Community Resources and Partnerships/India Rapid Project/Road to Wiki- Cohort 2
Applicant
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Authorankit07
- 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)
N/A
Project
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Road to Wiki- Cohort 2
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2025-07-15 - 2025-09-15
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
India
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) Mediawiki
- 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)
The Wider Change We Seek: This project aims to catalyze a significant change by unlocking the untapped potential of engineering students in India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 colleges to become active contributors to the global Wikimedia technical ecosystem, specifically MediaWiki. While India possesses a vast pool of technical talent, structured pathways and awareness connecting students in these regions to large-scale open-source projects like Wikimedia are often lacking. By initiating contact and sparking interest, we seek to democratize access to Wikimedia contribution opportunities and diversify the global pool of technical contributors, bringing fresh perspectives vital for the long-term health, innovation, and relevance of MediaWiki and sister projects. Implementing this outreach successfully will positively affect students by exposing them early to impactful open-source work, providing tangible skill development pathways, and potentially enhancing their future career opportunities. The Wikimedia movement benefits by gaining access to a motivated, previously under-engaged talent pool.
Main Challenges We Address: The primary challenge is the significant awareness gap regarding Wikimedia's technical side (MediaWiki, contribution processes, community) within many Tier 2/3 engineering institutions in India. This lack of awareness translates into missed opportunities for both students seeking impactful projects and the Wikimedia movement seeking diverse technical talent. Furthermore, students often lack clear, accessible initial entry points and guidance, making the first step towards contribution seem overwhelming. Effectively reaching and building trust with these new institutional partners also presents a logistical challenge.
Our Approaches & Why They Work: Our strategy focuses on Direct Institutional Engagement and Foundational Awareness Building through two primary approaches, chosen for their effectiveness demonstrated in our previous work (Cohort 1):
- Targeted College Outreach (Information Sessions/Workshops): We will conduct engaging sessions (online/offline/hybrid) within 5-6 selected colleges.
- Rationale & Evidence: Direct engagement is vital to overcome the awareness barrier, especially in institutions less connected to established tech hubs or Wikimedia communities. Our experience with Cohort 1 outreach, which generated 260+ applications, confirmed a high level of latent interest when students are approached directly with clear information.
- Innovation: We tailor the content specifically for this audience, focusing not just on what Wikimedia is, but why contributing matters (skill building, impact, community) and providing clear, simple initial steps.
- Rationale & Evidence: Collaborating with trusted internal figures (faculty, student leaders) is essential for credibility, effective communication dissemination through established channels, and fostering a sense of local ownership, making engagement more sustainable. Cohort 1's success was significantly boosted by strong institutional partnerships.
- Innovation: Moving beyond simple announcements, we aim to co-organize sessions with clubs and brief faculty on how Wikimedia contributions align with academic and skill-development goals, embedding the initiative more deeply within the college ecosystem from the start.
Combining student engagement with institutional partnership can provide the most effective and sustainable way to address the awareness gap and initiate a flow of new technical talent towards the Wikimedia movement from these important regions in India
- 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.
Our planned activities for this Rapid Grant directly support our core strategy of Direct Institutional Engagement and Foundational Awareness Building with 5-6 targeted Tier 2/3 engineering colleges in India based on our learning from Cohort 1 (Share the learning outcome of cohort 1 ).:
- Identify and Establish Institutional Partnerships (Target: 5-6 Colleges):
- Activity: Finalize collaboration agreements with relevant departments (Computer Science/IT), faculty coordinators, and key student technology clubs (e.g., GDSCs) within each selected institution.
- Rationale: Building strong partnerships from the outset is crucial for gaining credibility, accessing effective communication channels, and ensuring smoother execution of outreach events. This approach proved successful in Cohort 1, where institutional support was key to participant recruitment and engagement.
- Activity: Work with institutional partners (faculty, clubs) to plan and schedule engaging introductory events (e.g., "Intro to Wikimedia & Open Source Tech Contribution" workshops, info sessions, kickoff calls). The format (online/offline/hybrid) will be adapted based on partner preference and feasibility.
- Rationale: Tailoring events in collaboration with local stakeholders ensures relevance and maximizes attendance. Offering flexible formats addresses potential logistical barriers for students and institutions.
- Activity: Create concise and engaging presentation materials, digital flyers, and potentially a list of beginner-friendly resources. Content will focus on the "why" (impact, skill-building) and "how" (initial steps) of contributing to Wikimedia tech.
- Rationale: Clear, targeted materials are needed to effectively communicate the value proposition to students unfamiliar with Wikimedia's technical side and provide immediate, actionable next steps.
- Activity: Deliver the planned interactive sessions within the partner colleges, facilitated by the WikiClub Tech team members with support from Indic MediaWiki Developer User Group).
- Rationale: Direct interaction is the most effective way to convey enthusiasm, answer immediate questions, address misconceptions, and build personal connections, which can significantly lower the barrier to initial engagement.
- Activity: Utilize sign-up forms during events to collect contact details of interested students. Establish a basic communication channel (e.g., mailing list, Telegram) to share curated resources and announce future WikiClub Tech opportunities (like a potential full Cohort 2).
- Rationale: This creates a tangible pool of interested individuals, measures the impact of the outreach, and provides a mechanism for nurturing interest beyond the initial event, forming the first step in building a contributor pipeline.
- 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.
Project Coordinator with Partnered institution IIIT Hyderabad Advisors from User Group: Mentorship, curriculum design, course structure Krishna Chaitanya Velaga Nivas10798 Gopavasanth Advisors from WMF: Strategy, program direction, scalability and sustenance Rachit Sharma Satdeep Gill Praveen Das Advisor from IIIT-H: Org support, course structure Prof. Vasu Prof. Radhika Kasyap
- 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)
Target Participants: Primarily undergraduate students pursuing degrees in Computer Science, Information Technology, and related engineering disciplines at the 5-6 selected Tier 2/3 engineering colleges in India. Community: The primary target is individuals new to the Wikimedia technical community. We aim to introduce them to MediaWiki development and the broader ecosystem of technical contribution opportunities within the Wikimedia movement in India and globally. Engagement Before Activities:
- Leverage official college communication channels (circulars, emails via faculty/TPO).
- Collaborate with student tech clubs (e.g., GDSCs, coding clubs) for promotion on their platforms (social media, WhatsApp/Telegram groups).
- Share posters/digital flyers outlining the session topic (Introduction to Wikimedia Tech & Open Source Contribution).
- Utilize WikiClub Tech's existing communication channels if applicable to the target colleges.
Engagement During Activities:
- Conduct interactive sessions with clear presentations about Wikimedia, MediaWiki, open source, and contribution pathways.
- Incorporate Q&A segments to address student queries directly.
- Share links to introductory resources (e.g., MediaWiki.org, relevant Meta-Wiki pages).
- Use sign-up sheets/forms to collect contact details of interested students for follow-up.
Follow-up After Activities (within Rapid Grant scope):
- Send a thank-you email to attendees who provided contact details.
- Share a curated list of links to resources for beginners interested in exploring Wikimedia technical contributions (e.g., "How to contribute", communication channels, Good First Tasks).
- Add interested students to a dedicated mailing list or communication channel (e.g., Telegram group) for future announcements regarding WikiClub Tech / Road to Wiki opportunities (like a potential full Cohort 2).
- 9.1. If your project includes in-person activities, are there any international participants travelling to India for them? (required)
- No
- 9.1.1. List all countries of participation. (required)
- 9.2. Will the project be transferring funds to any international participants? (required)
- No
- 9.2.1. List all international participants receiving funding and their countries. (required)
N/A
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
- No
- 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.
N/A
- 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.
This proposal builds directly on the success and extensive learnings from the "Road to Wiki" Cohort 1 (2024-2025), which involved collaboration and feedback loops with participants, mentors, faculty from partner colleges, and guidance from the Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group, IIITH, and CIS-A2K team. Steps taken/planned for this specific outreach phase proposal:
- Internal Discussion: The WikiClub Tech core team discussed the need for focused outreach to new institutions based on Cohort 1 experience and formulated this plan.
- Collaborator Consultation: We have consulted with members of the Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group regarding the strategy for engaging new potential technical contributors.
- Institutional Dialogue: Initial discussions have begun (or are planned imminently) with faculty and student club representatives at potential partner colleges to gauge interest and feasibility for hosting outreach events.
- Community Notification (Planned): We plan to notify relevant Wikimedia communities in India (e.g., Wikimedia India mailing list, Indic-tech mailing list, relevant User Groups on Meta-Wiki or other platforms) about this outreach initiative and this grant application.
- On-Wiki Discussion: The primary on-wiki discussion venue for this specific proposal will be the grant proposal page on Meta-Wiki itself. We invite community feedback and discussion there. [Link to Meta-Wiki grant proposal page to be added here once created].
This focused outreach phase aligns with broader community goals of ours by aiming to diversify the pool of technical contributors, specifically targeting geographic and institutional segments (Tier 2/3 colleges) that may currently have lower participation rates in the Wikimedia technical space. It serves as a preliminary step to potentially larger, structured onboarding programs like the full "Road to Wiki" cohort, complementing rather than duplicating other community efforts.
- 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)
Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Open Technology
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Digital Access
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Through this focused outreach project funded by the Rapid Grant, we aim to answer several key learning questions that will inform our future strategy for expanding the "Road to Wiki" program:
- LQ1: How effective are different outreach models (e.g., online webinar vs. in-person workshop vs. hybrid session) and channels (e.g., faculty referral vs. student club promotion) in generating genuine interest among students in Tier 2/3 engineering colleges for contributing to Wikimedia technical projects?
- LQ2: What are the primary perceived barriers (e.g., lack of awareness, perceived complexity, time constraints, lack of relevance to curriculum/career goals) and key motivators (e.g., skill development, open-source experience, community connection, impact) for students in these specific institutions regarding engaging with Wikimedia's technical ecosystem?
- LQ3: What is the baseline level of awareness about MediaWiki and technical contribution opportunities within Wikimedia among students and faculty in these previously unengaged institutions?
- LQ4: How receptive and willing are the administrations, faculty, and student bodies in these Tier 2/3 institutions to partner with community-led initiatives like WikiClub Tech for promoting open-source and Wikimedia engagement?
- LQ5: What specific types of introductory information or resources resonate most effectively with students during initial outreach sessions?
Data collected through session attendance tracking, sign-up form responses, Q&A interactions, and informal feedback from college coordinators will be used to help answer these questions.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 1100 | New Participants (Estimate): 500 (Approximately 860)
Returning Participants (Estimate): 226 (Approximately 240) This number represents the total estimated unique individuals expected to attend the initial outreach and awareness sessions (online/offline/hybrid) conducted during July-August. The outreach targets two groups: approximately 600 students across 6 new partner colleges (where we anticipate ~95% will be new participants to Wikimedia technical events) and approximately 490 students across 7 previous partner colleges from Cohort 1 (where we estimate ~60% attending these specific outreach sessions might still be new to technical contribution, with ~40% being returning participants familiar with our previous activities). This count reflects direct participation in the planned outreach activities, not the number selected for any subsequent program |
| Number of editors | 100 | Number of all editors: Existing and new editors involved in project activities - 100 developers
Number of new editors: Newly registered editors brought in by project activities - 80 developers Number of retained editors: Editors that continued to edit at least a month after the activities - 40 developers Based on the learning from Cohort 1 where the retention of the cohort 1 participants was at ~42%. We are aiming at 50% retention of the participants in the cohort 2. This is subject to completion of all the assignments and the active participation of the participants in the program. Crucially, these outreach activities serve as the initial engagement phase for the broader 'Road to Wiki' program; the level of interest and participation generated here will directly impact the full program cohort. |
| Number of organizers | 32 | Mentors Indic Mediawiki User Group/WikiClub Tech: 6
Faculty Coordinators (Estimate 1 per college x 13 colleges): 13 Key Student Club Leaders (Estimate 1 per college x 13 colleges): 13 Estimated Total Organizers: ~32 |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | 16 |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 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)
Mediawiki XTools,
Number of Participants (Total, New, Returning):
- Measurement Method: We will track attendance at each outreach session (online/offline/hybrid) and use a sign-up/interest form shared during these sessions.
- Tool(s):
Google Forms (or similar survey tool): To create the sign-up/interest form. This form will include a question asking participants if they have previously attended a Wikimedia technical event to differentiate between 'New' and 'Returning' participants.
Meeting Platform Reports: For online/hybrid sessions (e.g., Google Meet, Zoom), we will use the platform's built-in attendance reports where available.
Manual Sign-in Sheets: For purely offline sessions, we will use simple sign-in sheets (digital or physical).
Spreadsheet Software (e.g., Google Sheets, Excel): To consolidate attendance data from all sources (forms, platform reports, sign-in sheets), remove duplicates, and calculate the final unique participant counts (Total, New, Returning).
- Google Forms (or similar survey tool): To create the sign-up/interest form. This form will include a question asking participants if they have previously attended a Wikimedia technical event to differentiate between 'New' and 'Returning' participants.
- Meeting Platform Reports: For online/hybrid sessions (e.g., Google Meet, Zoom), we will use the platform's built-in attendance reports where available.
- Manual Sign-in Sheets: For purely offline sessions, we will use simple sign-in sheets (digital or physical).
Budget
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PAqQENDqKqhEZV5ajPHk4El0sdVU9Dl1o8iiwi63XQQ/edit?usp=sharing
- 22. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in Indian Rupees. (required)
423500 INR
- 22.1. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD. (required)
4995.27 USD
- By submitting this proposal request you agree with the Institutional Partner Privacy Policy, Application Privacy Statements, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
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