https://eventservices.iupui.edu/meeting-spaces.html." See the formal estimates in the uploaded below. It's in downtown Indianapolis, close to transportation services and the intended conference hotel. This was selected after the local team got quotes and walked through 4 locations. Our events will be on two floors, and there is an elevator. It's quite accessible; it's a university facility.
- 22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
Yes
- 23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
We would like to offer 80, like last year. Not all were used last year. One issue in using all the slots is that the decisions must be early enough. We will try to start the process earlier. Travel costs may be lower per person; it's possible fewer attendees will need to fly, and more can drive or take a bus.
- 24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
1) Transportation by plane, train, bus, driving, or analogous means. We are budgeting for parking, not just for scholarship recipients.. 2) Hotel rooms will be covered, as long as the recipients are willing to share a room at the conference hotel, or perhaps something else at the same expense level.. Hotel stays include breakfast. 3) Conference registration fees 4) Visas when needed
- 25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
A committee with experience in this will choose from among applicants, based on their participation on Wikimedia mainly. It will use approximately the same procedure as last year. We will try to start earlier in the year, because (a) tickets are cheaper when bought long in advance, and (b) some potential recipients are anxious when they do not know the result. Some guidelines from 2023: https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2023/Attendance/Scholarships
- 26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?
We were pleased to work with local WMF staff directly to organize last year's event. We would love to have presentations as in the past on WMF specialties -- a discussion with a board member, tech experts, policy advocates, and legal experts. It will be helpful for WMF staff to do some outreach and invitations to the event.
- 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 would be happy to have 20-40 WMF staff members; no particular limit comes to mind. We would be happy to have more WMF attendees than in the past, both technical and program staff. One of the outcomes we hope to have from this event is to have more meetings between staff and volunteers.
- 27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.
- Local organizers: Select venues and conference hotel, and arrange locations for welcome reception and cultural events. Handle interactions locally to keep things smooth. Notably, make arrangements with the University and contractors for space, meals, and other logistics. This is the largest and most important activity.
- Fiscal sponsor: Make payments, including international ones, and monitor budget.
- Program committee: Invite presentations. We anticipate as in the past on the order of 100 submissions, and 60-70 on the program. The program committee selects among the submissions. Submissions are public on our wiki. In the past the usual practice has been for program organizers to rate these on a private spreadsheet and discuss them in meetings, as we clarify and shape the feasible agenda.
- Scholarship committee: Will invite and evaluate submissions for scholarships, and send information to the travel agency and/or fiscal sponsor.
- Registration desk and friendly space team: Volunteers will manage the front desk. As in the past there will be tangibly colored or labeled volunteers monitoring that we have a safe/friendly space.
- 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.
WCNA is the umbrella user group running the conference. Wikimedians of Indiana will handle local arrangements. Wikimedia DC is the fiscal sponsor. We are sure to have active participation from WMNY, attendees from WikiEdu, and so forth. WikiCred coalition may well have a track or sponsor sessions, the reception, or scholarships. That has worked in past years but we have not worked it out for this year. Most of the organizing activities in discussed in question 27 (roles and responsibilities) will be managed by volunteers across partner organizations and indepndent volunteers.
- 29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?
One risk is that fewer Wikimedians would want to attend than last year, because of the location. The state of Indiana is officially less inclusive and tolerant than our usual locations, although Indianapolis is a cosmopolitan urban tolerant area generally, and we will be at a university which is an accepting/tolerant location. The city and university have some autonomy. We think our attendees will be comfortable in fact.
Our event overlaps the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which ends on Friday Oct 4. Some natural participants will not be able to participate in all sessions for this reason. We have explored backup dates, but in the Oct-Nov period almost every weekend has some conflict and the venue is not always available.
There is a risk that some people we want to include cannot get visas to the United States in time. We will try to conduct early outreach and see how to help.
The conference will be in an urban downtown area. Our safe space team needs to know the locations and respond to possible issues of crime, protests, illness, or injury. These risks are low, as in other years.
A normal problem is that some attendees are not fluent in English. We will endeavor to have more translation/interpretation services than in the past.
- 30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
We anticipate operating under approximately the same policy as last year: https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2023/Safe_Space_Policy We are committed to the UCoC.
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation[edit]
- 31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?
We'll knit ourselves further together into an effective network to cover the North American region. We want to be able to sustain larger partnerships, events, initiatives, and research projects. We want to give a boost to Wikimedia activities in and near Indiana. Conference attendees will gain a better understanding of how to do Wikipedia projects. We will all learn from presentations at the conference ; this content is yet to be determined, by the presenters and attendees.
- 32. Main open metrics
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Attendees | Last year we had over 240 attendees. This was at the outer edge of our capacity.
We would like to reach that level again this year, where could handle even more. People enjoy this conference and return year after year. We will need to get our logistics in order to make sure it works for them and find local attendees. |
240 |
| Safe event | There could be friendly/safe space problems. If so we would like to handle them well and report them properly, as we have done in the past.
The number of cases handled poorly, or complaints to the WMF, would be a metric of whether we have met our goal. |
0 |
| Program coverage | The program will cover significant diversity, with more than two tracks of content, covering a wide range of topics, and sometimes more than two sessions, lightning talks, or birds-of-a-feather meeting at once. Last year we had over 60 conference presentations, and we can aim for that this year. | 60 |
| Local community partners | We would like to have culture crawl visits or events at at least 4 local GLAM institutions. | 4 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Financial Proposal[edit]
- 33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.
130970
- 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/1ECi_g4FulLuVpx09qSKE64UoM4Ih-vZHT7oxJU6W63E/edit#gid=0
- 36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?
Yes
- 36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?
(1) Indiana University Libraries will sharply discount its conference center space rent fees and offer staff time to us. This we estimate gives us an in-kind savings totaled in the spreadsheet of $15925.
(2) Hacks/Hackers (WikiCred) may financially support a part of the conference as in the past.
We are optimistic about getting in-kind support for culture crawl events, but don't have specifics.
- 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): Enthusiastic support from IU Library Dean Kristi Palmer. She is the top official of the Indiana University Indianapolis Libraries.
Endorsements and Feedback[edit]
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).