Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Central Asian WikiCon 2026
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Applicant details
[edit]- A. Are you applying as a(n)
Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)
- B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.
Wikimedia Community of Kazakh language User Group
- F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?
Yes
- F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.
Batyrbek.kz
- F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.
Kaiyr, Amangeldi Mukhamejan, Красный
- G. Are you legally registered?
No
If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.
- I. Fiscal organization name.
OzgeEpic Public Foundation
Objectives and Strategy
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal.
Central Asian WikiCon 2026
- 2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.
2026-04-16
- 2.2. When is the last day of your event?
2026-04-18
- 3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?
2026-01-01T00:00:00Z
- 3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?
2026-06-30T00:00:00Z
- 4. In which country will the conference take place?
Kazakhstan
- 4.1. In which city will the conference take place?
Almaty
- 5. Is it a remote or in-person event?
In-person event
- 5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)
80
- 6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.
Regional
- 6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.
We will mainly target for the Central Asian region including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, also we want to include Iran and Mongolia into our efforts.
- 7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
- 8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.
Yes
- 8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.
Yes, we are working with the CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) platform and have been participating in CEE meetings since 2014 to learn from their experience and use their resources to support our initiatives. We are also a part of the Turkic Wikimedians Community and participated in the Turkic Conference in 2022.
The CEEM limits the number of delegates from the Central Asian region, openly stating that the rationale lies in the hub’s current agreement to engage with the region in the absence of any alternative representative structure. At the same time, Central Asia is not considered a priority area for the allocation of resources and efforts. Wikimedia contributors in the region face significant challenges in this regard, compounded by transportation and visa barriers to participation. Nevertheless, some degree of audience overlap remains important due to the financial interconnections already in place.
Beyond the Turkic languages (Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Karakalpak, Uzbek, Uyghur), Central Asia as a region—and its Wikimedia communities—also rely strongly on Tajik, Russian, Persian, and Ukrainian. In addition, there are noticeable numbers of contributors using Korean, Belarusian, Polish, and German, which are not Turkic languages and therefore fall outside the scope of the Turkic User Group’s agenda. Certain activists from Turkic backgrounds themselves view pan-Turkism with skepticism and prefer not to participate in related initiatives (for example, Tatars and some Kazakhs). Nevertheless, we tried to solve this issue by approaching Turkic UG with the idea of the mutual Central Asian/Turkic conference, but after consulting their respective community, they have declined our offer. The Karakalpak community, in particular, is so small that it is currently unable to sustain independent projects apart from the Uzbek — and, under present circumstances, broader Central Asian — framework.
- 9. Please describe the target participants for this event.
The target participants for this event are Wikimedians from Central Asian countries, ranging from experienced contributors to emerging community members. We also welcome participants from different Wikimedia projects, as well as external partners who are committed to supporting the growth of Wikimedia initiatives in the region. While no minimum level of Wikimedia experience is required, a basic understanding of Wikimedia platforms is encouraged to allow participants to fully benefit from the program.
In defining the participant profile, we place emphasis not only on functionaries with advanced user rights, but also on community organizers who, even with standard permissions, play a crucial role in mobilizing volunteers, coordinating projects, and fostering engagement through activities such as edit-a-thons and content contests. Their development is essential for the sustainability of regional communities.
The need for capacity building in Central Asia is underscored by practical examples observed during and after the 2025 conference:
Kazakhstan: During the CEE Spring campaign, participants faced challenges in meeting international requirements for article tracking through templates.
Tajikistan: The Wiki Loves Earth contest was launched but initially stalled, with no winners selected by mid-September, preventing progression to the international stage.
Uzbekistan: The U4C noted limited effectiveness in the community’s overall organizational capacity.
These cases do not reflect a lack of enthusiasm but rather highlight structural challenges and the need for targeted skill development. Post-conference peer connections helped address some issues—for instance, Tajik colleagues were able to restart their contest after receiving guidance. However, such support remains ad hoc, and the most effective instrument for systematic organizational strengthening is the conference itself.
By engaging these participants, the event will directly contribute to capacity building through:
Developing skills in project management and contest organization.
Training in international standards and compliance for global campaigns.
Empowering emerging leaders to take on coordination and mentorship roles.
Building cross-border collaboration networks for sustained peer-to-peer learning.
Through this focus, the conference will enhance the capacity of Central Asian Wikimedia communities to organize effectively, represent themselves globally, and ensure the continuity of their initiatives.
Also trends impacting Central Asian communities, including small amounts of editors and disinformation, we are not focused on these topics, because we believe that improving capacity abilities can solve them. However we will try to incorporate these points into our programming.
- 10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_WikiCon_2026
The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.
- 11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?
150
- 11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?
The survey was conducted from 17th August until 27th August 2025, for a duration of 11 days.
- 12. How many people responded to the survey?
71
- 13. What are the main objectives of the event?
We highlighted the importance of maintaining the current momentum. However, the irregularity of the Turkic Wikimedia Conference (held only twice in thirteen years) does not meet the needs of the region. From the perspective of the conference team, it is difficult to identify any tangible positive impact of the Turkic Wikimedians Conference on Central Asia.
Among the clear and recognized achievements of the 2025 conference are the following. The Tajik community joined the Wiki Loves Earth contest: while it had previously been noted that the community managed to overcome the entry barrier, they did not succeed with the organizational stages, and this point will receive additional attention. Images provided by the Zhambyl Museum in Kazakhstan were uploaded as a result of the presentation on VRT; while this in itself does not require further exploration at the next conference, similar projects may emerge. Women from Central Asia participated in WikiWomen initiatives led by the Ukrainian community.
The CA Youth network also took shape at the level of communication; its members are already part of the conference team, which in itself is an extension of the achievements of the previous conference, although we are not aware of other projects from this group so far. The Russian–Iranian edit-a-thon also deserves mention: although cooperation had begun earlier, the conference helped define its concrete format. Both Russian and Iranian communities actively seek such projects, and successful cases are usually discussed in person, while they are often lost in written correspondence.
There was also contact established between Central Asia and the wider Asian community, which at present remains at a surface level, mainly through regular chat interactions and invitations to projects, but a qualitative shift is expected. Monthly calls within the community have provided opportunities to exchange news and ideas, though members still do not sufficiently use the chance to share updates, for example through Diff or the CEE Newsletter; this type of activity needs further development.
As a result of WikiCon 2025, many young Wikipedians learned about new opportunities. For instance, after Başak’s session on the CEE region, more than five young participants from the Uzbek, Karakalpak, and Kyrgyz communities submitted small grant applications. Three of these applications received support from the CEE microgrant program, and one was successfully implemented thanks to cooperation between young contributors from the Karakalpak and Kyrgyz communities. This result is a strong indicator for WikiCon 2026, where one of the main goals will be to help young representatives of Central Asian communities develop collaboration and networking skills and secure larger grants for the growth of their communities.
We also have noticed that at the previous conference, tasks that could be managed remotely were handled effectively, while local challenges proved more difficult to resolve. It is worth noting that the remote solutions were carried out by members of the current team, who are now serving as local organizers.
We plan to repeat the special “open” room for informal meetings, improve the organization of excursions, and zone the after-party following the model used at Wikimania in Washington, combining areas for active socializing with quieter spaces.
- 14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?
Some of the post-conference feedback has been contradictory—for example, remarks about there being too few Russian-language presentations versus too many, and complaints that the conference took place in more than one room, making it impossible to attend all sessions of interest. Addressing such feedback will involve managing expectations and, in part, delegating responsibility to the communities to ensure that presentations from all Central Asian communities are represented (even if not in poster format).
We are planning to hold trainings about more complex issues in the WM projects, such as Wikidata, Safety management and Conflict resolution; also to continue supporting Wiki Loves Earth and Wiki Loves Monuments and other campaigns, adding some new initiatives such as WikiScience into the schedule. As an addition we want to make a workshop on offline event organization, as we think it will lead to more offline activity engagements.
Skill-Building Sessions: We will provide workshops and training to improve skills like media literacy, content creation, and working together online. Facilitate Networking and Mentorship: Create facilitated spaces for people to meet, share experiences, and support each other through networking and mentorship, with a specific focus on the sustainability aspect. Organize Strategic Discussions: Have open discussions to tackle community issues and find solutions together with the invited experts from the community and the WMF. We will aim to organize these sessions by using various creative approaches.
These activities will help build connections, improve skills, and strengthen the community (by having a good time in a friendly atmosphere).
[Here were diagrams that we cannot attach to this from, but they are in the email]
As we can see from other responses, our plan is made based on the responses from the community.
Immediately following the conference, community representatives with whom preliminary agreements on these actions had been reached posed a question to their respective communities: “When and where should the next conference take place?” In all responses across various community channels, there was a consistent call for holding the next conference as early as the following year.
The specific presentations will depend on the communities themselves. However, based on the feedback received, the conference team plans to include a larger number of workshops—for example, on tools, given the high volume of positive responses and questions, as well as on image categorization. Training in project management also appears necessary, either in the form of general introductions to the discipline or in more targeted formats, such as organizing Wiki Loves Earth or Wiki Loves Monuments.
As representatives of the organizing team, we would frame this as the need to sustain the positive momentum that has emerged in a region with distinct geographical and cultural characteristics, which until recently had very limited engagement in the international movement. In other words, while the next conference should not be convened too soon, holding it one year after the previous event aligns precisely with the strategic focus outlined in this preliminary decision.
- 15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.
Geography, Language, Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).
- 16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.
Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM
- 17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?
Geographic , Linguistic / Language, Age
- 18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?
Yes, we will engage librarians and academics from Almaty. Specifically, the former will take part in workshops on effective sourcing to address skill gaps in our community, while the latter will expand upon and share their expertise in regional knowledge production and dissemination. Almaty, as a former capital, is still a cultural and educational center of the country - many prominent universities and libraries (including the National Library of Kazakhstan) are located in the city.
- 19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?
To ensure participants continue to engage after the event, we will send follow-up emails with a link to a Community Engagement Survey to gather feedback and keep participants connected. We also want our participants to have a great time during the conference and positive memories in the future about it, so it will motivate them to contribute more and keep the sense of belonging to the Wikimedia movement.
- 20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.
Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Logistical Aspects
[edit]- 21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?
As a main option, we have two hotels:
- Kazakhstan Hotel, located 30 minutes drive from Almaty International Airport, website: https://kazakhstanhotel.kz
- Grand Hotel Tien Shan, also 30 minutes drive from the Airport, website: https://ts-hotels.kz.
As a backup option, we have Al Farabi Kazakh National University, which is located near the Botanical Garden (one of the famous city attractions)
- 22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
Yes
- 23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
We want to offer 52 scholarships: 7 to each country-wise community of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and Persian community; 5 additional to Kazakhstan community members for bus or train travels, 6 for folks from the former USSR out of CA region, 3 for CEE participants and 3 for participants out of CEE and CA.
- 24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
The scholarship will cover accommodation at the hotel, travel expenses to and from Almaty, and food and refreshments during the conference. This ensures that recipients have their lodging, transportation, and meals fully funded, allowing them to attend and participate without financial barriers.
- 25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
The Scholarship Committee will prioritize community members from the Central Asia region, as one of the aims of the event is to support active participation of the folks from the region. However, we also allocate seats for Wikimedians from outside the region who will be able to join us as lecturers, presenters, and connectors – with the main aim of sharing knowledge with the participants. We also would like to mention that we will prioritize those scholarship applicants who can offer some valuable experience and insights for local community.
- 26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?
Due to the current events in the Uzbek community we would like to have a session from the Legal team on conflicts of interest, paid contributions and other legal aspects of participating in Wikimedia Movement. Also some technical session of both basic and advanced level will be handy.
- 26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.
Due to the current events in the Uzbek community we would like to have a session from the Legal team on conflicts of interest, paid contributions and other legal aspects of participating in the Wikimedia Movement. Also some technical sessions of both basic and advanced level will be handy.
During CEEM 2025 we also achieved a preliminary agreement with T&S team regarding the conducting safety related trainings and joining of members T&S team to our local T&S team at the venue.
- 27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.
Core Organizing Team are: Batyrbek Alimzhanov, Lead of COT Nikolai Bulykin, Logistics Amangeldy Mukhamejan, Scholarship lead Mamatkazy Rasul Uulu, Communication lead Anastasiya Lvova, Program Lead Kaiyr Rysbayev, Treasurer
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_WikiCon_2026/Team
- 28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?
No
- 28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.
- 29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?
Examples of risks, along with how we would minimize or overcome them, are:
- Political or social instability in the region
- Travel disruptions or issues with the venue
- Participant drop-off after the event
Examples of how to minimize these risks include:
- Monitoring the political situation closely and offering remote participation if necessary
- Selecting a venue with a backup option nearby and allowing ample time for travel arrangements
- Maintaining ongoing communication and follow-up activities to keep participants engaged.
During the past week, we held a meeting with Chmielko Maslak, a member of the T&S team. Unfortunately, the given deadline does not allow us to provide a full document - partly because Chmielko was unable to obtain management approval within the timeframe, and additionally because the Legal team is currently developing documents under the new standard.
Nevertheless, we would like to state that we are aware of the necessary actions and intend to organize them as follows:
- Establishment of a dedicated T&S volunteer team. In addition to local participants, we plan to invite representatives of the global team.
- Provision of a dedicated room for T&S purposes, a separate chat for team coordination, and incident documentation. We will also consider arranging shifts in this room. Team members will attend the party while remaining in a sober state.
- Availability of on-site medical staff during the conference.
- Special identification for T&S members, as well as for participants who do not wish to be photographed.
- Security presence and established channels for prompt coordination with them.
- A dedicated conference page will address the safe space policy and remind participants of the obligation to comply with the Universal Code of Conduct. Corresponding reminders will also be delivered at the opening of the conference and, where possible, at the start of each day.
- 30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_WikiCon_2026/Safety
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation
[edit]- 31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?
We want to find out if our strategies worked to bring Central Asian Wikimedia communities closer together. Key questions include:
- Did the conference help build a sense of common belonging among participants from different regions?
- Did the sessions effectively improve skills and knowledge that participants can use in their local Wikimedia projects?
- Did we manage to increase awareness and involvement in Wikimedia projects across Central Asia?
By gathering feedback and looking at engagement levels, we hope to understand the impact of the conference on community growth and regional Wikimedia projects.
In addition to this, one possible measure of success is the readiness of Central Asian communities to organize Wiki Loves Earth in 2026, since, at the request of the international organizers, the local communities will gradually lose the external organizational support they have relied on until now.
Other success criteria include the community’s willingness to continue the tradition of hosting the conference, the growth of organizing teams, and the expansion of projects—both local–international initiatives (CEE Spring, WLE, WLM, Asian Month) and collaborations between individual communities.
- 32. Main open metrics
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | N/A | 80 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Financial Proposal
[edit]- 33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.
85998.49
- 34. Select your local currency.
USD
- 35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SncT0WiJaIvDwfqEJMgAMy0GIp66xKJ9FqRvoJdiOjY/edit?gid=0#gid=0
- 36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?
Yes
- 36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
- Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.
- Other public document(s):
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).