Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikivibrance International Youth Day (IYD) 2024 (ID: 22675117)/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 20 October 2024
Funding program: Rapid Fund
Report type: Final
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their midpoint report. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.General information
[edit]- Applicant username: Favourdare123
- Organization name: N/A
- Amount awarded: 3800
- Amount spent: 3800 USD, 5379670
Part 1: Project and impact
[edit]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 was structured around a series of targeted activities that engaged young contributors across four Nigerian locations—Ilorin, Imo, Ibadan, and Gombe—and addressed core project objectives of empowering young Wikimedians, reducing content gaps, and strengthening skills for sustained engagement within Wikimedia projects.
1. Awareness Campaign Activity Description: A multi approach awareness campaign using E-posters, fliers, and banner advertisements on Wikimedia platforms created broad visibility for the event. Additionally, a dedicated WhatsApp group was established for interested participants, offering a streamlined communication channel.
Results: The campaign reached over 150 young people across social media and messaging platforms. Through consistent messaging, we successfully mobilized a diverse group of participants from different regions and backgrounds.
Effective Approach: Leveraging digital media and community-centric messaging strategies proved highly effective in capturing attention and generating interest, especially with visually engaging banners on Wikimedia sites that provided direct visibility to Wikimedia’s core audience.
2. Virtual Webinar Activity Description: A virtual webinar was conducted featuring two experienced members of the Wikivibrance team who shared insights on Wikimedia’s mission, the importance of youth contributions, and practical steps for engaging with Wikimedia projects.
Results: The session saw active participation from over 100 attendees, with a significant percentage expressing interest in contributing to Wikimedia platforms post-webinar. Attendees reported increased confidence and motivation to participate, aligning with the project’s goal of fostering youth enthusiasm and commitment.
Effective Approach: The strategic inclusion of experienced speakers fostered credibility and provided attendees with a deeper understanding of Wikimedia’s impact. The open Q&A segment further encouraged engagement, allowing participants to address specific queries and obstacles.
3. Partnerships with Youth Organizations Activity Description: Collaborations with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports chapters in each target region and local youth organizations enhanced participant recruitment and provided logistical support. These partnerships helped tailor activities to resonate with the local youth demographic.
Results: Partnerships expanded our reach significantly, with each chapter mobilizing over 40 youth participants, contributing to localized engagement. The organizations also facilitated venue access, reducing operational costs and enhancing participant comfort.
Effective Approach: Forming strategic partnerships with established youth organizations enhanced credibility and ensured localized support, significantly increasing turnout and fostering a sense of collective involvement.
4. In-Person Training Sessions (Day 1) Activity Description: Hands-on training was conducted in each location, focusing on Wikipedia and Wikidata editing skills. Training was segmented by project focus, such as Igbo Wikipedia in Imo and Hausa Wikipedia in Gombe, and tailored to provide targeted skill-building aligned with regional content needs.
Results: Over 120 participants gained practical editing skills, with measurable progress in content contributions observed within days following the training. Many of the participants have continued to engage, making quality edits that contribute to addressing content gaps.
Effective Approach: Providing region-specific training with targeted learning tracks ensured relevance and allowed participants to gain practical experience in a language they’re connected to, making contributions both accessible and culturally meaningful. Additionally, having experienced facilitators enhanced learning outcomes.
5. Edit-a-thon and Community Engagement (Day 2) Activity Description: A 1-day edit-a-thon followed the training, where participants received mentoring to apply their skills in real time. Community engagement activities, including sharing success stories from young Wikimedians, fostered a supportive environment.
Results: The edit-a-thon resulted in the creation and improvement of over 150 articles across various Wikimedia platforms. The event’s collaborative format enhanced the sense of community, and the recognition of outstanding contributions increased participant motivation. The day concluded with an award presentation to recognize and honor exceptional participants for their contributions, with awards presented to the outstanding young Wikimedian editors (both male and female) from each community.
Effective Approach: The combination of hands-on practice with real-time mentorship effectively bridged skill gaps and allowed participants to feel an immediate sense of accomplishment. The awards added a positive reinforcement element, encouraging sustained involvement.
6.Virtual Follow-Up Training
Activity Description: Following the initial event, virtual training sessions provided continued learning opportunities, allowing participants to deepen their knowledge and apply feedback from experienced editors.
Results: The follow-up sessions helped maintain engagement and resulted in a steady increase in quality contributions over time, with over 75% of participants actively contributing two months post-event.
Effective Approach: Structured follow-up training played a vital role in reinforcing the skills introduced during the initial sessions, creating a bridge between basic training and sustained participation.
7. Contest and Award Presentation
Activity Description: An online contest was conducted to incentivize continued contributions. Awards were given for top contributors, including categories for newest editors and outstanding female contributors. Results: The contest drew enthusiastic participation, with participants competing to make quality edits. This incentive structure helped maintain momentum, with several participants indicating an intention to continue contributing beyond the event.
Effective Approach: The competitive element added excitement and helped create a sustained commitment to contribution, showing that recognition and rewards can be powerful motivators.
The project’s success was largely driven by strategic partnerships, targeted training, and ongoing engagement mechanisms. Collaborations with youth organizations and community groups were instrumental in mobilizing a diverse and substantial participant base, while localized training tailored to specific Wikimedia projects ensured relevance and accessibility for all participants. The phased approach to skill-building—with both in-person and virtual follow-ups—enabled participants to develop lasting capabilities. Finally, the use of incentives and public recognition proved essential in fostering sustained participation, establishing a motivated community of young contributors aligned with the goals of 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
Project Page on Meta Wiki : https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikivibrance_International_Youth_Day_2024/Home
Outreach Dashboard : https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/wikivibrance_international_youth_day_iyd_2024/overview
Photos,Infographics and Videos From Event: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1adq0QnnRB7Y1vrTBrlkurz9LYv7bSO59
Social Media Post:https://x.com/wikivibrance/status/1823066471263830401?s=46&t=uZjjDc_HP1UELC1YyUwuJg
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
Training Resources, Work processes and plans,materials created and shared: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikivibrance_International_Youth_Day_2024/Resources
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 | Strongly agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Strongly agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Strongly agree |
| F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning
[edit]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: 1.Effective Engagement Strategies: We hope to learn the most effective methods and strategies for engaging young people and underrepresented groups in contributing to Wikimedia projects, ensuring sustained participation and community building.
2.Challenges and Solutions: Identifying common challenges faced by new and existing contributors, and developing tailored solutions to address these issues, will be a key learning outcome to enhance future training and support programs.
3.Impact of Digital Literacy Initiatives:Understanding the impact of our digital literacy initiatives on participants' ability to contribute high-quality content to Wikimedia projects will help us refine our educational approaches and materials.
4.Community Insights: Gaining insights into how local communities interact and collaborate within the Wikimedia ecosystem will provide valuable knowledge for fostering stronger, more cohesive community networks.
5.Long-Term Sustainability: Learning how to create and maintain long-term interest and motivation among participants through continuous support, recognition, and incentives will be crucial for the project's success.
During the implementation of the project, each of our learning questions provided valuable insights that will shape future project and approaches. Here’s what we gathered:
1. Effective Engagement Strategies: Through trial and observation, we identified that a mix of hands-on, practical training and strong community engagement—via social media outreach, WhatsApp groups, and direct invitations—was highly effective in drawing the interest of young people. Furthermore, the strategic use of award presentations and personal storytelling from experienced editors fostered a positive, relatable environment that sustained enthusiasm. Moving forward, we aim to incorporate these practices more systematically to encourage engagement and long-term commitment from youth participants.
2. Challenges and Solutions: New contributors frequently encountered hurdles in understanding Wikimedia's editorial policies and technical aspects of contributing to Wikipedia and Wikidata. To address these, we introduced personalized mentoring, shorter instructional sessions, and targeted materials that broke down complex concepts into manageable steps. This personalized approach, coupled with structured Q&A opportunities, significantly reduced drop-off rates and improved retention. In future projects, we’ll enhance our onboarding processes with more adaptive, user-centered support materials and mentoring channels to quickly address common contributor challenges.
3.Impact of Digital Literacy Initiatives: Participants showed noticeable improvement in digital literacy skills, as evidenced by their ability to create high-quality content and edit collaboratively by the project's end. The digital literacy initiatives not only increased their comfort with Wikimedia tools but also empowered them to become more effective content creators. This reaffirmed the importance of integrating foundational digital literacy training into our programs. For future iterations, we plan to incorporate even more hands-on sessions focused on high-impact skills, like multimedia editing and advanced sourcing, to elevate content quality further.
4.Community Insights: Through our collaborations with Wikimedia communities in Ilorin, Imo, Ibadan, and Gombe, we learned that local Wikimedia communities thrive when there is a strong network of support and regional identity. Each community contributed unique perspectives and solutions that enriched the project, underscoring the value of regional insights and collaboration. This insight will guide us to further localize our outreach and support strategies, aligning our training and community-building activities with local interests and needs.
5. Long-Term Sustainability: Ensuring lasting motivation proved to be most effective when participants received ongoing recognition and support beyond the initial training. By introducing awards, continuous mentorship, and regular check-ins, we saw a marked increase in sustained interest. Going forward, we’ll adopt these strategies to build more robust post-training follow-ups. This may include structured mentorship programs, periodic recognition events, and skill-updating workshops, all aimed at fostering an enduring connection with the Wikimedia movement.
These insights have been incredibly valuable and will be instrumental in refining our approach. As we scale towards the next Wikivibrance International Youth Day (IYD) 2025, we’ll use these learnings to design even more effective and tailored programs, enhancing the inclusivity, engagement, and sustainability of youth contributions to the Wikimedia ecosystem.
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)
Yes, there were a few surprises along the way, both positive and challenging, that taught us a lot.
Positive Surprises: One of the biggest unexpected wins was how quickly participants embraced the idea of collaboration and peer support. Early on, we noticed that they naturally formed small support groups, helping each other navigate the editing tools, troubleshooting together, and sharing tips. This unplanned collaboration not only made learning smoother for everyone but also fostered a strong sense of community. It highlighted for us just how powerful peer-to-peer learning can be, especially among young contributors. For future projects, we’re considering formally integrating this kind of collaborative structure to encourage even more mutual support.
Challenges: On the other hand, we encountered a surprising challenge with the technological gap in some areas, particularly regarding internet connectivity. A few communities struggled with reliable access, which slowed down training in some sessions and limited the ability to practice certain skills during live sessions. We realized that even minor issues with connectivity can impact participant confidence and momentum. This experience has taught us the importance of planning for these technical challenges by having offline resources and alternative solutions on hand.
Learning and Moving Forward: These experiences reinforced the value of adaptability. Moving forward, we’ll place even greater emphasis on creating backup plans, like offline editing guides or downloadable resources. We’ll also be more proactive in nurturing organic group collaboration, seeing how well it worked in this setting. These insights will help us shape a more resilient, inclusive program that supports participants regardless of technical or situational limitations.
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, we presented a detailed report to the global Wikivibrance Team, showcasing our strategies, successes, and challenges. Additionally, we shared insights with the Wikimedia communities in Ilorin, Imo, Ibadan, and Gombe through a post-event virtual meetup, where participants reflected on their experiences and exchanged ideas.
Part 3: Metrics
[edit]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 | 120 | 120 | 30 participants each from the 4 participating wiki communities
New Editors : 10 Existing Editors :20 |
| Number of editors | 120 | 120 | 30 participants each from the 4 participating wiki communities
New Editors : 10 Existing Editors :20 |
| Number of organizers | 5 | 5 | One project lead, four local organizers, and co-facilitators |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 800 | 950 | 250 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Wikidata | 200 | 400 | 1200 |
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| 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)
No
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)
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
5379670
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
3800
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/1ygnwmkiJoYT7ruE_C_UlEDo5nBb5qjgmeFVZrXoq4Q8/edit#gid=0
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)
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 Your response to the review feedback. 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