Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Hour Initiative/DigitalSkillsforYouth 3.0 Edit-a-thon (ID: 22477534)/Final Report
Application type: Standard application
Part 1: Project and impact
1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
The project achieved significant milestones in skills development, participation, and confidence building, particularly among young women, through thoughtfully implemented activities. These included training sessions, virtual check-ins, a hack-a-thon, and a writing contest to evaluate participant progress. Participants, drawn from Junior and Senior High Schools, the University of Ghana’s Wiki Hour Initiatives Digital Skills for Girls Group, and the Wiki Tech Club, developed essential skills in Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons editing. The "Digital Skills for Girls" initiative further complemented these efforts by delivering workshops on basic computer skills, social media usage, online safety, and content creation for Wikimedia platforms. A noteworthy highlight was the engagement of 40% of past editors, who assumed on- and off-wiki leadership roles, reflecting their growth and long-term commitment to the Wikimedia ecosystem. Effective Approaches:
- Collaborations with partners such as Nevatrics Group, corporate women from banking institutions, and other professionals. Their involvement brought expertise and resources that empowered youth, particularly during International Women’s Day and International Youth Day events.
- Targeted training with a focus on underrepresented groups, emphasizing young women.
- Ongoing support through a Telegram group and virtual check-ins, which ensured participant progress and engagement.
- The involvement of past trainees as trainers, which enhanced knowledge transfer and community growth.
- Support from networks like WikiWomen and the Wikidata Community, providing mentorship and resources to participants.
These strategies not only fostered essential digital skills but also cultivated active contributors and leaders, contributing meaningfully to a sustainable and inclusive digital future. The results demonstrate the transformative impact of strong partnerships, targeted initiatives, and a supportive ecosystem within the Wikimedia movement.
2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
DigitalSkillsforYouth 3.0 Additionally, we used training materials that focused on digital literacy and safe online practices, which were instrumental in our implementation.
Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
Useful Material for DS4Y 3.0 - Google Docs
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Agree |
| F. Other (optional) | Established connection with partners for a sustainable partnership in the coming years |
Part 2: Learning
4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below: Due to the diverse facilitation and advance collaboration with experienced wikimedians and community, we would consistently request the support from groups focusing on women's contribution internationally such as Wiki Women, WikiData Community, we have had discussions about our initiatives and plans over the years various groups such as invite link for the WikiWomen Telegram group with regards to our commencement here https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:WikiWomen%27s_User_Group#Planning_Digital_Skills_for_Youth_2.0_in_March_2023 and also in the Wikidata Community [2] to add to the diversity of skilled resources such as online training and list of articles tagged red on Wikipedia and Wikidata we wish to advance with the youth.
During our sensitization meeting after the conclusion of the project, we outlined the opportunity we had to host one of our events with the Wikimedia Ghana Group which had a great audience with a wider group of young girls.
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
Unexpected challenges arose during the implementation of activities, both positive and negative. On the negative side, changes to the academic calendar due to reopening dates and shifts in the curriculum disrupted planned schedules. Lecture times frequently conflicted with scheduled meetings, while unplanned assessment tests affected the flow of events. Venue availability also posed challenges, as some booked spaces were changed last minute, delaying training sessions. Additionally, a lack of access to functional laptops among participants meant many had to rely on their phones, which limited their ability to fully engage. Technical challenges with the dashboard also surfaced—it stopped updating edits, making it difficult to track progress. This caused concern and, at times, disinterest among participants. Moreover, poor internet connectivity in rural areas hindered the delivery of training sessions. Despite these setbacks, these experiences taught us the importance of adaptability. For example, we adjusted schedules to accommodate participants' academic commitments, explored alternative venues, and incorporated flexible approaches to training to accommodate mobile devices
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
To share our project learnings and results with other community members, we plan to organize a pre-training meeting in January to prepare the community for upcoming programs and activities. This will set the stage for effective engagement and participation. Additionally, we will host a follow-up meeting with community members and stakeholders to present outcomes, share insights, and discuss next steps. A detailed summary report will also be published and shared widely through our social media platforms, community forums, and mailing lists, ensuring broad accessibility to our findings. This approach will not only address any challenges encountered but also foster collaboration, encourage feedback, and create a platform to highlight successes and lessons learned. By engaging stakeholders and the broader community, we aim to amplify the impact of our project and inform future initiatives.
Part 3: Metrics
7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
| Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 35 | 40 | |
| Number of editors | 30 | 30 | |
| Number of organizers | 7 | 7 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 200 | 0 | 380 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Wikidata | 500 | 1 | 456 |
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| Wikivoyage | |||
| Wikibooks | |||
| Wikiversity | |||
| Wikinews | |||
| Wikispecies | |||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
Yes
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Although there was a struggle to gather sufficient data, due to participants with phones not able to navigate properly on the dashboard nor edit. Other participants online were not consistently attending regular monthly engagement meetings.
However, we managed through follow-up surveys and attendance records to assign ambassadors to their respective schools to have a one on one support system to train them during the week long edit a thon contest.
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
39930
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
3220
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Provide the link to the financial report https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Cd_-FNyCaFt6U2pogOYVrfbuZHBI9tYhMELxpHmb8T8/edit?gid=299978821#gid=299978821
12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
No, changes are reflected in the financial report as per the grants team’s request.
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
No
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
N/A
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
Yes
14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
14.3. 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
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)
Review notes
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A