Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedians of the Levant UG Grant Proposal 2024/Final Report
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Part 1: Understanding your work
[edit]Per the recent update on the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process, Wikimedia Affiliates that are General Support Fund grantees will fulfill their affiliate reporting requirements through their final or yearly grantee report.
If you are a Wikimedia Affiliate, you will use this form for your affiliate reporting and to address the affiliate health criteria. You do not need to submit a separate report to AffCom. Follow the guidance in the green boxes to report on how you met the corresponding affiliate health criteria.
If you are not a Wikimedia Affiliate, aligning your responses with the affiliate criteria is optional and not required.
1. Please share to what extent your programs, approaches, and strategies contributed to addressing the challenges you shared in your proposal. If they did not contribute as you believed they would, please share what obstacles you faced and what, if anything, you learned from them? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 1.) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 1.1 (Goal delivery). Describe how you actively delivered on mission goals, e.g. content creation.
Program 1: Education program, Reading Wikipedia in Classroom:
Approach:
- During 2024, Wikimedians of the Levant could not contribute with new universities, whereas it covers misrepresented user groups to work with to highlight their works.
- Wikimedians of the Levant had contributed with schools in Jordan to establish two versions of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom.
- Grants: This work was covered by the Wikimedians of the Levant grant for strategic work:
- During conferences, online and offline meetings, board members with the project coordinator searched to establish new educational programs in the region.
- Having a different online meeting from learning photography as online event to teaching editing on Wikipedia;
- those where project implemented as educational programs for users in different knowledge levels organised by Wikimedians of the levant Having a book from reading Wikipedia in the classroom was a good document to be used in other projects.
- Obstacles: The Safety of the region affect our work and participation in the Levant Having a good number of volunteers physically in the region and the availability to run events with Wikimedia Levant.
Resources to review:
- Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom, Version 1: [1]
- Reading Wikipedian in the Classroom-V2:[2]
- Pens for Sudan: [3]
Program 2: Contests, Editathons, Training and Workshops
During this year, our group has raised the engagement in Wikimedia foundation campaigns and participate in the conferences by having a good representative for our community
In participating in this event, our user group aimed to raise awareness about the importance of free knowledge.
Our user group focused more on Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata in 2024 as it highlights their importance in the near future, especially as AI is improving more and more.
Our user group had a special care in woman events as we had three events to reduce the gender gap in Wikimedia projects (the projects are:
These projects resulted in having more than >>> articles
We worked to reduce the gap between our community and WMF campaigns
Challenges to address:
Regarding this program, there were not a lot of challenges as the users are interested in editing, and we increased the number of participants in the events. Maybe we would like to mention the importance of media coverage for the events to increase its availability.
Resources to review:
- Wikipedia pages needs photos WPWP: [4]
- WikiLovesFolklore: [5]
- WikiLovesMonuments (Cooperation With WikiPalestine): [6]
- WikiForHumanRights: [7]
- WikiLovesEarth: [8]
- Al-Arz 4 Contest: [9]
Program 3: Partnerships - GLAMs
By reviewing our strategy, we found a real obstacle in this program as we improved our relationship with underrepresented user groups (Basque, WikiSfera, Sudan) and WikiPalesitine, but we did not achieve new cooperation this year with the universities, libraries, or new museums.
Obstacles:
- Full understanding of the members of the importance of this program.
- Having a physical representation in the levant countries
- Security issues in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine which we could not have partnerships with them
Resources to review:
Palestinian Women's Campaign 2024: [10]
Basque Translation Workshop to learn how to edit Arabic subtitles for videos on Commons: [11]
Pens for Sudan. [12]
2. Is there a plan to build on the key successes you had? If yes, please describe the plan and if no, please share the limitations to do so. For instance, did the activities lead to any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future? (required)
Yes, there is a comprehensive plan to build on the key successes we have achieved. Our past programs and cooperations have laid a strong foundation, and we are eager to leverage these accomplishments to drive further growth and impact.
Plan for Building on Successes
[edit]- Expansion of Programs and User Base:
- New Version and Users: We aim to launch an updated version of our programs to attract new users. This will involve enhancing our existing offerings and introducing innovative features to better meet the needs of our growing community.
- New Organizers: To support this expansion, we will recruit and train new organizers. These organizers will be instrumental in running contests, workshops, and other engaging activities, ensuring that our programs remain dynamic and relevant.
- Reaching Syrians in Syria: One of our top priorities for 2025 is to extend our reach to Syrians within Syria. This initiative will involve establishing new cooperations and partnerships to facilitate access and engagement for users in this region.
- Projects in Palestine Territory and Jordan: Additionally, we plan to initiate projects in the Palestine Territory and Jordan. These projects will focus on building local communities, fostering collaboration, and creating opportunities for users in these areas.
Limitations and Challenges
[edit]While we have ambitious plans, there are several limitations and challenges we need to address:
- Resource Allocation: Expanding our programs and user base will require significant resources, including funding, personnel, and technological infrastructure. Ensuring that these resources are allocated efficiently will be crucial to our success.
- Regulatory and Logistical Challenges: Operating in new regions, particularly those with complex political and regulatory environments, may present logistical challenges. We will need to navigate these carefully to ensure the smooth implementation of our programs.
- Sustainability: Ensuring the long-term sustainability of our initiatives will require continuous evaluation and adaptation. We must remain flexible and responsive to the evolving needs and feedback of our users and partners.
New Priorities and Goals
[edit]Our activities have indeed led to new priorities and goals for the future:
- Community Engagement: Strengthening community engagement will be a key focus. We aim to create a vibrant and inclusive community where users can connect, collaborate, and learn from each other.
- Impact Measurement: We will prioritize measuring the impact of our programs to ensure that they are delivering tangible benefits to our users and partners. This data will inform our future strategies and help us make informed decisions.
In conclusion, our plan to build on our successes is multifaceted and ambitious. While there are challenges to overcome, we are confident that our strategic approach will enable us to achieve our goals and create lasting impact.
3. Please provide a link to reports that detail the activities that took place in the last year. This can include an annual report, Meta pages, and websites. If there are no links available, briefly describe the implemented activities and programs below or upload any files. (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 3.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.1 (Affiliate health & resilience), 4.1 (Internal engagement), 4.2 (Community connection), and 4.3 (Partnerships and collaboration):
- Describe your activities engaging new users, new members for your decision-making body(ies), and developing leaders and organizers (2.1).
- Describe your activities creating or hosting spaces to encourage greater collaboration and engagement among your members (4.1).
- Describe how you engage with the contributing community that you serve and/or support (4.2).
- Describe your partnerships with other affiliates or with non-Wikimedia entities (4.3).
You can reach our report on Commons from: [[13] Here]
And on META from: [ HERE]
4. Are you interested in sharing what you achieved or learned this year with the wider community through different peer learning programs (e.g. Let's Connect program, Diff)? (optional)
Yes, We love to share it in a session for the communities, either in Let’s connect call or on Diff, as we have a good achievement with a low budget, and the users are sustainable with us for multiple years until now.
We believe that sharing our experiences can provide valuable insights and inspire others in the community.
5. Did you collect feedback from your community or target groups on how the activities implemented impacted them? If yes, please attach/provide information on the results (e.g. community surveys, stories, impact booklets/reports, interviews with partner institutions, etc). Did you collect other impact-specific data? (required)
For affiliates, the response to Question 5. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criteria 4.1 (Internal Engagement), 4.2 (Community Connection), or 4.3 (Partnerships & collaboration), where applicable.
Yes, we consistently collect feedback from our community and target groups to assess the impact of our activities. During our monthly meetings, we thoroughly discuss each event, highlighting its positive aspects and identifying areas for improvement. We compile these discussions into detailed reports for each activity. Additionally, we conduct surveys among participants to gather their feedback, which provides us with valuable insights into the effectiveness and reception of our events. These surveys, along with our internal reports, help us continuously enhance our initiatives and ensure they align with the needs and expectations of our community.
you can reach the monthly meeting minutes from: [14]
6. During the fund period, did your efforts do any of the following? (required):
For affiliates, the response to Question 6. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criterion 2.2 (Diversity balance).
- 6.1 Bring in participants from the following groups: women, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA)
- 6.2 Develop content about the following underrepresented topics or groups of people: women, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA)
- 6.3 Support the retention of: Editors, Organizers
7. What, if any, effective tactics or approaches can you share that worked well when dealing with the programs under points 6.1-6.3 that you selected? (optional)
One effective tactic that worked well for us was engaging with the Basque community, an underrepresented group, by translating their videos into Arabic. This initiative not only broadened the reach of their content but also fostered a stronger connection between the Basque and Arabic-speaking communities.
Additionally, we developed a program to train community members to serve as organizers. This approach empowered individuals within the community and ensured that our programs were tailored to their specific needs and interests. We also focused on supporting the broader Arabic community, with a particular emphasis on specializing in the Levant domain.
This year marked our first effort to cover the technical aspects of a contest, and we are proud to report that it was a resounding success. These strategies have collectively contributed to our achievements and have helped us build sustainable and engaged communities.
8. If you developed partnerships, which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors (optional):
Board members’ outreach, Staff hired through the fund
Part 2: Metrics
[edit]| Metrics name | Target | Result | Comments and tools used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 55 | 65 | Google forms, Wikipedia projects pariticipation page.
PS: According to one of our forms; there were more than 200 participants signed to be part of it but it was not counted in these metrics. |
| Number of all editors | N/A | ||
| Number of new editors | N/A | ||
| Number of retained editors | N/A | ||
| Number of all organizers | N/A | ||
| Number of new organizers | N/A |
| Wikimedia project | Target - Number of created pages | Target - Number of improved pages | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1000 | 3000 | 1200 | 3500 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 500 | 1000 | 3830 | |
| Wikidata | 10000 | |||
| Wiktionary | ||||
| Wikisource | ||||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||||
| Translatewiki | ||||
| MediaWiki | ||||
| Wikiquote | ||||
| Wikivoyage | ||||
| Wikibooks | ||||
| Wikiversity | ||||
| Wikinews | ||||
| Wikispecies | ||||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
11. Did you set other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required): No
11.1. Other Metrics.
In your application, you outlined some other open metrics that you would like to measure. Please fill out the achieved results for each of the open metrics you defined.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Part 3: Skill Development / Capacity Building
[edit]12. Reflecting on your programmatic (external) and organizational (internal) work, did your grant support you to undergo any skill development that made a difference to your success? If yes, what skill was developed, and how did it lead to success? (e.g. received coaching on public speaking, attended training on nonviolent communication, hosted professional development conversations on leadership, learned and used a new tool for project management, etc.)? Can you share any materials? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 12.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.2 (Diversity balance) and 3.1 (Diverse, Skilled, and Accountable Leadership):
- Describe actions taken to prioritize gender balance in affiliate leadership, as well as any areas of diversity relevant to your affiliate's context (2.2).
- Describe the management, financial, or other leadership skills of your affiliate leaders. If you have a succession plan, please include it here (3.1).
- Describe any training or skill development (as outlined in the question above) (3.1).
- Incorporate into the annual report a disclosure of conflict of interests (if any) from the leadership (3.1).
Yes, we have by the finishing of the year new organizers to run events, new sustainable members serving the Arabic Community, the main point for having this is the good communication between members, and having a good financial support to work with it.
13. What is one capacity/skill area that you would like to focus on for the next year? And how do you plan to achieve this capacity? (required)
In the next year, we aim to enhance our capacity to maintain and grow the sustainability of our user group. To achieve this, we plan to conduct a thorough review of our bylaws and implement improvements that will foster a more transparent and inclusive governance structure. Additionally, we will focus on increasing transparency in our microgrant processes to ensure that our community's resources are allocated effectively and equitably. By prioritising these areas, we believe we can strengthen our user group's foundation and promote long-term engagement and success.
14. If you have additional information or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. Use the space below to upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your report.
For affiliates, also use this section (Question 14.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.3 (Good governance & communication) and 3.3 (Universal Code of Conduct compliance).
- Describe and link to any public-facing information on affiliate leadership, membership, elections, and/or decision-making processes (2.3).
- Describe any activities incorporating, promoting awareness about, or enforcing the Universal Code of Conduct in your affiliate's activities (3.3).
N/A
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]For affiliates, also use this section (Part 4: Financial reporting) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 3.2 (Financial & Legal Compliance).
| Description | Planned / received budget for this category (USD) | Amount spent (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel costs | 5338 | 13741 |
| Operational costs | 9805 | 170 |
| Programmatic costs | 15166 | 17532 |
| Total General Support Fund | 47985 | 24043.32 |
| Other revenue | ||
| Remaining funds from General Support Fund | 19579 |
15. Please state the total amount spent from this fund in your local currency. (required)
24043.32 USD
16. Please provide an overview of the amount spent from this fund in the following budget categories in your local currency. (required)
- Operational costs: 170 USD
- Programmatic costs: 13741 USD
- Staff and contractor costs: 17532 USD
17. Did you have any other revenue sources (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required): No
- 17.1. Provide the total amount received from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): USD
- 17.2. Provide the total amount spent from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): USD
18. Provide a financial report document which will provide the details of funds received and spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
18.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
N/A
19. Do you have any unspent funds from this funding?: Yes
- 19.1. Please list the amount of unspent funds in your local currency. (required)
- 19579
- 19.2. Explain why you did not use the amount. (required)
- It is discussed with the grant community during the meetings .. it will be updated soon
- 19.3. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
- A. Propose to use the underspent funds within this Fund period with PO approval
- 19.4. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
- it will be updated soon
20. Final confirmations (required)
- 20.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement? You must be in compliance 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 Wikimedia Foundation mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
- 20.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
- Yes
- 20.3. 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
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