Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikimedia Awareness and Training at the Bayero University Kano (ID: 23476638)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Usmanmaifada
- 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 and Training at the Bayero University Kano
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2025-08-31 - 2025-10-31
- 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)
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)
Bayero University Kano, a major institution in Northern Nigeria since 1975, is where we aim to ignite a passion for open knowledge. Our project seeks to transform BUK into a hub where students and lecturers actively contribute to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata, enriching global knowledge with our unique local perspectives.
The core change we envision is a university community that's not just consuming information but confidently creating and sharing it. We want to see a significant increase in content about Northern Nigeria online, and a noticeable boost in our community's digital literacy.
Right now, key challenges include a general lack of awareness about how to contribute to Wikimedia, existing skill gaps in digital editing, and a significant underrepresentation of local content. We also face the hurdle of sustaining interest beyond initial training.
Our approach is straightforward: we'll run engaging, hands-on training sessions focused on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata editing. We'll specifically encourage contributions on local topics, setting up continuous mentorship and support to build a lasting community. By collaborating closely with university departments, we believe we can make BUK a vibrant and consistent contributor to the global open knowledge movement.
- 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 plan for Bayero University Kano is straightforward and action-oriented. We'll run three main types of activities:
Awareness Tour: We'll visit different departments across campus to introduce students and lecturers to the world of Wikimedia – Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata. The goal is to spark interest and show everyone how they can contribute to global knowledge.
Training Workshops: We'll host practical, hands-on sessions. Here, participants will learn the ropes of editing Wikipedia articles, uploading photos and videos to Wikimedia Commons, and adding structured data to Wikidata. We'll also train a few key individuals to become our local Wikimedia mentors.
Edit-a-thons: After training, we'll hold collaborative editing events. These will be focused sessions where everyone puts their new skills to use, specifically working on topics related to Kano and Northern Nigeria to enrich the platforms with local content.
Our Partnerships
We're not doing this alone. We're teaming up with the Bayero University Library to access their valuable resources and potentially use their spaces. We'll also work closely with various academic departments (like History or Languages) to tap into their expertise and integrate Wikimedia into their work.
- 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.
Our project team is composed of dedicated volunteers from the Wikimedia Nigeria community, all committed to expanding free knowledge at Bayero University Kano.
- User:Usmanmaifada will lead the project, overseeing overall planning and execution.
- User:Aisha Yahuza will serve as our Lead Trainer, responsible for developing and delivering the training workshops.
- User:Baban Sadiq 2 will handle all project logistics and coordinate outreach activities within the university.
- User:M Bash Ne will focus on community engagement and provide follow-up support to participants after the trainings.
All team members are volunteers and active contributors within the Wikimedia movement. We've all agreed to our roles and responsibilities for this proposal.
- 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)
We're targeting students and lecturers from across Bayero University Kano. Our initial engagement will involve campus-wide awareness talks to spark interest and explain the value of open knowledge. During the activities, we'll conduct practical, hands-on workshops to build their editing skills. After the training, we'll ensure continued participation through a strong mentorship program and active online support groups, helping them refine their contributions and stay connected to the Wikimedia community.
- 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 initiated our project idea through informal meetings with key student groups and interested lecturers at Bayero University Kano. Their direct input was crucial in shaping this proposal. This ensures our plan is deeply rooted in community needs and integrates well with broader Wikimedia efforts in the region.
- 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)
Not applicable
- 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)
Digital Access
- 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)
Through this project, we aim to understand the most effective ways to foster a sustainable Wikimedia community within a Nigerian university setting. We want to learn: How significantly can dedicated, hands-on training boost the quantity and quality of local content on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata? What specific engagement strategies best sustain new contributors after initial workshops? And finally, how impactful is a "Train-the-Trainer" model in building a self-reliant group of open knowledge advocates? The data collected will guide future initiatives.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 50 | |
| Number of editors | 30 | |
| Number of organizers | 4 |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 500 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 100 |
| Wikidata | 500 |
| 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 Foundation's Dashboard tool
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)
2272000 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.
1469.25 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).