Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Women in Red - Mentorship Program (ID: 22816233)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
CoachAni
- 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.
Wiki Women in Red - Mentorship Program
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2024-11-18 - 2025-01-30
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Ghana
- 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) Wiki Women in Red
- 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)
Women’s participation in shaping knowledge and sharing their experiences is critical for fostering more equitable societies. However, within the Wikimedia ecosystem, women make up only 9% of contributors. This stark gender imbalance significantly affects the diversity of content on Wikipedia and its sister projects, leading to underrepresentation of women’s achievements, histories, and perspectives. Our project seeks to address this gender gap in both participation and contribution by building the capacity of young women in our community to actively contribute to Wikimedia.
Through the Wiki Women in Red initiative, we aim to empower women with the skills to create, edit, and curate content that reflects their unique experiences, ensuring that their voices are heard and their contributions recognized.
This year’s Wiki Women in Red will incorporate peer to peer and mentoring sessions to ensure that women are well groomed and nurtured over the campaign period to edit and create articles.
Last year alot of the newbies were faced with IP Block and were faced with a lot of challenges contributing to the English Wikipedia as a result. This year the issue of IP blocks has subsided drastically which presents a very unique opportunity for learning without barriers.
In the last 2 years we have recruited over 400 new participants in the wikimedia community through our various wikimedia campaigns within our community majority of whom are women. We believe that campaigns such as this strengthen and encourage their contribution through the various support we provide them with. As a result we want to focus on nurturing the recruited participants through various mentorship and peer to peer learning aside contest and workshop sessions which will be hosted. This will allow us to groom them. Our Approach and Innovation: Capacity Building: We will organize a series of hands-on workshops tailored to teach participants not only the technical skills of editing but also the importance of amplifying marginalized voices. Training will include: Mastering Wikipedia’s core principles, such as neutral point of view and reliable sourcing. Identifying and addressing content gaps related to women in history, sport, climate activism, and leadership, with a special focus on underrepresented African narratives. Training participants in research methods and how to use existing content tools (e.g., Wikidata) to add layers of representation. Run an online contest: We will launch a contest where participants who contribute to improving and creating articles about notable women are rewarded and recognized for their contribution. Participants will be supported with a list of articles that stub and needs improvements as well as new articles. Peer Learning, Engagement & Mentorship: Beyond the workshops, we will enroll participants in a peer to peer and mentorship program where experienced Wikimedians contributors guide newcomers, ensuring their sustained participation and creating a support system over a period of months. In these mentorship groups participants will work collaboratively on selected articles improving the quality and learning how to create new articles using wikipedia’s guidelines for creating biographies for women articles. Women from different backgrounds will be put into small working groups to improve the quality of existing articles as well as create new articles about women across Africa in the thematic areas identified. This mentorship program will foster long-term engagement and help women become confident leaders in Wikimedia spaces. Tackling Key Challenges: We want to focus on content creation about women in underrepresented areas such as sport, history, Education and science, and politics. We aim to bridge the content gap and increase visibility for African women across multiple sectors. We will be improving existing articles while creating new biographies about women. Many women lack the technical knowledge to contribute effectively to Wikimedia. Our targeted, skills-based training and mentorship program will help overcome these barriers, equipping them with practical tools, mentorship and peer to peer learning to become active contributors. This year we want to prioritize quality over quantity. We have also identified that women need closer one on one support and nurturing to learning wikipedia editing skills and so the focus for this year is to nurture the growth of women editors through the scholarship mentorship program. The peer mentorship program and contest will encourage ongoing involvement beyond initial training, fostering a dynamic community of female contributors who will regularly engage in Wikimedia projects. This initiative aligns with the broader goals of gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Wikimedia community, and will be our contribution to amplifying the voices of women who remain largely invisible on these platforms.
- 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.
Our project will empower women within the Women for Sustainability Africa Wikimedia network to actively contribute to Wikipedia, addressing the gender gap by increasing representation of African women across various topics. The program will also nurture participants to strengthen their wikipedia editing skills including Wikidata and image uploads on Wikipedia.
The key activities include:
Two In-Person Hands-On Workshops: These two-day workshops will introduce participants to the Wikimedia ecosystem, providing comprehensive training on editing tools and techniques. The focus will be on creating and translating articles about African women history, sport, climate activism, and leadership ensuring more diverse and accurate representation. Two Virtual Training Sessions: For participants unable to attend in person, we will offer virtual sessions that mirror the in-person training, with a focus on skills such as content creation, reliable sourcing, and article improvement. This will increase accessibility and reach across Africa. Four Peer-to-Peer and Mentorship Sessions and continued one on one support: We will collaborate with experienced Wikimedia trainers from existing communities to mentor and guide our participants. These peer-to-peer sessions will help foster continuous learning, skill enhancement, and deeper engagement within the Wikimedia space. One Online Mini-Contest: To motivate and engage participants, we will host an online mini-contest where participants will contribute articles about African women in sports. This will stimulate creativity, encourage collaboration, and promote healthy competition, while enriching Wikimedia content.Our contest award will ensure that content contributed will be acknowledged at different levels. Additionally, we will leverage partnerships with other women’s networks, providing their members with opportunities to participate in these activities. Through our women’s WhatsApp group and ongoing support, we aim to ensure continuous engagement, promote a sense of community, and promote long-term participation. By combining in-person workshops, virtual training, peer mentorship, and contests, we aim to build a sustainable network of women contributors who will continue to address the gender gap on Wikipedia.
- 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.
CoachAni - Lead Organizer and group leader Volunteer team Kwadwo Owusu 2020 - Trainer, Designs and Communication manager Queen Murjanatu - W4SAfrica Wikipedia Ambassador and Wikimedia Commons Trainer MilanoHimself Ewurabenamoore - Student ambassador
Vacant Volunteer Mentors (Experienced Wikimedians to fill this role)- 7 Advisory Team Ruby D-Brown- Volunteer/ Advisor to the team Jwale - Volunteer Trainer /Advisor to the team
- 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)
Our primary participants will be women from the Women for Sustainability Network in Ghana, which includes students, junior, and mid-career professionals. We have a well-established wikimedia focused community database, with many members actively engaged through our Wikimedia WhatsApp group currently over 400 participants enrolled. Additionally, we will leverage our community ambassadors at three universities to help promote the project and recruit new participants. The universities include University of Ghana, University of Professional Studies, Lancaster University, Ghana, Ghana Telecom University. The project will specifically target at empowering women and address the gender gap in Wikipedia through content creation. We aim to empower the women with the skills needed to contribute meaningfully to Wikimedia platforms.
Engagement Strategy:
Before the Activities: We will engage participants through our WhatsApp group, direct outreach by community ambassadors, and our social media channels. We will also reach out to our partners from the university of Ghana and University of professional studies etc to collaborate and offer opportunity to some members. We will highlight the opportunity for women to gain skills in content creation and editing while contributing to the visibility of African women on Wikipedia.
During the Activities: Throughout the workshops, we will host peer to peer mentorship and virtual training and support office hour sessions, we will maintain regular communication with participants, provide them with clear instructions, ongoing support, and mentorship. We will also encourage active participation and peer support through dedicated discussion groups.
Post-Activity Follow-up: After the training, participants will be enrolled in our Wikimedia community WhatsApp group, local Wikimedia groups, the Wikimedia Telegram channel, mailing lists, and LetsConnect to continue their learning and benefit from further training and networking opportunities. We will regularly collaborate with other women’s and local groups to host additional sessions on Wikimedia projects, ensuring continuous engagement and opportunities for skill development.
This approach will ensure that participants not only gain initial skills but also have ongoing access to resources, support, and a community that fosters their growth as active Wikipedia contributors.
(This year will be the second year of organizing this campaign because our community hold this campaign dear and look forward to it. ) Par t 1 Blog- https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/06/29/women-for-sustainability-africa-joined-wiki-women-in-red-8-_-empowering-women-with-digital-skills-through-wikipedia-part-1/ Part 2 Blog- https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/07/16/what-we-learned-from-wiki-women-in-red-8-campaign-2023-women-for-sustainability-africa/
- 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.
We engaged our community through several channels to discuss the project idea and gather feedback. During our regular community meetings, we presented the project, allowing members to provide input and suggestions. We also leveraged our social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to reach a broader audience and encourage participation. During last year's Women in Red Campaign we gathered feedback as well and 95% percent of participants mentioned that they would love for this campaign to be hosted again. Another feedback that came was the need for mentorship and peer to peer learning to be incorporated after the workshop for a closer mentoring and grooming.
To ensure we incorporate diverse perspectives, we held a virtual team session with our advisory team, who have extensive experience within the Wikimedia space, to discuss the project and seek their guidance.
Additionally, we have found the Wikimedia announcement channels to be a valuable tool for engaging community members and communicating upcoming events. We plan to use this platform for further outreach. Our Wikimedia community WhatsApp group has been instrumental in gathering feedback as well.
We also utilize platforms like the Wiki Update podcast and Diff to share information and engage the wider Wikimedia community.
This multi-channel approach allows us to effectively communicate our project idea, gather input, and ensure community involvement from various platforms and forums.
- 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)
Content Gender gap
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Gender and diversity
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 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)
What did we learn from the mentorship program, what worked and what didnt work and how can we improve in future
What new things and skills did participants learn during the mentorship program
How many articles were improved verses new articles were created about women
What challenges did mentors faced working with mentees
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 30 | |
| Number of editors | 30 | |
| Number of organizers | 14 | This will include team and mentors |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 100 |
| 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)
Yes
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Mentees | Number participated in the mentorship program | N/A |
| Mentors | Number participated as mentors | 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 registration tool, Event dashboard and take event metrics tools. We will also use excel and powe Bi to analyse and visualize data.
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
76133.37 GHS
- 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.
4859.04 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).