Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Digital Youth Clubs in Tanzania (ID: 23657334)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Byera04
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Digital Youth Clubs in Tanzania
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-01-01 - 2026-04-30
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Tanzania
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Not applicable
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Problem we are trying to address: The Wikimedia Foundation has presented key global trends that underscore the urgency of building a multigenerational movement. This requires mobilising younger generations to play key roles on our projects —from contributing to taking on more advanced on-Wiki roles —and to organise roles within the Movement ecosystem. Furthermore, global trends show that people who contribute online do so for meaningful connections.
The results of the international youth conference show that youth are eager to participate in the movement but face barriers, such as a lack of welcoming spaces, mentoring, and contribution pathways that are supported and fun for them. They also want to build skills that are useful in their professional and personal lives. Furthermore, youth participants at the conference acknowledged the low representation of youth from the SSA region and expressed their intention to build an active network of young Wikimedians to grow their leadership in the Movement and attract more contributors.
Different communities in Sub-Saharan Africa have mobilised youth through partnerships in schools and universities. Some of these clubs/groups have been active but require a more structured and engaging approach for them to be more active on and off Wiki. Introducing new and proven methodologies can support this process and create a sense of community and a youth network in the region.
To address some of these challenges. Youth Wiki Clubs methodology is a pilot programme that will be developed in 3 countries - Rwanda, Tanzania, and Nigeria. This program will use youth mobilisation methods applied to STEAM education that have proved successful outside of the Wikimedia context and can be adapted to our Movement.
The change we want: To test a scalable methodology to enhance youth participation on Wikimedia. This participation will hopefully lead to actual growth in content and in the number of youth contributors. It will also strengthen key 21st-century skills, such as collaborative leadership, assertive communication, and problem-solving, which are relevant to both on- and off-Wikimedia work.
The clubs will initially target young people between 18 -25 years old, in their final years of school and at university. It may also include young people who are not yet studying but are associated with youth organisations.
This methodology will build a support network of mentors and trainers for youth mobilisation, scalable within a country or across the region at cost-effective rates.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
Planned Activities The pilot programme will run in two phases, with this proposal focusing on Phase 1 (January–April) to test and refine the Digital Wiki Youth Clubs methodology in Tanzania.
December (Preparation): Selection and onboarding of the project coordinator, country lead, and trainers.
January (Setup & Training): Establishment of participating clubs and training of mentors who will guide the youth.
February (Launch): Official virtual launch event with all youth clubs. Introduction of the first Wiki Challenge to engage participants in content creation and learning activities.
March (Implementation & Mentorship): Evaluation of the first challenge, additional training sessions, and in-person mentorship visits. New challenges will be introduced, and progress rankings shared to motivate participants.
End of March (Evaluation): Final learning and evaluation session with mentors and trainers to assess progress, document lessons, and plan for Phase 2.
The project will collaborate with local youth communities and mentors to ensure strong engagement and sustainability.
Project Timeline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D4rtybsNwT1OYFPzQRr76ipT8_Lc97IREdt4-bC0h2Q/edit?usp=sharing
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
Justine Msechu (Project Lead): is an active member of the Wikimedia Community Kilimanjaro and a passionate advocate for open knowledge and technology access in Tanzania. With over nine years of experience living and working in the ICT and education sectors, Justine has been deeply involved in initiatives that empower youth, teachers, and women through digital literacy, Wikipedia editing, and open-source learning.
As the Project Lead, Justine coordinates the overall implementation of the project including planning, team supervision, partnership engagement, and reporting. He also contributes as a facilitator in community trainings and edit-a-thons aimed at building capacity and fostering participation in Wikimedia projects.
Husein Issa (Facilitator):from Wikimedia Community Zanzibar is an experienced Wikimedian and Swahili Wikipedia administrator, actively involved in advancing Wikimedia projects across Tanzania. He has contributed to several large-scale initiatives, including the WikiForHumanRights Campaign, Africa WikiChallenge, AfroCreatives + Film Project, and the Kiwix4Schools Program in Tanzania, where he has played key roles in outreach, mentorship, and content coordination.
As part of this project, Husein will serve as a facilitator, supporting the implementation of the Digital Wiki Youth Clubs methodology in Tanzania. His role will focus on mentoring young participants, training them on Wikimedia platforms (such as Wikipedia and Wikidata), and helping them develop key digital and leadership skills aligned with the project’s goals
Amne Dauda (User:Byera04) : - A member of Dar es Salaam Wikimedia user group, experienced editor and translator of English - Swahili language. Participator of different projects like Wikidata, She Said (Wiki Quotes), and Wiki Commons. Currently she is a partnerships lead committee for WikiIndaba.
in this project, as a facilitator, she will be planning various games for participants to compete on, forecast Training requirements, coordinate mobilization of Youth Connect Tanzania members and conduct training.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
Target Participants and Community The project will work with youth aged 17–25, mainly university students and young people from existing Wikimedia communities in Tanzania. It will also welcome new participants who have never joined any Wikimedia project before. In addition, teachers and educators will be involved as support mentors to guide participants and sustain club activities.
Engagement Before and During Activities
Before the activities, we will reach out to existing youth and Wikimedia networks to introduce the project, explain its goals, and recruit participants. During the sessions, participants will engage in hands-on workshops, edit-a-thons, and interactive Wikimedia activities, guided by experienced facilitators and mentors.
Follow-Up After Activities After the sessions, participants will stay connected through WhatsApp or Telegram groups, regular check-ins, and mentorship support. This will help them continue contributing to Wikimedia projects, share progress, and build a lasting community of active youth contributors.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
The General friendly space policy for Wikimedia events will be summarised and read at the beginning of each event to remind the participants and the organisers of the importance of a friendly space policy. In addendum, we will make the following 24 hours phone numbers available throughout the events; The organisers, Local venue security, Local law enforcement, Local sexual assault hotline, Local emergency and non-emergency medical services, and Local taxi company will be available
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
Discussion with Community Members and Relevant Groups We engaged with the existing Wikimedia community in Tanzania through Telegram channels to introduce the project concept, explain its goals, and gather feedback. Community members provided input on the project design, including the target age group, the role of teachers as support mentors, and ways to make activities engaging for youth.
We also ensured the project aligns with ongoing Wikimedia initiatives in the region to encourage collaboration and complementarity rather than duplication. This process helped shape the project to meet the needs of both existing contributors and new participants.
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Other Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Education
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Age (diversity of age groups)
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Learning questions: Does this methodology work to motivate youth to contribute more actively on Wiki Does this methodology work to bring in new contributors? Does this methodology prove to build key Wiki skills through a hybrid learning approach? Does this methodology work to build other digital and soft skills that youth value?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 30 | At least 3 clubs with up to 10 participants per club including at least 40% female. |
| Number of editors | 50 | |
| Number of organizers | 6 | 3 mentors (1 per club) and 3 project team members |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 10 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 50 |
| Wikidata | 100 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
We will use the Wikimedia programs and events dashboard to track the metrics.
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vnSS1_GL2ef_ubrkUb2N2xKRXy7L5ClmpGvucatvFyM/edit?usp=sharing
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
11700000 TZS
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
4790.33 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
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).