Grants:Wikimedia UG Nigeria Grants/Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Community Support Fund/Wikipedia Awareness Campaign and Training in Federal University Wukari, Taraba State

Project summary

Briefly summarize your project proposal.

• The "Wikipedia Awareness Campaign and Training" at Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, aims to introduce and establish a strong Wikipedia presence within the university community. Despite Wikipedia's global reach as a free knowledge platform, there remains a significant gap in awareness and participation within many academic institutions in Nigeria, particularly in regions like Taraba State. This project seeks to bridge this gap by creating awareness about Wikipedia and its associated Wikimedia projects, highlighting their educational value and potential for research, learning, and content creation. Through a series of training sessions and interactive workshops, students, faculty, and staff will be equipped with the necessary skills to contribute to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. By fostering a community of active contributors at the Federal University Wukari, the project aims to empower participants to share knowledge about their local culture, history, and academic interests, thereby enriching Wikipedia's content and promoting the university's academic visibility on a global scale.

Wikimedia Project

Please state the Wikimedia project your project will focus majorly on (e.g. English Wikipedia, Wikidata, etc). It is advisable to focus on one Wikimedia project, but a maximum of two projects is allowed.

• English Wikipedia

Contact person and Location

Please state the contact details of the contact person(s) for this project including email(s) and location. For more than one contact person, indicate same details for everyone

• Full name: Bernice Emmanuel Bidemi
• Address: Wukari, Taraba State
• Location of Project: Wukari, Taraba State

Project class

Please state if you are applying as an individual or a network/club

• Individual project

Timeline of activities

Please state the timeline of your activities, and include the start and end date for your project

• The campaign will take place over two days, from September 9th to 10th, 2024.

Project Goal

Choose one or more of the following goals. Feel free to add or delete goals as required by your project.

1. Recruit new editors
2. Add or improve content

Project Plan

Activities

Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:

1. Are you doing one editathon or training or a series of editathons or trainings?

On the first day, September 9th, the focus will be on raising awareness about Wikipedia and its sister projects within the university community. This will include introductory sessions, presentations, and engagement activities aimed at familiarizing participants with the importance of Wikipedia and the opportunities it offers. On the second day, September 10th, we will conduct hands-on training sessions, where participants will be guided through the process of editing Wikipedia and creating new articles.

2. How have you let relevant Wikimedia communities know about this proposal? You may also provide information about external social media channels you may be using.

I have posted a notification on the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. Here is the link: Talk:Wikimedia User Group Nigeria#Wikipedia Awareness Campaign and Training in Federal University Wukari, Taraba State

3. How will you let participants know about the edit-a-thon? In what ways will you be communicating with them?
For example, these can include on-wiki spaces, social media channels, mailing lists, messaging apps, or physical/online gatherings.

To ensure widespread awareness of the campaign, I will collaborate with the university's Public Relations team to disseminate information through official channels, including the university's website, notice boards, and social media pages. Additionally, I will leverage staff and student WhatsApp platforms to share event details, posters, and reminders, ensuring that the entire university community is informed and encouraged to participate in the campaign.

4. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead/assist the event? Please provide links to the usernames of these individuals. (NOTE: all experienced Wikimedia editors MUST endorse and sign your proposal as proof of availability)
For example: User:Kaizenify

As there is no existing Wikimedia community at the university and no experienced Wikimedians apart from myself, I will bring in an experienced editor from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Wikimedia community with username User:Baruch Omale to assist in facilitating the project. I became involved with Wikimedia as an editor during my PhD program at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

5. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?

Yes, participants only need their personal computers, which most of them already possess as members of an academic community. It is an awareness and training campaign so they will be equipped with the requisite skills in the course of the project.

6. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?

Follow-up sessions will be held online through a designated WhatsApp group that will be created to provide assistance to participants and also to share vital help tips. Hopefully, an active Wikimedia community will be formed after campaign.

7. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?

This project not only aims to create awareness and provide training on Wikipedia and its sister projects but also to establish a lasting Wikimedia presence within Federal University Wukari. By forming an active Wikimedia community, we aim to ensure sustained participation and contributions from the university, enriching Wikimedia's content with local knowledge and perspectives. This initiative will also help integrate Wikimedia resources into the academic activities of the university, promoting open knowledge and digital literacy among students and staff.

Impact

How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets (only those applicable to your project):

1. Number of events - 2
2. Number of participants - 25
3. Number of new editors - 20

Metrics tracking

How do you plan to track your project metrics? (do not create a metrics dashboard until your project has been approved for funding) The Wikimedia metrics dashboard will be used to track the activities.

Resources

What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

I will lead the event, and User:Baruch Omale will be invited to help me with the training. I have informed him, and he has agreed to co-facilitate the training with me. However, there is no external supports as regards funding for the project.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense as a unit amount and include a total amount.

1. Hall rental 20,000 × 2days = N40,000
2. Generator, projector and public address system rental = N20,000
3. Fuel (30 liters) = N16,000
4. Internet subscription = N20,000
5. Flyer and banner design/printing = N15,000
6. Transportation and accommodation for co-facilitator = N30,000
7. Refreshment (N2,000 × 25 persons × 2 days = N100,000
8. Customized T-shirt (5,000×2) = N10,000
9. Contingency = N5,000
10. Total amount = N256,000

Endorsements

Community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!

• I give my full support to this project and have also undertaken to co-facilitate the project. This project is geared towards establishing an active Wikimedia community at Federal University Wukari, Taraba state. Baruch Omale (talk) 09:02, 12 August 2024 (UTC)