Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikimedia Awareness Program at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene (ID: 23749207)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Merri Sun
- 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.
Wikimedia Awareness Program at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-04-01 - 2026-04-30
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 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) Education
- 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)
Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene is filled with young people who are learning, researching, and preparing for the future. Yet many of them use Wikipedia every day without knowing that they can actually take part in building it. This makes the institution a powerful place to start a Wikimedia awareness program, because once students understand how open knowledge works, they can use it throughout their academic lives and beyond.
Right now, most students are not aware that Wikipedia and its sister projects are open for public contribution. Many see Wikipedia as something to read quietly, not something they can edit or improve. There is also a strong belief that Wikipedia is not trustworthy or has no place in serious academic work. Because of this, students are often warned to avoid it completely, instead of being taught how to use it critically and responsibly.
This project pushes back against that idea. It introduces students to Wikimedia. We have informed the Rector, about the project and he has invited us.
- 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.
Two online training sessions will be organized to allow wider participation and flexibility for students and staff of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. The first session will focus on Wikimedia Commons, where participants will learn how to upload photographs and media files correctly, understand copyright and licensing, and document local culture, places, and campus-related activities. The second online session will introduce Wikidata, helping participants understand how structured data works and guiding them on how to create and improve items related to education, institutions, and local knowledge.
One physical (in-person) training session will be held at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene, in collaboration with the institution. This session will include an introduction to Wikipedia, covering basic policies, notability, sourcing, and article structure, with practical examples relevant to education and local content. Participants will then take part in a hands-on editing and article creation session, using their sandboxes to practice creating and improving articles with proper references. Special attention will be given to content related to Akwa Ibom State, the Polytechnic, and educational topics.
A wrap-up and evaluation session will be held at the end of the project to review activities, assess participants’ contributions, and discuss ways to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects after the training. Certificates of participation will be issued, and outstanding contributors will be recognized with small prizes to encourage sustained engagement.
Project updates and materials will be shared on the project page (to be created) and through existing Wikimedia community communication channels.
- 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.
Merri Sun – Project Lead: I am a Writer and Wikimedian. I will oversee the overall organization and coordination of the project, ensuring smooth execution and successful outcomes.
User: Victorpeter00 (Logistics Coordinator): He is a student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, He will be responsible for logistics
User: J.I. Solomon (Communication Lead): He is a Lecturer at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, and he will handle communications
User: Jerry Minor (Wikipedia Trainer): He is the Head of the Medical Library at the University of Port Harcourt and a Wikimedian who has organized and facilitated Wikimedia programs and trainings within and outside Rivers State, Nigeria. He is the co-founder of the Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub, which is an informal Wikimedia group housing students and staff from higher institutions in Rivers State and Nearby states who have been trained on Wikimedia projects by the Team. He is also a member of the Wikimedia Rivers Network and was a participant in the Wiki Education’s Scholars and Scientists program.
- 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)
The program will engage students and staff of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene as its main participants. During the sessions, first-time editors will be taught the basics of Wikimedia projects and supported step by step on how to make meaningful contributions.
Participants will be encouraged to ask questions during and after the training to help build confidence and understanding. A project WhatsApp group will be set up to provide ongoing support, share learning resources, and coordinate follow-up activities. The group will remain active beyond the training to support future virtual sessions and continued participation on Wikimedia platforms.
- 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.
Here is the link to the Wikimedia youth policy. The policy will be read out to everyone at the start of each training. It will also be shared in the project's WhatsApp group.
- 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.
I have notified the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria here: [1]
- 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)
Advocacy
- 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 will help us understand the level of awareness among students and staff of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene about Wikimedia projects and open knowledge. We want to learn whether participants know they can move beyond reading Wikipedia to actively contributing content and sharing knowledge.
We also aim to learn how effective the awareness training is in helping participants use Wikimedia resources for learning, research, and academic work. By collecting feedback and staying in touch after the sessions, we will identify what support participants need to continue contributing and how future Wikimedia awareness programs at the Polytechnic can be improved.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 40 | This is the number of new editors, returning Editors, and the organizers. |
| Number of editors | 40 | New Editor: 38 Returning Editors: 2 |
| Number of organizers | 4 | Number of organizers for the project |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 30 |
| 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)
Wikimedia outreach dashboard and X-tool
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TlUNcQOoA7XzLedZgVqQsHp186sdiZl2cy9LPxiG8po/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)
2058500 NGN
- 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.
1279.76 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).