Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Khmer Wikipedia 2022 (2-2-2)
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Overview[edit]
What is the main objective of your proposal?
- The main of objective is to enkindle new vocations on Wikipedia to set up a local team by the end of 2022 To stir enthousiam is the only reason among new users is the main reason for developing a whole set of programs over a whole year in order to address the challenges of the Khmer Wikipedia in the future.
What are the main challenges you are trying to solve and your proposed solution?
- Since 2016, Khmer Wikipedia is in a paradoxical place. Number of active users has dwindled but numbers of viewers has exploded. Various problems can explain this gap: lack of a sense of community, lack of formation, lack of communication.
Number of views has exploded largely due to a incredible boom in computer litteracy triggered by the reliance on online learning during the shutdowns of schools and universities in Cambodia. Most students have therefore discovered Wikipedia Khmer out of their own personal research and curiosity rather than being informed about its proper use in their places of education. The use of Wikipedia Khmer is therefore rather selfish; if there is not so much vandalism, many individuals are creating redundancy on Khmer Wikipedia, as not a month goes by without some unregistered user creating a new page for Angkor Wat. A sense of community could help to patrol the Khmer Wikipedia and interact with the new editors and help them to fruitfully contribute to the common project which is Wikipedia.
While there are only 15 active editors on Khmer Wikipedia, monthly views reach 3M page views with a larger than usual proportion of mobile viewers, which can explain why so few have sponteneously made the step from viewer to editor. Our page cover calling for volunteers however has generated a great amount of interaction with our Facebook page showing that the desire is there to become involved, but the necessary skills are still to be taught and learned.
Finally, before I become the new admin of the Facebook Wikipedia page, the latter had no seen a fresh post since 2016 some wondering if the project was still up and alive. In fact, new generations have contributed with new areas of interest like K-Pop, football, politics, and Netflix series which go beyong the themes most represented to this day on the Khmer Wikipedia: Angkorian archeology, Cambodian history, Asian religions. Editing, while it has slowed down, has never stopped on the Khmer Wikipedia, but there is a major challenge to communicate about the responsability of the new generation to make the Khmer Wikipedia their own encyclopedia.
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.
- Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Improve User Experience, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Manage Internal Knowledge, Identify Topics for Impact
Where will this proposal be implemented?
- Cambodia
Do you want to apply for multi-year funding?
- No
Project Proposal[edit]
Describe your main strategies to achieve the objective and the activities you will be developing as part of these strategies.
- After our first in-person event in August 2021 sponsored by the Wikimeda Foundation, we measured clearly the impact of in-person events on the activity on Khmer Wikipedia. ""Wikipedia in the classroom"" projects have been started with different schools (Mengly J. Quach Education Plc., Chamroeun Vichea High School, Don Bosco Education Group) and have revealed the desire of Khmer youth and teachers to better use the ressources of Wikipedia. Personal commitment has also proven frustrating as structural difficulties are plenty on the Khmer Wikipedia, where Special Pages of Wikipedia are still rare and Template pages as well as bots are almost inexistant.
For that reasion, it appears that our strategy to reach the goals set out for Khmer Wikipedia 2022 needs to be three-fold.
First, after many years of sleepiness, we need to reawaken or recreate a Wikipedia Khmer community, and aim to build a local chapter. This can only be done through in-person events and networking for better collaboration. Therefeore, we plan to organize at least one public community event every month in 2022. We plan to extend our reach beyond the capital city of Phnom Penh where the activity has until now been focused and reach out to the provinces in Kampong Cham, Kep, Sihanoukville, Poipet, Siemreap.
Second, we need to partner up with local institutions, as was done in the past (see Kambuja Soriya on Wikisource), in order to boost content. Reaching out to individuals is essential for community building but working with institutions is vital for longer-term stability. The American University in Phnom Penh, the Center for Khmer Studies, KhmerDev, are various private institutions which have expressed interest to create content with Wikipedia Khmer, while Passerelles Numériques is interested in helping us work on more technical issues related to the coding of Wikipedia in Khmer, especially to develop more templates and bots.
Third, because of the quality of articles being a setback from the Khmer users of Wikipedia, article and photo contests with media releases and higher visibility are being prepared to enhance the quality of content. A first trial contest is being organized in December 2021 to test the product in Cambodia, and be able to frame the offer as best as possible. The Secretariate for Higher Education at the Royal Ministry of Education has expressed common interest for a national article competition on the theme of geography.
What is your organization or group's mission?
- The Paris Missions Society supports the works it members in Asia, as well a local churches and charities. Many of its members are famous for pioneering the first dictionaries in local languages, as here in Cambodia, Father Guesdon published the first Khmer-French dictionnary, and since then, his followers have continued to work in that field, until now.
Indicate if it is a local, international, or regional proposal and if it involves several countries?
- Local
Please state if you will be carrying out any of these activities within your programs? Select all that apply.
- Organizing Meet-up online, Organizing Meet-up offline, Workshops, Edit-A-Thons, Train-the-Trainer, Photowalk, WikiCamp, Contest, Wikimedian-in-Residence, Conference/Event Organizing, Media outreach campaign
Are you running any in-person events or activities?
- Yes
Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified content knowledge gaps?
- Content Gender gap, Geography, Socioeconomic Status, Sexual Orientation, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context), Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select all categories that apply.
- Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Geographic, Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or thematic focus.
- Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM, Advocacy, Human Rights, Climate Change and sustainability, Public Policy, Open Technology
Please tell us more about your target participants.
- Our target is Cambodian youth with all its diversity. Though Cambodia had a majority Khmer ethnicity, minorities are present, in border provinces as in Ratanakiri, where as in-residence Wikipedian is being chosen by the UNESCO, or in Mondulkri, where we a currently working on a formation program with the Bunong Youth Center of Senmonorom , as well as minorities from immigration such as the Vietnamese, who will also be reached out to through our partnership with Enfants du Mekong, an international NGO which sponsors the education of disadvantaged children. Geographical exclusion is an issue, and for that reason we are developing programs outside of Phnom Penh where most of the Khmer Wikipedia has taken place. For example, we have run a test training program in the Student Center of Enfants du Mekong in Banteay Chhmar in the North-West of Camboda on the Thai border which we hope to confirm and extend to other centers of Enfants du Mekong were the grant to be granted. Though the access is difficult, communication on such outreach has stirred enthousiam in other distant provinces. Concerning gender identity, partnerships with local influencers such as Chef Nak, in the field of Khmer culinary art, or Kounila Keo, in the field of marketing, or Thyda Salt, in the field of entrepreneurship, will help to encourage women to find their place on the Khmer Wikipedia, where the gender gap is dramatic. Finally, Khmer influencer Ting Tong is interested in promoting Khmer Wikipedia as a place for respect and inclusion of all, regardless of sexual orientation.
Do you have plans to work with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates in your country, or in other countries, to implement this proposal?
- Yes
Please tell us about these connections online and offline and how you have let Wikimedia communities know about this proposal.
- We are connected with the East, Southeast Asia and Pacific (ESEAP) Wikipedia user group through Facebook and conference calls, discussing the Movement strategy and governance. The group has been a great source of information, advice (learned about Wikipedia in the classroom and shared experience with others) as well as encouragement. Other Wikipedia communities in South East Asia were excited about the possible renewal of Wikipedia in Cambodia. Sharing efforts is a source of mutual support. We are also part of the Wikimania Telegram group where the conversation is less focused but similarly enthusing.
Will you be working with other external, non-Wikimedian partners to implement this proposal? Please describe these partnerships.
- Yes
- Our partners are all financially independant, and any payment would be towards events organized in common only.
- Enfants du Mekong: International NGO present in Asia to sponsor the education of poor students. With student centers across the country
- Passerelles Numériques: NGO present in Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia which provides training in IT. Good partner to find Khmer volunteers to solve technical issues linked to the intricate coding of the Cambodian language.
- Mengly J. Quach Education Plc.: top private education foundation already developing a Wikipedia in the classroom program.
- Chomraeun Vichea High Schools: network of four high-school in Kampong Cham Province, offering access to remote areas.
- Institut Francais du Cambodge: Cultural institute interested in running events during the Week of Francophonie 2022
- Center of Khmer Studies: research center in Siemreap
- Royal Ministry of Education, for an essay competition in Khmer geopgraphy
- Pagodas
How do you hope to sustain or expand the work carried out in this proposal after the grant?
- The hope is by the end of 2022 to have created a new team of local Wikipedians. If this team is built and new active moderators are chosen, the Khmer Wikipedia will be able to expand in a sustainable way. On top of that, our partners have expressed the desire to establish stable programs meaning that they will not be linked to a specific person. At the same time, the UNESCO is creating a part-time job for an in-house Wikipedian for Ratanakiri while the Bophana Center is also developing its own partnership with the Wikimedia foundation, two projects with which we hope to collaborate for better synergy. The American University in Phnom Penh is developing a Wikipedia program with credits for their students, meaning that it will be part of their extra-academic curriculum.
Have you received grants from the Wikimedia Foundation before?
- Applied previously and did receive a grant
Have you received grants from any non-wiki organization before?
- No
Do you have the team that is needed to implement this proposal?
- Various Khmer Wikipedia users are willing to help in this project.
- Mr. Tep Sovichet, who previously moderated the Khmer Wikipedia Facebook Page, is now in charge of Romnea, a digital company digital type foundry based in Phnom Penh, specialized in Khmer typefaces. His network has already been helpful.
- Mrs. Kounila Keo, who now heads Mekhla Radtant Communications, is also helpful in promoting the events through various sources such as WheninPhnomPenh.com
- Mr. Seang Uy, a student at the Royal Universiity of Phnom Penh, is helpful in connecting with hiighschool students
- His Excellency San Vathana, Under Secretary of State of the Royal Ministry of Education, has also proven to be a great advisor and very supportive of our project, and is currently considering a national article competition in the field of Khmer geography.
Of course, Jacqueline Chen from the Wikimedia Foundation has been a great source of encouragement as well, without which this proposal would not have been possible.
Please state if your organization or group has a Strategic Plan that can help us further understand your proposal. You can also upload it here. (optional)
- No
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation[edit]
What do you hope to learn from your work in this fund proposal?
- I have committed myself over the past two years to intensively learn the Khmer language and during that time, because of the pandemic, Internet has proven an incredible tool to learn more about Khmer culture. I am spending my third year, here, in the town of Siemreap, in the middle of the ruins of Angkor, studying Pali language and Khmer Civilization at the Center for Khmer Studies located within the compoung of Wat Damnak. As a regular contributor to the French and English Wikipedia, I have enjoyed many of the articles and contributed to some concerning Khmer culture, but the Khmer Wikipedia has often been a source of frustration because of lack of content. I hope that by implementing the vision of Khmer Wikipedia 2022 I will continue to delve deeper into the wealth of Khmer music, Khmer dance, Khmer litterature, and continue to improve my written skill in Khmer language, as well as develop a network of like-minded women and men ready to take of the challenge of continuing to build the first encyclopedia in the Khmer language.
Core Metrics[edit]
Enter a description of the metric and a number in the target field. If the metric does not apply to you, enter N/A for not applicable.
| Core metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | We are hoping to organize monthy community events (10 out of 12 months) with an average of 30 participants (30x10= 300). On top of that, we believe that our partnerships with local institutions will amplify the impact of our work through their own various networks. Essay competitions, either in-house or on a national level could have a huge outreach as well. | 1000 |
| Number of editors | However, our goal is not only one-time participants but active editors on Khmer Wikipedia. The figure is currently 15 users. We hope to at least double that to 30. This figure may seem ridiculous, but that's where Khmer Wikipedia is starting from in 2021 at the end of a pandemic, and we realistically hope it can grow again from here. | 30 |
| Number of organizers | I hope to be only the coordination of Khmer Wikipedia 2022. Every monthly community event will involve various skills. The first event in August 2021 for instance invited Lok Puthisan to explain the why the Khmer translation of the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy could be used as not only a footnote reference but also a refirement for the proper writing of Khmer neologisms in the filed of philosophy. The next event in December 2021 will include two other contributors, Patrick Kersale and Thon Varathana who will respectively speak of the source materials for articles on Khmer music first and second on the challenging access to quality documentation in Khmer language concerning Angkorian archeology. There events are preparatory steps towards Wiki Khmer 2022 and they have confirmed our project (15)
Partnerships with local institutions helps to include other teachers, facilitators, leaders, into the Khmer Wikipedia 2022 project outside of the box of Khmer Wikipedia. (15) |
30 |
| Wikipedia | Our project is to double the size of the Khmer Wikipedia from 8 000 to 15 000. That may seem ambitious, but the starting point is also quite low. On top of that, a article competition sponsored by the Ministry of Education in the field of geography will be a massive booster. Every program with local partners is also framed as an edit-a-thon.
Beyond our own efforts, we believe that with online education being a real revolution for Cambodia in 2021, a positive dynamic could be sparked as Wikipedia is never the project of an individual but the dynamic of a movement. |
8000 |
If for some reason your proposal will not measure these core metrics please provide an explanation.
- We will go by these metrics which are the best way to add more objectivity to a project that we are subjectively very passionate about.
Additional Metrics[edit]
Enter a description of the metric and a number in the target field. If the metric does not apply to you, enter N/A for not applicable.
| Additional Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities | ||
| Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities | ||
| Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability | ||
| Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors | ||
| Diversity of participants brought in by grantees | ||
| Number of people reached through social media publications | ||
| Number of activities developed | ||
| Number of volunteer hours |
What other information will you be collecting to learn about the impacts of your activities? (optional)
- We also hope to work on improving the articles of the English Wikipedia concerning Khmer culture. Categorization will help to improve the visibility of articles as well as their translation through the Beta tools into Khmer. Asia Month 2022 on Wikipedia English will be an opportunity by the end of 2022 to give a final stimulus to the Khmer Wikipedia 2022 project. Current figures of Cambodia or Cambodian culture-related articles are extremely low and not necessarily accurate (circa 20 and 50 respectively). Our hope is to bring that to over 200, to keep to our magic 2 number.
What tools would you use to measure each metric selected?
- The tool is the two categories in the English Wikipedia on Category:Cambodia and Category:Cambodian Culture, trying to fish out the oprhaned Khmer culture articles and give more structure to sub-categories.
How do you hope to share these results so that others can learn from them?
- Create a video of our experience, Create a training workshop to show others what we learned, Share results on social media, Share results with our communities, I would like to receive support from the Foundation to discover how I can share my learning
Financial Proposal[edit]
What is the amount you are requesting from WMF? Please provide this amount in your local currency. If you are thinking about a multi-year fund, please provide the amount for the first year.
- 40700000 KHR
If you have calculated it, please provide an estimate of the year 2 or year 3 request.
What is this amount in US Currency (to the best of your knowledge)?
- 10000 USD
Please share your budget for this proposal.
- Part 1: Community events
- Monthly events (10 months [Break for Khmer New Year and Pchum Benn] 6 in Phnom Penh, 4 in the Provinces)
- 500$ per event, including:
- Pre-event communication (Press and Facebook adverstising): 50$
- Event hospitality (room, food, electricity): 400$
- Special help: 50$ to support locals and organizers to attend the event and eventually rent fee for computers and other tech materials
- Total: 5 000 $
- Part 2: Partnerships:
- Training programs
- Train the trainer and Wiki in the classroom programs; while being hoster in partner institutions, light hospitality being covered is a minimum token of gratitude and a sign of encouragement and appreciation for the participants;
- for our 5 major partners (Enfants du Mekong, Chomraeun Vichea Don Bosco, MJQE, Passerelles numériques, Center for Khmer Studies), we limit the cost to 2 500 $ or 500$ per partner
- Essay competitions
- In-house and open essay competions: 1500$
- Contingency fund (10%): 1000$
- Training programs
What do you do to make sure there is a good management of funds?
- Regular check-ups with the Foundation as the year moves could be made to ensure that the program takes place as planned. The most uncertain part is the part left open for essay competitions. Partnernships are being discussing with the Minister of Education (Geography) on a national evel, as well as Khmer Buddhist education influencers (Venerable Kou Sopheap, Bikkhua Kassapa, KH Angkor) who all have shown interest and benefit from a large audience. The uncertainty created by the current pandemic is another reason for keeping a close follow-up on our operations as no project is without risk. Personally speaking, the funds will transit through my Society under French banking and tax law which requires tracability of all spendings with receipts, requiring good accounting for the use of these funds on my part.
Additional links[edit]
If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
How will you contribute towards creating a supportive environment for participants using the UCOC and Friendly Space Policy?
- Khmer Wikipedia has not faced these issues yet but in order to promote a Friendly Space Policy, an urgent task is the translation of the Five Pillars (km.wikipedia.org/wiki/វិគីភីឌា:សសរស្តម្ភទាំងប្រាំ) recently discussed and translated during a Train-the-Trainer program with the MJQE teachers. Other such community pages need to be not only translated but discussed in order to create this safe environment.
By submitting your proposal/funding request you agree that you are in agreement with the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct.
I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friend Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes