Grants:Conference/WCNA/WikiConference North America 2020
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WMCA/WikiConference North America 2020
The annual WikiConference North America. This year's conference will take place in October in Toronto, Ontario.
targetMostly English language Wikimedia projects, but also French and Spanish Wikimedia projects as well as North American Indigenous Languages User Group
strategic priorityIncreasing Participation
event dates16-17-18 October 2020
amount-local117,392 CAD
amount88,000 USD
typeOrganization
nonprofitYes
creator• JP Béland (WMCA)
contact• jpbeland
wikimedia.ca• infowikimedia.ca
wikimedia.ca• infowikimedia.caorganization• Wikimedia Canada
website• https://ca.wikimedia.org/
Event overview[edit]
Purpose and vision
Please give a brief description of the event you are planning. What do you hope to accomplish during the event? Why is this event important for your community?
WikiConference North America is the annual gathering of Wikimedia volunteers, stakeholders and enthusiasts from throughout the continent, providing a meaningful setting for Wikimedia-related discussions and activities. The conference also invites non-Wikimedians, such as academics, students, librarians, and activists, to engage with the Wikimedia movement through conference programming, collaborative events, cultural initiatives, discussions, and more. The conference nurtures grassroots Wikimedia communities, addresses long-standing online and local community issues, spurs the creation of new content, and facilitates partnerships with cultural and educational institutions.
This year, the WikiConference North America will be held in Toronto. It is the second time that this gathering will be held in Canada, and the first time that it will be organized by Wikimedia Canada. The organizers are experienced in organizing such events since a lot of them were involved in organizing Wikimania 2017 in Montreal.
This event will capitalize on Wikimedia Canada's strengths in the area of initiatives related to equity and inclusion. We plan to build the conference around themes drawn from the Wikimedia movement strategy of knowledge equity and knowledge as service. We plan to have specific streams devoted to critical issues related to human rights, and issues and strategies related to the implementation of knowledge equity projects, community outreach, and initiatives. Indeed, Wikimedia Canada has among its priorities the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and languages on Wikimedia projects as well as the gender gap on Wikimedia projects. We have a very successful partnership with the Atikamekw First Nation that allowed us to create the Wikipetcia Atikamekw Nehiromowin, the most active Wikipedia in a North American Indigenous language, and we now plan to use lessons learned from this project to expand it to other Indigenous communities in Canada as well as across the Wikimedia movement globally. See WMCA Annual Report 2019 for more details on our activities with the Indigenous communities and the GLAM sector.
Toronto has been named numerous times as the most multicultural and multiracial city in the world and is home to several strong diasporic communities. The Toronto region is home to a large Caribbean community, as well as communities from Mexico and Latin America and we plan to specifically use this to connect this meeting to North America as a whole.
WikiConference North America has been held annually since 2014 (called WikiConference USA through 2015). You can learn more about our previous events in the Background section below.
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WCNA 2019, Cambridge -
WCNA 2018, Columbus, OH -
WCNA 2017, Montreal as a Wikimania pre-conference -
WCNA 2016, San Diego
Activities
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WikiConference North America 2020 will be a three-day event consisting of the following:
- The annual Culture Crawl, where we partner with a variety of local GLAM/cultural institutions to host backstage tours, edit-a-thons, and other collaborations.
- Two days of programming, featuring keynotes, lectures, panels, workshops, lightning talks, unconference, and other types of sessions led by members of the Wikimedia community. 2020 will be the first year that WCNA offers live translation services for a variety of sessions.
Important details
Please add key information to the table below. The dates, location and number of participants can be estimates and do not need to be finalized at this time.
| Proposed date(s) | 16-17-18 October 2020 |
| Proposed location | University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario |
| Number of participants | 200 |
| Event page | https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2020 |
| Primary contact person | JP Béland (WMCA) (about the grant request) |
Background[edit]
Previous conferences[edit]
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Innovations[edit]
Below are a few of our major accomplishments and innovations over the years, highlighting the impact WikiConference North America has had on its community and globally.
- High value, low budget - WikiConference North America has been able to keep the per-attendee expenses among the lowest in the movement through building partnerships, soliciting in-kind donations, and utilizing volunteer connections. Whereas most international/regional conferences come close to US $1,000 per attendee, WCNA typically requires US $300-500 per attendee in funding, which encompasses scholarships (travel/lodging), lunch, cultural activities, and social events. This approach was presented at Wikimedia Conference 2018 in a lightning talk.
- Wiki Culture Crawl - This day-long Wikipedia edit-a-thon started at 2016 Wikiconference North America with the consortium of Balboa Park museums in San Diego. What started then as the largest one-day edit-a-thon ever executed in the history of the Wikimedia community is now an annual tradition. It was adopted by Wikimania 2019 in Sweden as a model for engaging local GLAM institutions, photographic cultural content, and hosting collaborative events such as edit-a-thons and workshops. WCNA Culture Crawl has worked with world-class institutions such as:
- Supporting Affiliates - Each year, affiliates and regional groups from across North America host meet-ups at WCNA, such as the West Coast, Tool Developers, and Wikimedia Medicine.
- 2014: Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group and Cascadia Wikimedians User Group launched
- 2016: Whose Knowledge? was kickstarted based off WCNA's theme of inclusion and Indigenous People's Day-oriented programming; also San Diego Wikimedians User Group and impetus for first Wikipedia Day LA
- 2018: Representatives from 5 chapters, 12 user groups, and 7 other Wikimedia groups attended the conference.
- 2019: A meeting of Caribbean Wikimedians later formed into the Wikimedians of the Caribbean User Group.
- Wiki Education Foundation - The annual face-to-face staff meeting for WikiEdu is held at Wikiconference North America, a testament to the importance of WCNA's draw for WikiEdu to meet with educators, academics and movement leaders. For example, in 2018, WikiConference attracted academics from 25 universities and colleges.
- Platforms Roundtable - In 2019, WCNA hosted the first-ever reliability roundtable with high-level representatives from Internet platforms using Wikimedia content including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. It was the first-ever open forum between the Wikimedia community and the largest commercial downstream users of Wikimedia content in the world.
- Do-a-thon-a-day - Every day during WCNA, we facilitate at least one do-a-thon/hackathon, with many variations in themes and type based on location, resources, and interests. It’s an opportunity for active engagement: walking, editing, training, photography, uploading, hacking, and so forth. Do-a-thon examples include:
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Community input[edit]
Our Community Engagement Survey was sent out to registrants of WikiConference North America 2018 and 2019, several Wikimedia affiliates, and groups in Canada.
Below we have highlighted the key points from the answers, especially re-occurring ones. For priority, all four categories (Strategic, Capacity, Working Groups, and Community) were met with strong positive support; the difference in priorities represents a < 10% difference in score. WikiConference North America is large enough to be able to host sessions on virtually all described topics, but the priorities will be used to determine the portion of sessions dedicated to each topic area.
| Description | Priority | |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic discussions:
What are the top issues affecting your community that need to be discussed in person? |
The following is a summary of issues respondents described affecting the North American Wikimedia community, both locally and on a regional level.
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High |
| Capacity development:
Are there important skills that many people in your community need to learn? |
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Low-Medium |
| Working groups:
Are there joint projects that need to be planned in person? |
Listed below are some of the projects respondents listed. A common theme between several responses was the value of face-to-face interactions when working on projects, particularly with those who are new to the Movement. Some of the more sensitive projects described having the benefit of being able to apply Chatham House rules (meaningful face-to-face conversation in a private setting).
|
Medium |
| Community building:
Are there other in-person activities are important for community building? |
Below is a selection of the most common types of activities respondents described for community building:
As one respondent described, "one face-to-face meeting greatly advances online conversation for a long time". |
High |
Survey analysis:
- How many people did you send the survey to? How many people responded to the survey?
- The survey was sent out to roughly 410 people, consisting of registrants of WikiConference North America 2018 and 2019, several Wikimedia affiliates, and groups in Canada. We received 40 responses.
- Did you see consensus around shared goals that this community wants to focus on in the next 12 months? What were the top 2 goals?
- Responses covered virtually ever corner of our Movement, but the following two goals were seen in a large number of responses:
- Effective outreach and community growth; a significant number of responses said that a priority for their local community is improving their outreach strategy and increasing the number of community participants.
- Community health; a significant number of responses described community health issues both online and offline, including harassment and in-fighting. Part of this is also a goal of making our community more welcoming for newcomers (which several described the conference helps contribute towards itself).
- Responses covered virtually ever corner of our Movement, but the following two goals were seen in a large number of responses:
- Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve those goals?
- Opportunities to network and meet one another face-to-face; the in-person component results in there being less incivility, creating a greater sense of community, more easily finding like-minded individuals, and limiting conflicts that can stem from anonymity.
- Hosting workshops and trainings on various topics (including sessions to share community best practices).
Context[edit]
It is helpful to get an understanding of why this event is important to your community, and what experiences you have had in the past. Please answer the applicable questions below.
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- 1. What inspired your community to begin planning this event?
- The first WikiConference USA (the precursor to WikiConference North America) took place in 2014 in New York City, due to the demand for the geographically-scattered US community for a cohesive in-person conference. In 2016, the conference was expanded to be WikiConference North America due to the event taking place in San Diego, and presenting a great opportunity for Wikimedians in Mexico to attend and engaging the Native American communities on Indigenous People's Day. WikiConference North America 2020 is a continuation of the annual conference and embraces even more the idea of inclusion and knowledge equity by embracing First Nations and Francophone content.
- Each year we see hundreds of individuals showing up to share, collaborate, learn, and network, so there is a high demand for this event. We believe this conference results in both a more cohesive North American Wikimedia community, as well as tangible results in terms of contributions, new projects, and motivated editors.
- Futhermore, we want to use this year's conference as a platform to discuss "knowledge equity", "safety", "indigenous communities", "cultural diversity", "linguistic diversity", and "privilege". We hope to have complete tracks in the programme that address these questions.
- 2. How does this event relate to other activities that your community is working on?
- WikiConference North America presents an opportunity for attendees from around the continent to present on activities and projects that they have been working on, including (but not limited to) GLAM partnerships; Wikimedians in Residence; Art+Feminism; WikiEdu and other academic collaborations; and technical tools. The conference also provides brainstorming sessions for new projects to come to fruition, as well as a hackathon, for technical projects to be started and completed. Many Wikimedia affiliates also host meet-ups at WikiConference North America, as one of their few opportunities to do so as a whole (in 2018, there were meetups for Caribbean and Latin America, West Coast, South East, Ohio, Tool Developers, and Wikimedia Medicine; the Wiki Education Foundation also host their annual meeting co-located to WCNA). These meet-ups have helped bolster affiliates, including leading to the creation of the Wikimedians of the Caribbean User Group. Finally, the conference also provides great networking opportunities, individuals can make connections to projects they may be interested in participating in, as well as meet people who teach and inspire to pursue new activities. This year, the Wikimedians of North American Indigenous Languages User Group will also be involved.
- 3. Please list the priorities identified in the report from the last conference organized by this community. What progress have you made in those areas?
- Our last community engagement survey in 2018 identified that the most important topics for our community as Relationship Building & Support and Editor Recruitment & Retention. At the 2018 conference, we had a record level of community representation: representatives from 5 chapters, 12 user groups, and 7 other Wikimedia groups attended the conference. We also had representatives from at least 25 academic institutions. The variety in participants allowed for a wide variety of sessions and a great opportunity for attendees to network and build relationships. There were also a number of sessions revolving around both topics, including several GLAM workshops and guides; edit-a-thon case studies and guides; several community health sessions; and more.
- In 2019, WCNA continued to support its affiliates, with the Caribbean Wikimedians formally forming the Wikimedians of the Caribbean User Group. WCNA also held the Platforms Roundtable, the first-ever reliability roundtable with high-level representatives from Internet platforms using Wikimedia content including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
- For 2020, our community engagement survey indicated community building and strategic discussions as top priorities. Subsets of these that we would like to focus on are equity in participation, including human rights, feminism, indigenous issues, and global south. We also want to talk about reliability of content. Wikimedia Canada, through this conference, hopes to develop new partnerships with indigenous communities to create Wikimedia projects in their languages, to discuss privilege and how some communities may have privilege in North America but many do not as well as knowledge equity.
- 4. If your community has hosted a similar conference in the past, what key lessons were learned, and what would you like to improve on?
- A few lessons learned from previous years of the WikiConference North America, from the WikiConference North America User Group (WCNA UG):
- While planning WCNA 2016, our Core Team realized we had learned a lot by working together, and that there would be a benefit to share this knowledge and experience with future iterations of WCNA instead of a new Core Team starting from scratch. To this end, we formed a User Group, the first conference-based Affiliate in our movement.
- It requires a lot of volunteers to put on an event such as WCNA, with attendees from multiple countries.
- To the extent possible, getting volunteers involved early is the key.
- It's important to identify specific roles for volunteers (e.g. Volunteer Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Branding Coordinator, Communication Coordinator, etc.) early. WCNA UG has provided us with a long list of required roles.
- The Programs Committee and Scholarship Committee have big responsibilities and should be sorted out early. Thankfully, we have email templates from previous years which we can use as a starting point for the many communications that these two committees need to share.
- The Lead Organizing Committee should decide which day/time is best for most of them and get that call scheduled weekly so it's on everyone's calendar. If there's nothing to discuss in a particular week, cancel it.
- Find free venue as soon as possible. Send someone from the Lead Organizing Committee to a site visit early. Start scheduling calls with the point of the contact at the venue at least 6 months ahead of the event in order to sort out the many details.
- A few lessons learned from previous years of the WikiConference North America, from the WikiConference North America User Group (WCNA UG):
- A lesson learned during WCNA 2016 is that attendees prefer multiple "mini-keynotes" (15-18 minutes, similar to a TED talk) to one long one. We implemented this learning at WCNA 2017 and have continued to do so ever since.
- A lesson learned from the 2019 Canadian GLAM-Wiki Summit in Toronto:
- We didn't have any A/V support, and this caused a lot of issues.
- A lesson learned from the 2019 Canadian GLAM-Wiki Summit in Toronto:
Plan[edit]
Venue and Logistics[edit]
The conference venue, the University of Toronto, is centrally located in downtown Toronto. It is close to several subway stops and within walking distance of numerous hotels, restaurants, and major cultural heritage and tourist destinations.
- 1. If the venue is more than 1 hour away from a major airport or transportation hub, how will participants travel to the event venue?
- The conference venue is within easy reach from the Toronto Pearson International Airport and is located less than one hour to the conference venue via public transport. There is a train connection from the airport to Union Station in downtown Toronto. There are multiple transport connections available from Union Station to different parts of the City. The main subway stops for the University of Toronto are: St. George, Museum, Queen's Park, and Museum.
- 2. Is the event venue within walking distance from the hotel? If not, how will people travel between the two locations?
- Participants will be responsible to arrange their own lodging and there are numerous hotels available in easy walking distance of the conference venue.
- 3. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
- Yes.
- 4. Do you anticipate any challenges with using the space for the event you are planning?
- No; the chosen venue will have the designated capability of being used as a conference space.
Friendly space policy[edit]
Please link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
- Safe Space Policy
- Safe Space Team, WCNA 2019
- All conference participants are expected to respect and abide by our Friendly/Safe Space Policy. In turn, we provide a positive, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. Safety is a priority at the conference and we address it at the start of each day's activities. We have learned that issues -big and small- occur routinely, from trip-and-falls and lost phones, to dealing with banned editors and inappropriate comments during a plenary. To this end, we assure that our Safe Space Team, which includes new and experienced volunteers as well as WMF T&S staff, is well-trained. We are highly visible during the conference by wearing, for example, different-colored lanyards.
Participation[edit]
It is crucial that most participants have a minimum level of Wikimedia experience so that they can engage actively in workshops and discussions. Please answer all applicable questions below.
- 1. Please describe the target audience for this conference or event.
- The target audience for WikiConference North America is anyone who is part of the Wikimedia community from North America. We will also be trying to get represenation from every Wikimedia affiliate in North America. We are also targeting people who share in the values of the Wikimedia movement (librarians, archivists, open source developers, open knowledge enthusiasts, etc.), as this conference provides a great opportunity for relationship as well as having new people introduced to the movement.
- 2. If your conference has an outreach component, how will you ensure engagement with these participants after the conference, and what impact do you see them having on the projects?
- For newcomers to the conference and/or Wikimedia movement, we hope the conference itself provides enough networking opportunities for these individuals to remain engaged with the projects and community. All registrants and participants will be invited to join the WikiConference mailing list (it is illegal in Canada to add them to the list ourselves), and will receive a follow-up survey after the event. In this survey, we plan to ask questions on their continued engagement after the conference, and whether the conference had an impact on that engagement. We also set up social media channels (Facebook, Telegram, etc.) for each iteration of WCNA, to help participants keep in touch and continue discussions from the conference.
- 3. Are you thinking about inviting WMF staff to attend or participate in the event? If yes, please list individuals or teams who you may want to invite, or describe how you would like WMF staff to be involved in the event.
- Absolutely. Previous editions of WikiConference North America have included staff participation, whether through providing presentations or simply being at the conference as an attendee. We believe the conference provides a great way for WMF staff to network with other community members, as well as to learn more about the projects and issues the community is facing. Likewise, WikiConference North America attendees have a lot to gain from WMF staff, whether it's through learning through presentations or simply networking. We would love to see presentations from WMF staff, including in particular the strategy for Wikimedia 2030 and the re-branding project, as well as sessions regarding new tooling, features, and strategy the WMF has been working on (such as Structured Data on the Commons, GLAM outreach efforts, etc.).
Scholarships[edit]
- 1. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
- 60
- 2. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
- Travel and lodging.
- 3. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
- Similar to previous WikiConference North America scholarship processes, interested individuals will need to fill a scholarship application documenting their involvement in Wikimedia projects, both online and offline. Scholarship applicants will be evaluated by a Scholarship Committee made up of volunteers. The evaluation will be primarily based on the level of experience and involvement of the applicant in the Wikimedia movement, and what the applicant would bring to the conference to share with others as well as bring back to its own community and have an impact. At least one representative from each North American user group and two representatives from each North American chapter will receive a scholarship. This include user groups from North America, the Caribbean and Central America as well as the Wikimedians of North American Indigenous Languages User Group.
Resources and risks[edit]
Describe the resource potential for successfully executing this project and the key risks/threats.
Resources[edit]
- Organizing team
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This event will primarily be organized by Wikimedia Canada, with support from members of the WikiConference North America User Group, who primarily organized the event is years past.
Wikimedia Canada hosted Wikimania in Montreal in 2017. Additionally Toronto region Wikimedians, are experienced with hosting and organizing a wide variety of conferences and events, including the GLAM Wiki Summit in 2019, Decolonizing Description in 2018, and LODLAM Toronto (2017). Key members also regularly organize edit-a-thons and other community events.
Toronto is home to a number of large universities: University of Toronto (88 000 students), Ryerson University (36 000 students), York University (53 000 students), and major museums and galleries. We anticipate drawing on staff and students to assist with organizing and support through the event. The Toronto WikiClub is one of the most active WikiClubs in Canada.
| Team | User Names |
|---|---|
| General coordination, and liaison with WMF | Benoit Rochon |
| Logistics, and local coordination | Loren Fantin, Stacy Allison-Cassin and Amy Furness |
| Conference Programme | Michael David Miller, and Amber Berson |
| Scholarships | Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight |
| Communications | Jesse Carliner |
| Volunteer Coordination | Stacy Allison-Cassin |
| Safe Space Committee | Amber Berson |
| Other team members | Trina Grover, Cristina Pietropaolo, Lëa-Kim Chateauneuf, JP Béland (WMCA) |
| Supporting WikiConference North America User Group members | Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, Kevin Payravi, Richard Knipel, and Andrew Lih |
Risks[edit]
- The main identified risks are safety issues and funding. Those will be minimized by putting in place a Safety/Safe Space Committee responsible to ensure the safety of all participants. For funding, we will coordinate with the WikiConference North America User Group to try to get some of the sponsors from previous conferences, as well as requesting funding from the Government of Canada, especially for translation English-French. We will also contact several potential Canadian sponsors, and get in-kind donations locally in Toronto.
- One component of the measurement process that is hard to quantify is to have more attendees than anticipated. This will be mitigated by planning for additional space/activities if a significant amount of local attendees want to participate on a particular day.
- Furthermore, Wikimedia Canada is closely working with previous WCNA organizers to learn from them and implement their lessons learned.
Budget[edit]
Please provide a detailed breakdown of project expenses according to the instructions here. See Budget Guidelines.
- Event budget table
The below table is the budget requested to the WMF.
| Number | Category | Item description | Unit | Number of units | Cost per unit | Total cost | Currency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venue | Extra cost associated with donated space | N/A | 1 | $1,500 | $1,500 | USD | Space will be donated by the University of Toronto free of charge. However, the iSchool will charge for cleanup costs on the 17 and 18 October, and we will need to pay for extra cost to bring staff for the Sunday morning since they are usually closed. |
| 2 | Catering | Lunch | Meals | 200 * 3 days | $20 | $12,000 | USD | |
| 3 | Catering | Coffee throughout the day | Days * # of people | 3 * 200 | $5 | $3,000 | USD | |
| 4 | Travel and Lodging | Scholarships | People | 60 | $625 | $37,500 | USD | This is for participants to the conference. $625 is an average, the scholarship amount will be greater for participants from international destinations such as Carribean, Mexico and Central America, and lower for Canadians. |
| 5 | Travel and Lodging | People | 10 | $1,500 | $15,000 | USD | Travel and lodging for the Lead Organizing Team. | |
| 6 | Attendee materials | Lanyards, nametags, print-outs, etc. | People | 200 | $5 | $1,000 | USD | |
| 7 | Miscellaneous supplies | Office supplies and others | N/A | 1 | $1,000 | $1,000 | USD | Office materials to run the event |
| 8 | Translation | Translation services | N/A | 1 | $12,000 | $12,000 | USD | A grant will be requested from Government of Canada for translation English-French, this is mainly for Spanish. |
| 9 | Project management | Overhead Wikimedia Canada | N/A | 1 | $2,000 | $2,000 | USD | Additional costs that arise for Wikimedia Canada |
| 10 | Contingency | N/A | N/A | $3,000 | $3,000 | USD | For unforeseen costs. |
- Total cost of event
- 147,000 USD
- Total amount requested from the Conference and Event Grants program
- 88,000 USD -- requesting funds in CAD (117,392 CAD).
- Additional sources of revenue that may fund part of this event, and amounts funded
- We are seeking grants and contributions from other organizations, but nothing is confirmed yet.
- In particular, we will request funds from Heritage Canada for translation services English-French.
- We are getting in-kind donations for the venue from University of Toronto.
- We will partner with a local association for technical support, especially A/V support.
- Wikimedia Canada will provide "staff" time from its own budget for planning, coordination, and project management.
- There will be a registration fee for participants (which will be waived for scholarships recipients).
- Please confirm that you are aware that changes to the approved budget beyond 10% in any category must be approved in advance.
- Yes.
Discussion[edit]
Endorsements[edit]
Do you think this project should be selected for a Conference Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project in the list below. Other feedback, questions or concerns from community members are also highly valued, but please post them on the talk page of this proposal.
Support - Wikimedia Canada has an amazing crew working with indigenous communities and GLAM organizations and have a great plan to run a groundbreaking, multilingual WikiConference North America 2020. They are experienced in orchestrating Wikimania 2017, a much larger conference with an international scope. -- Fuzheado (talk) 11:31, 27 February 2020 (UTC)- Support per Fuzheado. --Rosiestep (talk) 11:35, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support These are the regional events the Movement needs to exchange and build upon ideas through fostering community. For the scope of this event, given there is not a regional chapter to manage or fund it, this is well worth our funding. --- FULBERT (talk) 13:23, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support -Another Believer (talk) 13:31, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I support this conference based on the success of the previous wiki conferences since 2014, and because each conference has been great and an improvement over the last, and because this conference again has better planning and will be yet another great one. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:58, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- 🍁 Support. Gamaliel (talk) 14:05, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support what is arguably the most important annual event for Wikimedia's visibility, and in its home region no less. WWB (talk) 14:22, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WCNA has been a valuable and memorable conference every year. — econterms (talk) 14:24, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I support this grant request and I'm convinced that WCNA is an important event for the Wikimedia movement, especially given the focus that the organizers are putting on this year edition to include less privileged communities in North America, the Caribbean and Central America. Furthermore, the conference will benefit from the experience of Wikimedia Canada working with indigenous communities to develop Wikimedia projects in their languages. Also, there will be a strong involvement of the Francophone community. I have no doubt about the success of this event. Amqui (talk) 14:37, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support. I strongly support WikiConference North America Toronto 2020, its second time in Canada after Wikimania Montreal 2017. From my point of view, a Canadian and a North American, WMCA is relevant to me and our GLAMu institutions, our First Nations, etc. Benoit Rochon (talk) 14:43, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Smallison (talk) 14:46, 27 February 2020 (UTC) This is a really important conference for building community and sharing information and strategies.
- Support Artchivist1 (talk) 14:59, 27 February 2020 (UTC) Strongly support. There is great Wikimedia activity happening in Toronto and area, and hosting this event will help strengthen the local community and share ideas from the local to the NA community, and vice versa.
- 🍁 Support. Slowking4 (talk) 15:05, 27 February 2020 (UTC) high impact for the resources.
- Support Very well thought-out and planned with special attention to finances. Thoroughly worthy! Kosboot (talk) 15:09, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Excited to see this conference come to life - I know the team has the skills to pull it off based on previous experience with Wikimania 2017 and other major (academic) conferences. 13ab37 (talk) 15:12, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WCNA continually brings immense impact and uses funds judiciously. Rimmel.Edits (talk) 15:29, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WikiConference North America is an important opportunity for the community of editors from North America to gather and share learnings. --LiAnna (Wiki Ed) (talk) 15:55, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I strongly support this event and the grant will help sustain the growth and momentum in North America! Ktharani (talk) 16:09, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WCNA has become a cornerstone of the North American Wikimedia community, continuing to grow and have a great impact on individuals, affiliates, partnerships, knowledge transfer, and more. I'm very excited for the conference to head to Canada, and the plans that WMCA has in this proposal. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 16:14, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support This is a crucial conference for the Wiki community. It helps to butress an array of impactful projects not only in the North American Region, but around the world because of it's reach. It also connects diverse communities. A lot happens at this conference that feeds into the whole Wikimedia community, now including the Caribbean which is very exciting. Shanluan (talk) 16:27, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Lisaleve I support this conference
- Support strongest support! This is a highly impactful event. -- phoebe | talk 18:14, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Highly support this! It's a wonderful opportunity.
- Support I am very excited to see WikiConference North America come to Toronto. It should provide an amazing rallying point for the local GLAM community.
support A yearly opportunity to collaborate in person, and to build relationships within the continental community, and to exchange best practices! --RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 19:01, 27 February 2020 (UTC)- Support WikiConference North America inspired me to get more involved with the movement. Both conferences that I've attended have been inspiring and enlightening. JSFarman (talk) 20:28, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WikiConference North America has a wonderful impact, and I'm eager to see how the conference will continue to take shape and grow with Wikimedia Canada. I've been really heartened by WCNA's commitment to inclusivity, and the Wikimedia Canada plan seems particularly strong in that area. The gathering has an important role in bringing together Wikimedians across North America. AmandaRR123 (talk) 20:40, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support The WikiConference North America fills a much needed need for North, South, Central and Caribbean Americans to meet in a safe venue to discuss, promote and advance the many Wikimedia Movement Projects. A 2020 Canadian edition looks to be promising conference that will focus on many important subjects such as diversity, linguistic diversity, knowledge equity, privilege and indigenous issues. I am looking forward to contributing to the success of this important Free Knowledge Movement Conference! BiblioQC (talk)
- SupportWould love an opportunity to participate in this conference once more. This is a well-organized conference run entirely by volunteers who have day jobs among other commitments. I heartily support this proposal. Mcbrarian (talk) 21:23, 27 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support This WikiConference should definitely happen! It will be an excellent opportunity to meet fellow Wikipedians, to learn and support one another on our projects. Morinjam (talk) 00:01, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- 🍁 Support. Wikimedia Canada are a fantastic group to take on this challenge of hosting the WikiConference into its 7th year, and they have every confidence from me as an organizer of the 1st in NYC in 2014 and someone who has been involved every year since. Their approach and focus as a chapter are well-suited for furthering cultural diversity and underrepresented communities in free knowledge on this continent.--Pharos (talk) 01:46, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I strongly support WikiConference North America Toronto 2020. Wikimedia Canada , the host org, is well placed to organize an event with high impact. The proposal draws on the host affiliate's prior experience plus the past learnings of the WikiConference North America. The plans as laid out in the proposal are focusing on major theses coming from the Wikimedia 2030 Strategy around diversity and inclusion. With a different host city and venue each version of WikiConference North America attracts different Wikimedians and partner orgs. Thrilled to see this one up North in Canada. Sydney Poore/FloNight (talk) 02:33, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support This annual event is an awesome opportunity to draw together the Wiki community and build the movement. My most wholehearted support. Montanabw (talk) 03:00, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support One of the most important Wikimedia conferences. Smallbones (talk) 03:03, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support A significant conference in the Wikimedia movement. Matthewvetter (talk) 03:20, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support For a region as large but interconnected as North/Central America, having in-person gatherings are quite difficult and WikiConference has managed to organize great ones on a consistent basis. SounderBruce 03:21, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Toronto is an ideal, easily-accessible location for this critically-important conference Krisjoseph (talk) 13:44, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Would love to see the conference come to Toronto Kcohenp (talk) 13:47, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support. I support WikiConference North America Toronto 2020 Grovertrina (talk) 14:54, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- 🍁 Support. This is a great conference - fully support! Emjackson42 (talk) 15:00, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support a well established conference. Pundit (talk) 16:03, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support A high impact conference for our community! Kellyjeanne9 (talk) 16:05, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I fully support WikiConference North America Toronto 2020 Pbkauf (talk)
- Support Well organized and run conference - looking forward to attending and encouraging others to attend. Jamie-NAL (talk) 16:08, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- ) 142.157.252.179 16:11, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support They're going to do great work! Scann (talk) 16:16, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Chialynn (talk) 16:19, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Totally one of the most important community events in North America, and an anchor to the community, for building capacity, Sadads (talk) 16:21, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I fully support funding this conference. This past conference in Cambridge was my first, and I know how involved I've become since then with Wiki-related projects. I expect many other first-timers have become equally engaged. It's a win-win situation. TrudiJ (talk) 16:30, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- WikiconNA has become an important venue for community organizing, as well as dissemination of knowledge. Theredproject (talk) 16:34, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I attended Wikimania 2017 in Montréal, 2018 in Cape Town, and 2019 in Stockholm, as well as WikiConference North America in 2018. This year, I'm planning to attend the Wikimedia Hackathon 2020, May 9-11, in Tirana, Albania, to try to improve the support that the Wikimedia system can provide for crowdsourcing collaborative research between Wikidata, Wikipedia, and Wikiversity. I may also attend WikiData Days 2020, July 2-4. If I make enough progress with that, I plan to submit a proposal to discuss these capabilities at this WikiConference North America. DavidMCEddy (talk) 16:35, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Great way to learn what is going on in the different Wikipedia communities. Voltaireloving (talk) 16:38, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I attended Wikimania/WCNA 2017 and helped to plan WCNA 2018, I found both experiences to be extremely enlightening and learned a lot. I have no doubt this conference will replicate past WCNA successes. Blervis (talk) 16:41, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support per Fuzheado. An excellent conference and an excellent investment of funds. Katietalk 16:49, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I attended last year and it was an incredibly impactful conference. Especially with Wikimania 2020 being so far afield for the NA Wikimedians, it will be valuable to have a conference closer to home. GorillaWarfare (talk) 16:54, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WikiConference North America provides a great opportunity to learn and connect for projects like [Wikipedia:WikiProject_1000_Women_in_Religion]
- Support WikiConference North America is a fantastic conference and opportunity for the community to come together and learn from each other. ZachMcDowell (talk) 17:02, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support WikiConference North America has been creating space for folks from all backgrounds to center their issues. This conference is a chance to continue forming strong relationships. Kreyolnyc (talk)
Strong support --Kiraface (talk) 17:22, 28 February 2020 (UTC)- Strong support Hosting WCNA in Toronto reduces barriers to attendance North American Wikipedians from outside Canada and the United States would face in a US-based conference. The more voices at the table, the better we can all work towards improving reliability and quality of information on WMF properties. - Seazzy (talk) 17:36, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support I attended last year in Boston and it was a powerful coming together of people with an impactful agenda. This work needs to continue and I support it happening in Toronto! maxxbeckmann (talk)
- WCNA 2019 was one of the best conferences I've ever attended thanks to the dream team of volunteer organizers, most of whom are also involved in WCNA 2020. This proposal is incredible value for the WMF's money. Clayoquot (talk) 17:55, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support WCNA remains an important venue to support interactions between higher education and the open knowledge community. Every year it grows and improves! BobCummings (talk) 17:58, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support Gatherings like this, esp. for such a far-flung organization, are very important, and sometimes eye-/or mind-opening. Martha Forsyth (talk) 18:12, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support (qualified support) Overall, excited for WikiconNA to come to Toronto. But my support is conditional on availability of translation services for Spanish speakers, in addition to the English-French services proposed to be requested of Heritage Canada. North America is home to a large contingent of Spanish- or Spanish-and-English-speaking populations. +1 to Seazzy's point about lowering barriers. This should extend to linguistic and programmatic concerns as well. Utl jung (talk) 18:14, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- 🍁 Strong support. WCNA is very important for community building on the North American continent, especially for people located outside the major urban areas. Ed [talk] [en] 18:16, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support Important event that needs to be funded in order to happen ! Benjamenta (talk) 18:19, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- I highly recommend the 2020 North America WikiConference. The 2019 WikiConference was well organized. In September, I took a 6 week Wikidata course. The 2019 WikiConference had so many sessions that were supportive tools for Wikidata and for writing Wikipedia articles. I am still inspired from the Conference, and continuing to apply what I learned and experience. I am still doing follow up work from the conference. I think the theme for 2020 'Increasing Participation' is a good idea. In fact, it is what I think about regularly how to engage others. Adjoajo (talk) 18:31, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support WCNA plays an integral role in supporting the advancement of Wikimedia projects in North America, especially smaller projects that advance knowledge equity. I'm particularly excited for the first bilingual WCNA Megs (talk) 19:11, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support WCNA is a valuable factor in sustaining a vibrant Wikimedia presence in the US. The 2018 Columbus conference was a great success and I am glad I attended. The personal connections made there extend for years, and the ideas that emerge benefit from immediate discussion and decisions as to what is worth pursuing. SammyWiki (talk) 19:31, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- 🍁 Strong support. I attended two past shindings and found them very well organized and productive, seeding and enhancing a fair bit of activities on the continent. Plus, WMCA has a great track record in reaching out to indigenous communities and facilitating interactions across language barriers more generally. -- Daniel Mietchen (talk) 19:35, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Attended my first WCNA in 2019 and it was very well put-together. Excited to see what the team will put together in Toronto. --MahmoudHashemi (talk) 19:42, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Strong support WCNA creates an invaluable opportunity to increase Wikipedia participation throughout the U.S. The 2018 Columbus conference offered a positive, challenging intellectual space that introduced me to more equitable ways to organize a conference with people representing all kinds of professional backgrounds (not just academics). JaneNova (talk) 20:08, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Xplorecre84give (talk) 20:53, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I definitely endorse this project, great initiative! Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 21:33, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I fully support this application!
failed projects21:36, 28 February 2020 (UTC) - Support The whole Wikimedia community benefits greatly from this annual event. I attended in 2017 and 2018 and it strengthened my connection with the community as well as developed my skills as an educator, trainer and facilitator. Toronto is the perfect location for drawing a large audience and engaging local educational and cultural organizations. The theme is just right for this juncture in Wikimedia work. There is a strong foundation for bringing in more editors from different backgrounds, but there is a clear need to identify and apply solutions that consistently work. -- Jenniferjuniper (talk) 22:03, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I learn a lot at these conferences & do a lot of valuable networking. I am excited that we will be going to Canada for a second time! Peaceray (talk) 22:35, 28 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support The Wiki Conference was a great way for me to learn about what other teachers are doing with Wikipedia in their classes. I was able to watch talks and interact with other teachers. My teaching has benefitted greatly from attending the conference. Thank you!
- " Support This conference has been a valuable resource to the Wikimedia editing communities in North America. Aside from all of the valuable conference presentations and panel discussions, the event has been a great opportunity for editors spread across the continent to come together for networking and socialization. Imzadi 1979 → 04:08, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support // 🌌 –SJ talk 05:10, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support An absolutely marvelous event. Special shout-out to the organizing committee; they do a wonderful job each time. Enterprisey (talk) 06:31, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I attended WCNA in 2018 and 2019, and am looking forward to making it three in a row. Wbm1058 (talk) 11:41, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support I cannot imagine a world without opportunities for community members to meet each other in person. I strongly support Wikimedia Canada's funding request. --Frank Schulenburg (talk) 16:17, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
- Support Looks wonderful--I support this!
- Support Amazing conference, amazing people, amazing scholarship and participation policies. Important venue for the larger NA community to have a chance to get together, exchange ideas, share our work. Rolery02 (talk) 03:35, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support Both Wikimedia Canada and the WCNA regulars have a track record of putting together fun and impactful conferences (the collaboration of WCNA 2019 with Credibility Coalition was particularly impressive). --Tgr (talk) 07:23, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support This group of organizers is so capable. This conference is also one of the best examples of the Wikimedia community coming together to share success, work through challenges, and continue to enrich the community itself. Wskent (talk) 18:06, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support Strongly support Uncommon fritillary (talk) 18:21, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support This has been a great and well-run series of conferences throughout its history, and I heartily support its continuation. Antony-22 (talk) 07:04, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support This group puts together an amazing conference. I strongly support! TrMendenhall (talk) 14:56, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support Strongly support! This conference is a highlight of the year and has fostered many productive connections and partnerships. Clifford Anderson (talk) 17:30, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support - WikiConferences are a needed location for educators and students from around the world to come together and learn from each other. Mozucat (talk) 21:01, 5 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support - Yes, I support selecting this project for a conference grant! I have not attended a previous WikiConference Conference North America, but I have organized multiple local Edit-A-Thons here in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada - including one at the University of Toronto's iSchool space that this conference will be taking place at. I can confirm that there is local interest in such a conference, and that the venue is a good one. I'm excited to see this happen, and hope that this will go forward! Soulsinsync (talk) 23:01, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support Very excited for this wonderful event. I currently teach a 4th year Applied Plant Ecology course at York University which includes a wikipedia editing assignment for the 47 students. In the summer and fall semesters, we can find research practicum students interested in learning about conference organization who would be interested in volunteering Festucarubra(talk) 20:16, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support. I support WikiConference North America Toronto 2020 Crishti (talk) 13:37, 9 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support Black Lunch Table affiliate group was pleased to attend and present at last year's WikiCon, voicing support and looking forward to 2020. --Raggachampiongirl (talk) 14:56, 9 March 2020 (UTC)
- Support 'ed by Vid2vid - I heartily support this and wish I were going! $147k sounds like a decent budget/ask. You have my endorsement, from here in San Diego, CA, USA, Earth. --From Peter, a.k.a. Vid2vid (his WP talk page), updated 🖋 on 06:22, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
- Correction: Budget/ask is for $88k of the $147k, my mistake. --From Peter, a.k.a. Vid2vid (his WP talk page), updated 🖋 on 06:30, 11 March 2020 (UTC).
- I strongly support this project. Toronto is very close to me and I will definitely attend the conference and apply what I learn from it to my own efforts at building a Wikimedia community within an academic library. Erniee jo (talk) 15:05, 22 April 2020 (UTC)
