Community Resources and Partnerships/India Rapid Project/Wiki Loves Assamese Culture 2025/Final Report
Application type: Standard application
Part 1: Project and impact
1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
During the project period, we carried out planned activities to improve documentation, community participation, and content creation. These activities included field visits, hands-on training sessions, online and offline meetups, and group contribution drives on Wikimedia projects. Participants were guided on how to document subjects properly, upload media, and create well-structured and reliable content.
As a result, a good amount of quality content was created and improved across Wikimedia platforms. This included photographs, articles, and other digital materials related to culture, education, and local knowledge. The project also helped participants gain confidence, improve their skills, and work better together as a community. Overall, the initiative increased the visibility and long-term preservation of local knowledge on open platforms.
The most effective approaches were hands-on mentoring, learning by doing, and field-based activities. Regular communication and follow-up support helped participants stay motivated and solve technical problems. Involving experienced community members as mentors built trust and helped ensure the work continues even after the project ended.
2.1. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
•https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Loves_Assamese_Culture_2025
2.2. Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
During the project, we used simple and practical materials to help participants learn comfortably and work smoothly. These included easy-to-follow training materials and step-by-step guides that explained documentation practices and how to contribute to Wikimedia projects. Participants were also trained in transcribing audio content, creating Wikidata items, collecting relevant data, and writing new articles. Presentations and slides were used during training sessions and meetups to make the learning process clearer and more engaging.
To keep the work organized, we followed clear work plans, activity schedules, and contribution guidelines. We stayed connected through online communication tools and regularly used Wikimedia help pages for guidance and problem-solving. Together, these resources helped create a supportive learning environment and encouraged active, confident participation throughout the project.
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Disagree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Agree |
| F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning
4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below: Through our work on this project, we aim to gain valuable insights and answers to the following learning questions:
- Cultural Preservation: How does documenting cultural and traditional elements through photography and videography contribute to preserving Assamese heritage?
- Community Engagement: How does participation in the contest encourage engagement among existing Wikimedians and attract new contributors to Wikimedia projects?
- Impact on Wikimedia Projects: What is the impact of the contest on the quantity and quality of content added to Assamese Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons?
- Outreach Effectiveness: Which outreach strategies (e.g., social media, press releases, partnerships) generate the highest levels of participant engagement and contributions?
- Long-Term Sustainability: What steps can we take to ensure the continued documentation and preservation of Assamese culture after the project ends?
- Community Feedback: What feedback and suggestions from participants can help improve future editions of the Wiki Loves Assamese Culture contest?
By answering these questions, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the project and refine our strategies for ongoing cultural preservation and community engagement in future Wikimedia initiatives.
Through this project, I learned that real, on-ground engagement is crucial for meaningful documentation. Spending time with practitioners helped us understand not just the art itself, but the stories, emotions, and challenges behind it. I also realized that building community trust takes patience—listening carefully and clearly explaining the purpose of Wikimedia platforms made a big difference.
When local contributors and team members gain basic Wikimedia skills, the work continues even after the project ends. Clear planning, shared responsibilities helped the team work more smoothly.
Going forward, I want to design projects that are more community-driven and sustainable. I will focus on mentorship, local participation, and long-term engagement so that communities can continue documenting and sharing their heritage with confidence.
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
At the beginning, I was unsure whether we would be able to clearly communicate the project goals to the participants. However, I learned that explaining the purpose patiently, along with showing respect through certificates and small tokens of appreciation, made participants feel valued and more engaged.
As a team, we were also deeply moved by the artists’ dedication. Despite many hardships in life, they continue to practice and preserve their art with passion. This realization strengthened our responsibility to document and support their work with greater sensitivity and respect.
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
At first, I will share the project journey and outcomes through a Diff post. We have also been sharing activities and outcomes throughout the project on social media to reach a wider and more enthusiastic audience. In the future, I would like to share my experiences on platforms such as Wikimania, Wiki Conference India, and similar community events, so others can learn from and build upon this work.
Part 3: Metrics
7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
| Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 30 | 30 | |
| Number of editors | 10 | 12 | |
| Number of organizers | 6 | 6 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 3000 | 870 | 2 |
| Wikidata | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| Wikivoyage | |||
| Wikibooks | |||
| Wikiversity | |||
| Wikinews | |||
| Wikispecies | |||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
No
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. State the total amount spent in your Indian Rupees. (required)
338800
11. State the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
3684.99
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Upload the financial report
12.1. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the project? (required)
No
13.1. Amount of unspent funds.
N/A
13.2. Explain the reason for unspent funds.
N/A
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
14. Are you in compliance with all applicable terms, laws and regulations as outlined in the project agreement? Yes
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)