Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/The 20th anniversary festival of Hebrew Wikipedia/Final Report

Conference Fund Final Report

Report Status: Accepted

Due date: 30 October 2024

Funding program: Conference Fund

Report type: Final

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their midpoint report. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

General information

Title of proposal: The 20th anniversary festival of Hebrew Wikipedia
Username of applicant: Michal-WMIL
Name of organization: N/A
Amount awarded: 34377.59
Amount spent: 32579 USD, 123794 ILS

Part 1: Understanding your work

1. Did your event have any impact that you did not expect, positive or negative?

A positive and unexpected outcome was the enthusiastic engagement from the Hebrew Wikipedia editing community. Alumni from our editing courses played an active role in discussions, sharing their personal experiences and insights. This added tremendous value to the event by bringing real-world examples of Wikipedia’s impact and fostering a richer, more dynamic learning environment. Their contributions not only inspired other attendees but also strengthened the sense of community within the Hebrew Wikipedia ecosystem. Additionally, we were pleasantly surprised by how much participants appreciated the use of video projections in the lobby, allowing for more comfortable participation in a less formal setting. While we hadn't expected this to be such a well-received feature, it ended up expanding accessibility for those unable to attend the main auditorium. A challenge we didn’t foresee was the limited capacity for younger attendees, which led us to reflect on how we can better diversify our audience in future events.

2. What do you think will be the long term impact of this conference?

In the long term, this conference will significantly bolster Wikimedia Israel's position as a leading voice in the fight against disinformation and "fake" content. It reinforced the organization's commitment to building a trustworthy and free digital information space, which will likely foster further collaborations with academic institutions, media organizations, and educational bodies. The conference also helped elevate Wikipedia's role in safeguarding factual information. Moreover, the conversations around artificial intelligence and "fake" have underscored the need for developing new critical thinking tools. The conference has set the stage for Wikimedia Israel's future educational initiatives that equip the public—students, teachers, and content creators—with skills to identify misinformation, bias, and disinformation, particularly in an AI-driven world.

3. Would you say that your work improved participants’ ability to apply new skills and knowledge?

Yes

3a. If yes, please describe how and why you think this was successful. Please describe why you think this is the case.

Absolutely. One of the main goals of the conference was to enhance participants' ability to navigate the evolving challenges of misinformation and fake news, especially in the context of AI-generated content. The combination of panels, discussions, and short talks enabled attendees to not only grasp theoretical concepts but also gain practical insights. The structured discussions on how Wikipedia monitors and mitigates bias, errors, and misinformation were particularly impactful, offering concrete examples that participants could apply to their own professional and personal contexts.

4. Please use this space to upload media and other files that help tell your story and impact. You can also provide links to them.

Field to type in URLs.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NicJjw06BYdYlcYX9PzduBcKc9IMGMn5f5DNVmJh2sk/edit?usp=sharing

5. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community	Neither agree nor disagree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives	Not applicable
E. Encourage the retention of editors	Agree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Agree

6. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

Wikimedia survey about Wikipedia Reach on Israel's Society presented during the Conference: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12mDRHKe0XKQoSsG4f0OAIGAuimA_1Qic/view?usp=drive_link

7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?

We were pleased to see a large turnout of senior citizens at the conference, a group that has consistently shown deep commitment to the Hebrew Wikipedia. Additionally, we achieved a balanced representation of men and women, not only among the attendees but also among the lecturers, which contributed to a more inclusive atmosphere and diverse range of perspectives.

Part 2: Your main learning

8. Were there any major challenges or things you found difficult that you would like to share? What would you do differently next time?

One of the key challenges we encountered was managing the workflow with the representatives of Reichmann University. Although their support was valuable, at times, the communication and coordination between both teams lacked clarity, which added some pressure during the preparation period. In the future, we would prioritize establishing clearer processes and points of contact early on to ensure smoother collaboration and reduce potential stress. Additionally, the tight schedule of the event itself left participants wishing for more time for networking and in-depth discussions, so we would streamline the agenda to allow more flexibility and ensure a smoother flow of activities. Pre-event technical checks would also be emphasized to avoid the logistical difficulties we encountered with video presentations.

9. Was there any non-financial support that the Wikimedia Foundation could have provided that would have better supported you in achieving your goals?

One suggestion for non-financial support would be for the Wikimedia Foundation to have sent a congratulatory video for the event. This would have further highlighted and strengthened the relationship between Wikimedia Israel and the Foundation, giving the event additional recognition and visibility. Additionally, sharing know-how on organizing large-scale events—especially in areas like marketing, outreach strategies, and engaging wider audiences—would have been extremely helpful. Practical insights from similar successful events could provide us with a clearer roadmap for future conferences.

10. What would you recommend on a local and/or regional level as the best next step to leverage your success and momentum?

To build partnerships with regional educational institutions, cultural organizations, and community centers. Leveraging the excitement from the event, host follow-up workshops. Additionally, scaling our outreach efforts across local media channels can help raise greater awareness of Wikimedia Israel’s activities and draw in new contributors.

11. Please add any 3 operational recommendations for future events organizers.

1. Clear Communication with Partners: Establish clear workflows and communication channels with operational partners early in the planning process. Regular check-ins and updates can help ensure everyone is aligned and reduce potential stress. 2. Event Promotion: Invest time in creating a comprehensive marketing plan that includes diverse promotional strategies. This could involve leveraging social media, local partnerships, and outreach to various community groups to maximize visibility and participation in the event. 3. Allocate sufficient time for networking: Participants valued the opportunity to engage with each other, so scheduling longer breaks and providing designated areas for networking can enhance connections.

Part 3: Metrics

12. Open Metrics reporting

In your application, you defined some open metrics and targets (goals). You will see a table like the one below with your metric in the title and the target you set in your proposal automatically filled in.

Open Metrics Summary
Open Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Attendance	This metric measures how many people attended all the events and their impact. A measure of attendees who are new to the conference and those who are non-Wikimedians is also important to keep track of.	300	350	Attendance exceeded expectations, largely due to enthusiastic participation from the Hebrew Wikipedia editing community.	Registration data was collected via event sign-up forms and attendance tracking during the event.
Feedback	The feedback metric provides insight into participants' experiences and satisfaction with the conference by measuring the responses gathered through surveys or interviews.	N/A	N/A	Positive feedback highlighted the engaging content and format, although some participants noted the need for longer breaks.	Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders and participants shortly after the conference to gather qualitative feedback on their experiences.
Newcomers	The newcomers metric tracks the success of attracting new participants to the Wikimedia movement by measuring the number of first-time attendees or newcomers at the events.	40	45	The event successfully engaged new participants, fostering interest in ongoing contributions to the movement.	Newcomer status was recorded during registration and analyzed post-event
Underrepresented groups	The underrepresented groups metric provides insight into the success of efforts to increase diversity and representation in the Wikimedia movement by measuring the attendance rate of participants from underrepresented groups in Israel.	N/A	N/A	Efforts to balance gender representation among speakers and attendees were successful. The strong turnout of senior citizens added valuable perspectives to the conference.	Demographic data was collected through registration forms and analyzed post-event.
Partnerships	The partnerships metric measures the conference's success in developing new relationships and networks with other organizations by tracking the number of new partnerships formed following the conference, Between Wikimedia Israel and other organizations of the wiki-friendly ecosystem in Israel.	5	6	Partnerships with organizations were formed, enhancing collaboration opportunities for future events.	Follow-up communications and partnership developments post-conference.

13. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?

Yes

13a. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future. Also mention why you felt you had to change some metrics.

We intended to conduct a quantitative survey to gather feedback from participants. However, we faced some challenges with the representatives from the University, who were not familiar with this type of data collection. As a result, we adapted our approach and opted for interviews with key stakeholders instead. This shift allowed us to still gather valuable qualitative insights about participants' experiences, even though we couldn't implement the original quantitative survey.

14. Here are the templates of registration and survey tools that the Wikimedia Foundation has developed so that you can use in your conference fund work.

5. I used other survey or registration tools

14a. Please share the result(s) with us, provide the link(s) or summarize the main result(s) and insight(s) from them.

N/A

14b. If you used other forms, please share them with us, as these forms might be useful for others to use.

We did not apply any of the listed survey and registration tools because we relied on the processes and tools provided by the university representatives for registration and feedback collection.

Part 4: Financial reporting and compliance

15. & 16. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.

123794 ILS

17. Please state the total amount spent in USD.

32579 USD

18. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.

Upload a financial report file.

Please provide a link to your financial reporting document.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ke2OZ-rv4sBK_6Di_be-dRjGjB-YaOFupLBZ00y9s8c/edit?usp=sharing

As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.

19. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.

In June 2024, the budget was updated. Compared to the updated budget, the final budget presented in this report is essentially the same.

20. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

No

20a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

N/A

20b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

N/A

20c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

N/A

21. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

Yes

22. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

23. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.

Yes

24. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.