Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Strengthening Wikimedia Outreach and Capacity through Wiki Knowledge Park (ID: 23085948)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
ZI Jony
- 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.
Strengthening Wikimedia Outreach and Capacity through Wiki Knowledge Park
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2025-09-01 - 2025-12-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
United Arab Emirates
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) Wikipedia Asian Month, WikiGap, Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom, Wiki Loves Ramadan
- 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)
- The Change
Wiki Knowledge Park aims to create a sustainable ecosystem of Wikimedia contributors, partners, and platforms in our region by increasing awareness, accessibility, and engagement with Wikimedia projects—especially among educational institutions and emerging contributors. We envision a future where academic institutions are not just passive consumers of knowledge but active participants in producing and curating free knowledge on Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and beyond.
- The Challenges
- Despite the growing global presence of Wikimedia projects, several barriers persist in our local context:
- Lack of awareness among academic institutions about Wikimedia’s educational potential.
- Limited technical skills and confidence among new contributors to participate in Wikimedia activities.
- Absence of a central coordination hub or local thematic group to consistently support community engagement.
- Insufficient digital infrastructure (e.g., training platforms, communications, and promotional tools).
- Volunteer burnout due to lack of recognition, resources, and structured opportunities.
- Our Approach to Solve These Challenges
- Institutional Outreach: By engaging department heads and educators through targeted offline and online meetings, we will promote long-term collaboration between Wikimedia and academia.
- Capacity Building through Workshops: We will organize hands-on skill development sessions that empower contributors to edit, organize, and lead Wikimedia events independently.
- Sustained Community Engagement: Through monthly edit-a-thons and online support, we will ensure ongoing participation and momentum.
- Volunteer Support & Recognition: Internet/data stipends, swag, and community appreciation activities will help us retain volunteers and build motivation.
- Digital Presence & Communication: With a dedicated website, communication tools, and design platforms, we will improve our visibility and streamline project operations.
This approach directly supports the Wikimedia Movement Strategy goals of “Investing in Skills and Leadership Development” and “Ensuring Equity in Decision-Making and Resource Distribution.” It also lays the groundwork for a locally rooted and globally connected Wikimedia ecosystem.
- 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.
- Outreach to Educational Institutions
- Host a key offline event for department heads and academic leads
- Provide outreach kits and organize follow-up sessions via Zoom
- Promote institutional engagement with Wikimedia projects
- Skill Development Workshops
- Conduct 3 workshops
- Train on editing skills, campaign tools, and Wikimedia platforms
- Edit-a-thons & Monthly Engagement
- Organize 3-5 thematic edit-a-thons and engagement events
- Offer internet support and recognition for active participation
- Volunteer Support
- Provide internet/data stipends and branded swag
- Encourage consistent community involvement and retention
- Website and Communication Infrastructure
- Develop the Wiki Knowledge Park website and communication tools
- Use Google Workspace and Canva Pro for outreach and branding
- Leadership and Coordination
- Allocate honorariums for the Project Lead and Coordinator for 6 months
- 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.
- ZI Jony - Project Lead
- Coordinator - 1
- 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)
- Academic department heads and educators
- Students and institutional stakeholders
- Existing and new Wikimedia volunteers in the region
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
No
- 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.
N/A
- 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.
The idea for this project was developed through ongoing discussions within the Wikimedia community, especially those connected to outreach, education, and thematic campaigns like Wiki Loves Ramadan, Wikipedia Asian Month, and Wiki Loves Women, where we observed consistent enthusiasm from contributors and institutional partners. As Wiki Knowledge Park (WKP) has evolved into a hub of thematic coordination, we prioritized feedback from both active volunteers and emerging editors about the challenges they face and the support they need.
- Steps Taken for Community Engagement
- Internal Planning Discussions
- Conducted virtual planning meetings with volunteers involved in Wiki Loves Ramadan and other thematic campaigns.
- Gathered inputs on training needs, institutional collaboration potential, and digital tools required for smoother coordination.
- Evaluated past campaign feedback (from post-event surveys and informal reports).
- Meta-Wiki and Telegram Engagement
- Shared early outlines of the project in relevant Wikimedia Telegram groups and individual chats with experienced organizers.
- Consulted volunteers who previously participated in our initiatives to shape the project structure, especially around workshops and edit-a-thons.
- Community Input on Resource Allocation
- Discussions helped define budget priorities—such as emphasizing trainer honorariums, volunteer support, and swag to sustain engagement.
- The honorarium model and infrastructure plans were shaped in consultation with trusted community members who have experience managing grant-supported programs.
- 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)
Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 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)
Not applicable
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
This project is not only designed to expand participation and institutional outreach but also to generate insights about how to sustain community-led Wikimedia activities through a thematic hub like Wiki Knowledge Park. We aim to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate impact, improve future planning, and share learnings with the broader Wikimedia movement.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 50 | |
| Number of editors | 35 | |
| Number of organizers | 2 |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 200 |
| 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)
https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oN7wCRl7G2ijNZwZcMThyKT78rWe87u7nzsLhB3gyBA
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
17264 AED
- 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.
4700 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).