Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Writing Rivers History in Wikipedia (ID: 22066436)

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki
statusFunded
Writing Rivers History in Wikipedia
proposed start date2023-04-01
proposed end date2023-04-30
grant start date2023-04-01T00:00:00Z
grant end date2023-04-30T00:00:00Z
budget (local currency)918934 NGN
budget (USD)2000 USD
amount recommended (USD)2000
grant typeIndividual
funding regionSSA
decision fiscal year2022-23
applicant• Ugwulebo
organization (if applicable)• N/A
Review Final Report

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation where the user has submitted their application. 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.

Applicant Details[edit]

Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Ugwulebo

Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

User: Ugwulebo;

User: Omorodion1

Organization

N/A

Are you a member of any Wikimedia affiliate or group, including informal groups like Wiki Fan Clubs, emerging language communities, not recognized Wikimedia groups etc.? Please list them all.

Yes,

I am a member of: Wikimedia UserGroup Nigeria; Wikimedia+Libraries User Group Wikibrarian Community in Nigeria

I am the Co-founder of the Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub

Grant Proposal[edit]

M. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.

Writing Rivers History in Wikipedia

Q. Indicate if it is a local, international, or regional proposal and if it involves several countries? (optional)

Local

Q2. If you have answered regional or international, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.


R. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.


1. What is the change that you are trying to bring about and why is this important.

Rivers state is one of the Niger-Delta states located in the Southern part of Nigeria. The state is known for its linguistic diversity with over 28 ethnic groups which includes Abua, Andoni, Ekpeye, Bille, Eleme, Kalabari, Okrika, Ogoni, Engenni, Etche, Ibani, Ikwerre, Ogba, Odua and others. However, information about these ethnic groups are not properly documented on Wikipedia. Also, information about Rivers state is either missing or poorly developed in the English Wikipedia. For example, despite having the required notability, there are no Wikipedia pages for subjects such as Egbelegbe masquerade, ION International Film Festival, Onne sea port, Agiri festival, Epellema, Mile 1 market etc. This has, in turn, contributed to low readership in Wikipedia. For Instance, an analysis of Rivers State and Ikwerre People articles using WIKINAV returned a page views of 7.1k and 2.1k respectively for the month of December 2022. Whereas, the incoming page views for Lagos State and Yoruba People within the same time frame returned a result of 14.6k and 80.9k. This shows some imbalance in Wikipedia readership in different regions of the country.


Given the significant knowledge gap (about Rivers People) on Wikipedia, and the need to promote open knowledge (about Rivers People and their history), this project therefore aim to help document information about the Rivers people by creating new Rivers-related Wikipedia articles and improving existing underdeveloped articles. This is planned to be achieved in partnership with the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies at the University of Port Harcourt, and it will ultimately help address the Wikimedia Knowledge gap which include content, contributor and readership gaps. The list of articles to be created and improved can be found in the link below (list building is not finalized yet).


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d4MUceku5Gv-7XsF5S28oO9nghorZ4N9/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109019414879526685509&rtpof=true&sd=true

2. Describe your main approaches or strategies to achieve these changes and why you think they will be effective.

The main approach to achieve the changes proposed in this project is to build the capacity of historians and history students that form members of the academic community in Rivers State, so they can be equipped with the right set of competencies to document local knowledge on global platforms such as Wikipedia. Capacity building program in this context connotes Wikipedia editing skills, fact checking skills and research skills. This approach will, in the long run, help to document endangered information about Rivers people while also promoting access to the information for educational and research purposes. This strategy will offer immediate solutions to both contributor and content gaps, and in the long run, help to reduce the readership gap. The organizers will use locally developed training resources, including some offline PowerPoint slides to train the participants for easy comprehension. Thereafter, hands-on training will be carried out.

3. What are the activities you will be developing and delivering as part of these approaches or strategies?

As part of the strategy identified for this project, the following key activities will be carried out: Wikipedia Training: The project will offer training to faculty members and students of the History and Diplomatic Studies Department at University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State. The training will include basic Wikipedia editing, adding of citation, amongst others. There will be one in-person training followed by a series of virtual training sessions/follow-up. Write-a-thon: We will organize a closely monitored write-a-thon where participants will create new Rivers related Wikipedia articles and expand existing underdeveloped Rivers articles. We will have a two day in-person write-a-thons. List Building and Development of Project Page: Among the activities that will be delivered for this project is building a list of notable (important) Rivers subject to be created on Wikipedia, in addition to providing a list of existing Wikipedia articles that require improvements. The list building process has commenced, while a project page will be developed on Meta.

4. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign or event? If so, please select the relevant campaign below. If so, please select all the relevant campaigns from the list below. If "other", please state which.

Not applicable

5. Do you have the team that is needed to implement this proposal?

Yes;

User: Ugwulebo (Volunteer Project Coordinator) - User Ugwulebo is an experienced Wikimedian and co-founder of the Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub. He has organized several Wikimedia projects in Nigeria. Being an academic staff member of the University of Port Harcourt, User Ugwulebo will lead the project.

User: Omorodion1 (Volunteer Lead Facilitator): User Omorodion1 is an experienced Wikimedian and co-founder of the Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub. He has organized and facilitated several Wikimedia events in Nigeria. He will be the chief facilitator for this project. He is a member of the first Cohort of the Organizer Lab course by the Wikimedia Foundation.

6. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.

Geography, Language, Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial

6.1 In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge.

This project specifically seek to fill the content gap around Rivers people by creating and improving notable rivers related articles on Wikipedia. it also aim to address other components of the Wikimedia knowledge gap such as contributor and readership gap. through this project, new contributors will be recruited into the movement and they will help create local expert knowledge on Wikipedia.

7. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.

Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM , Advocacy

8. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Geographic , Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Linguistic / Language

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?

The target participants for this project are faculty members and students of the History and Diplomatic Studies Department of the University of Port Harcourt. This target group who are mostly Rivers indigenes, will be trained to write Rivers History in Wikipedia. Given that this project is in partnership with the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, the participants will initially be engaged using the Departments virtual groups such as Whatsapp and Telegram groups at the point of recruitment. Communication with the participants during and after the events will be via the project whatsapp group. It is hoped that interested participants will thereafter be added to the Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub group. This will help in the follow-up of participants.

10. In what ways are you actively seeking to contribute towards creating a safer, supportive, more equitable environment for participants?

The Wikimedia friendly space policy and universal code of conduct will be implemented in our in-person and online events. In the event of unacceptable behaviour by any of the participants, corrective actions such as warning (in the first instance) will be enforced. The event organizers will equally make efforts to provide participants with contacts of the local law enforcement, event venue security and event organizers.

11. Please tell us about how you have let your Wikimedia communities know about the planned activities and this proposal. Use this space to describe the processes you carried out to make the community more involved in planning this proposal. Please link the on-wiki community discussion(s) around the proposals.

I have informed the Wikimedia community in Nigeria about this project. I have also reached out to the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies at the University of Port Harcourt. Specifically, this project has been announced on Meta, in the Discussion page of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria and Port Harcourt Wikimedia Hub. Kindly find the link to both announcements below:

1. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_User_Group_Nigeria#Writing_Rivers_History_in_Wikipedia
2. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_User_Group_Nigeria/_Port_Harcourt_Wikimedia_Hub#Writing_Rivers_History_in_Wikipedia
12. Are you aware of other Rapid Fund proposals in your local group, community, or region that are being submitted and that align with your proposed project?

No

If yes:

12.1 Did you explore the possibility of doing a joint proposal with other leaders in your group?
N/A
12.2 How will this joint proposal allow you to have better results?
N/A
13. Will you be working with other external, non-Wikimedia partners to implement this proposal? Required.

Yes

13.1 Please describe these partnerships and what motivates the potential partner to be part of the proposal and how they add value to your work.

As earlier mentioned, this project will be in partnership with the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies. The Department has several trained historians who are indigenes of Rivers State, and possess the required historic knowledge about Rivers State and her people. They also have undergraduate and postgraduate students possessing the required education to contribute useful local expert knowledge around Rivers History on Wikipedia. Thus, the Department will be responsible for recruiting participants for this project, as well as advising on the different sources to be consulted prior to writing Wikipedia articles. In addition to mobilizing the participants, the Department will offer some communication support that will help give the project a wider coverage.

14. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Manage Internal Knowledge

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation[edit]

15. What do you hope to learn from your work in this fund proposal?

Given the overall goal of this project, I am interested in learning about historians' perception of Wikipedia as a tool for documenting Rivers History. In addition, I am interested in learning how often the participants use Wikipedia for their research? How many are willing to contribute content to Wikipedia after the event? What factors could possibly hinder their future participation in Wikimedia activities? etc

16. Based on these learning questions, what is the information or data you need to collect to answer these questions? Please register this information (as metric description) in the following spaces provided.
Main Open Metrics Data
Main Open Metrics Description Target
Survey Data; Mentimeter and Focused Group Qualitative data will be collected via survey, Mentimeter and Focused group discussion. This will be done before, during and after the event. Target number or kinds of qualitative data to be collected is four (4) to align with the learning questions asked. 4
Article Views Minimum number of articles views as a result of this project 100000
Number of Words Minimum number of words added to articles 15000
N/A N/A N/A
N/A N/A N/A
17. Core quantitative metrics.
Core Metrics Summary
Core metrics Description Target
Number of participants This refers to those who benefit or attend any of the activities planned for this project. Overall, we target a total number of 50 participants for both the online and offline events. Out of which, a minimum of 15 persons will be returning participants while a minimum of 35 persons will be new participants. 50
Number of editors This refers to people who will edit Wikimedia projects as a result of this grant activities. The target number of editors for this project is 42, comprising 30 newly registered editors and 12 returning editors. 42
Number of organizers This refers to people responsible for the implementation of this project. 2
Number of new content contributions per Wikimedia project
Wikimedia Project Description Target
Wikipedia Atleast 60 new Wikipedia articles will be created while at least 140 existing articles will be improved 200
Wikimedia Commons Minimum number of Photos to be uploaded on Commons as a result of this project 50
N/A N/A N/A
N/A N/A N/A
N/A N/A N/A
17.1 If for some reason your proposal will not measure these core metrics please provide an explanation.


18. What tools would you use to measure each metric selected? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support.

We would use the Outreach Dashboard to measure the core metrics for the project. Mentimeter, survey and focused group discussion will be used to collect the qualitative data for this project.

Financial Proposal[edit]

19. & 19.1 What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

918934 NGN

19.2 What is this amount in US Currency (to the best of your knowledge)?

2000 USD

20. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MOuJsEQ5TyTqVbiKWpZgBh_wEhM0SsBGFGSYTHlp1Pk/edit?usp=drivesdk

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).

Endorse