CIS-A2K/Reports/Newsletter/October 2024

In the Limelight: TTT

The 9th iteration Train-the-Trainer (TTT) event for 2024 took place from October 18 to 20 in Bhubaneswar, organised by CIS-A2K and co-hosted by the Odia Wikimedians User Group. This marks the third time CIS-A2K is collaborating with a community to co-host TTT. This event serves as a pivotal platform for fostering leadership in Indic Wikimedia space community engagement and sharing innovative ideas and collaboration opportunities among Wikimedians.

The TTT event is crucial for several reasons:

Decentralized Learning: It has evolved from a traditional training program into a decentralized learning platform that encourages the cross-pollination of ideas among diverse groups of experienced and new Wikimedians. This shift allows for a more inclusive approach to knowledge sharing and skill development.
Cultivation of Ideas: TTT acts as an incubator for innovative ideas, enabling participants to map out allies and resources. This collaborative environment is essential for sparking creativity and finding new solutions to common challenges within the Wikimedia movement.
Community Engagement: The event emphasizes meaningful conversations as a metric of success, helping to strengthen connections between contributors and enhance community involvement in various projects.
Wider Perspective: Participants gain insights into the global landscape of Wikimedia projects, allowing them to understand best practices and challenges faced by different language communities.
Participants at TTT 2024 Bhubaneswar
Bridging the Gender Gap: Over 40% of this year’s scholarship recipients were women. Speakers like User:कल्पनाशक्ती & User:Nettime Sujata added feminist perspectives and nuance to the conversations.

Some of the key highlights of TTT 2024 are:

Panel Discussion: A panel moderated by the Program Officer (Community) discussed the current state of various wiki projects across language communities. Panelists shared successes and challenges, including initiatives like Wiki Loves Mangaluru and the growth of Assamese Wikipedia from 100 to over 14,000 articles. Key issues addressed included quality control, female participation, and future aspirations for community projects. This Panel discussion gave an overview of major activities in Indic Wikimedia space in recent times and the program was off to a great start.
TTT 2024, Guest speaker Ashwini Lele is addressing a session
Needs Assessment Session: Led by Ashwini Lele, this session focused on the importance of understanding contributors' motivations and the need for a structured approach to needs assessment in Wikimedia projects. Participants were encouraged to explore various Wikimedia initiatives beyond Wikipedia.
Group Discussions: Participants engaged in structured discussions across five cohorts—Technology, Participation, Quality, Diversity, and Collaborations—to identify specific challenges and opportunities within the Wikimedia movement. Key challenges included mentoring new contributors and improving documentation processes.
Hands-on Program Design: Participants worked in groups to design initiatives addressing specific challenges. Proposed programs included a hybrid developer training program, workshops for refining machine-translated articles, and outreach efforts targeting educational institutions.
Personal Journeys: The event featured stories from experienced Wikimedians from various communities like Odia, Bangla, Santali and Tamil who shared their transformative journeys within the movement, highlighting the impact of their contributions.

Overall, the TTT event served as a platform for collaborative dialogue, creating avenues for mentorship, community engagement, and innovative strategies to enhance the Wikimedia movement's reach and effectiveness. After the event, the CIS-A2K team stayed back for a team meeting to evaluate the success of TTT and engage in meaningful conversations regarding our future plans.

Dispatches from A2K

Using technology tools to understand community needs is essential for several reasons. First, these tools provide data-driven insights that help communities identify challenges and opportunities for growth. By analyzing metrics such as engagement levels and content contributions, communities can pinpoint specific areas that require attention, enabling them to make informed decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions. In the Wikimedia world, where projects are inherently community-driven, leveraging tech tools is particularly relevant. The Wikimedia ecosystem thrives on collaboration and transparency, and understanding community health is crucial for sustaining project momentum. Tools like Quarry, Pageviews, and Wikimedia Statistics empower contributors to analyze engagement patterns and project metrics effectively, fostering a culture of informed decision-making.

Communities benefit significantly from these data-informed approaches. By utilizing tech tools, they can track contributions over time, assess the impact of initiatives, and adapt strategies accordingly. This leads to enhanced community engagement and a more robust understanding of collective needs.

To leverage the synergy between tech contributors and content creators, it is vital to foster collaboration and communication. Encouraging tech-savvy members to share their expertise with content contributors can bridge knowledge gaps and enhance overall project effectiveness. By creating an environment where both groups can collaborate, communities can harness the full potential of their resources, driving innovation and growth within the Wikimedia movement. Keeping this in mind, CIS-A2K aims to organize regular training sessions to bridge this gap. Stay tuned for more updates!

Monthly Recap

Wikimedia Technology Summit

The Wikimedia Technology Summit (WTS) 2024 took place from October 3 to 5 at the Hyatt Hyderabad, Gachibowli, focusing on the theme “Wiki Tech for All: Empowering Voices, Expanding Horizons.” This annual conference aimed to leverage technology to bridge gaps within Wikimedia projects and enhance participation from underrepresented communities and languages. Funded by the Wikimedia Foundation and hosted by the International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad (IIIT-H), the summit gathered over 130 attendees, including technologists, developers, researchers, community leaders, and WikiClub students.

Four members from the Access to Knowledge (A2K) team actively participated in The Wikimedia Technology Summit (WTS) 2024. They delivered two key presentations: one on “The State of Indic Wikimedia Communities” and another on “Mobile Editing and Growth.”

The presentation on the‘State of Indic Wikimedia Communities’ utilized the SCOPE methodology—Struggle, Community, Output, Projects, Evaluation—to analyze current challenges. Despite a surge in Wikis fueled by nostalgia and hacker culture, many Indic projects face struggles due to individual burdens rather than technological issues. While platforms like Wikisource and Wikidata show resilience, the need for community engagement is critical. Catalysts for revitalization include patronage from initiatives, technological development, influential champions, and recognition through awards. The Program Associate (Technical outreach) and the Program Director emphasized that while financial resources are important, passionate individuals are essential for sustaining language projects.

The Program Manager of CIS-A2K at WTS 2024 emphasized the critical role of mobile editing in enhancing community engagement and user experience within digital knowledge platforms. The presentation highlighted significant challenges, including the lack of advanced tools on mobile devices, which hinder effective content creation. Additionally, unstable internet access can lead to interrupted edits and version control issues. Notably, about 70% of individuals from the Global Majority rely solely on mobile devices for internet access, highlighting the urgent need to optimize mobile infrastructure. The presentation called for prioritizing the development of mobile-friendly editing tools to eliminate barriers and foster greater participation in the free knowledge ecosystem. Access the full presentation here.

Additionally, the Program Director contributed to two-panel discussions focused on the future of Wikimedia technologies in Indic languages. The Program Officer (Community) joined as a panelist in "Addressing Gender Gap in Wikimedia Technology: Panel Discussion" and spoke about their experience with Wiki Women's Camp, SheLeads and Wiki Women's Collective. She also spoke about various aspects that need to be improved with respect to bridging the gender gap in Technology and Leadership. The A2K team engaged in fruitful conversations with numerous developers and technologists, aiming to foster ongoing collaborations.

Coming Soon - Upcoming Activities

TTT follow-ups

CIS-A2K is excited to announce a new initiative aimed at fostering regular follow-up sessions with participants from the Train the Trainer (TTT) program. These sessions will cover various topics relevant to the Indic Wikimedia space, with a key focus on utilizing technology tools for community research and needs assessment. By engaging participants in ongoing discussions and training, we aim to strengthen our collective efforts in enhancing the open knowledge movement across Indic languages. Stay tuned for more details about these upcoming sessions, including schedules and topics to be covered. We look forward to collaborating with you as we continue to empower our communities through knowledge sharing!