Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Annual Grant for the Wikimedians of UAE User Group

Proposal Feedback for Submitted GSF Application

Dear Wikimedians of the UAE User Group,

Thank you for submitting your application. The regional funding committee and regional program officers and expert staff reviewed your application and have the following questions and feedback for your response;

● Relation with ELF; while we have asked this question in the past, we are in need of updated information on the current relationship status with ELF.

○ To help in sharing this information we are keen to know - who is ELF to the User Group? Does ELF have any other relationships with the team proposed in this proposal - the paid staff. We see on the ELF site that WM UAE is a project of the organization and are curious to understand the nature of independence of existence between the UG and ELF.

Additionally, how do the other members of the UG interact with ELF.

○ In the past,it was indicated that ELF as a partner would offer services such as space though we see a number of budget items linked to venue costs. Would you clarify on what this space service entails and additional information on services from the partnership.

● Volunteer community : Given the information you have provided for instance that "Our community has a significant number of new members who are unfamiliar with editing Wikipedia (62% of our community have no experience with editing on Wikimedia projects)" and that you have a goal of recruiting 10 experienced Wikipedia editors as trainers.

○ We are interested in learning what the shift in community building has been given the last 3 years of work whose goal has been to grow a community of Wikimedians in the UAE.

○ We would like to know the involvement of volunteers in the project design and implementation - besides the 2-4 people indicated in the team structure.

○ How is the volunteer community in UAE holding the UG accountable for the work being and planned to be done.

○ Incentives ; we are keen to learn more about your approach to incentivizing participation on activities and how that is informed by the philosophy that speaks to how volunteers contribute in the movement.

○ We for instance find the prizes listed on this competition to be exuberantly high and especially given that Wikimedian volunteers typically develop lists to support their organizing efforts including campaigns and activities focusing on specific topics of impact.

○ Please direct us to the Meta page showing the list of members of the UG and how many are participating in the projects.

○ Who are the volunteers supporting with workshops / trainings - please share the usernames here.

● Program outcomes;

○ We see that the proposed activities are aligned with the objectives of cultivating a diverse and inclusive community of editors and the programs proposed.

○ Having said that we see a clear mismatch between the proposed impact goals and the requested resources. At this time, we believe it is not appropriate to pursue a funding request of this magnitude. With that we will not be accepting a multi-year funding request at this time from the UG. As noted by an expert reviewer , ‘ The plan has multiple trainings planned, but the strategy notes that a majority of the group have little to no Wikipedia editing experience, and that a core of 10 trainers is still an aspired-to goal. The plan therefore seems very ambitious, as it does not seem that the group has the necessary experienced volunteer base to execute *and support* so much outreach and training.’

Noting as well that this is something we have discussed in the last 2 funding requests. ○ In line with this we observed for instance in the SheSaid campaign a planned metric of 1000 entries , yet as of the mid- learning conversation, only 35 entries were made. What informed the creation of this metric and others - especially given the current status of community.

○ What learnings from the implementation of Wiki Collections informed the proposal to continue with the program - especially as a new program

● Please share how the fiscal sponsorship costs were computed.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you on the comments shared and if you would like to meet with the regional funding committee, please inform the program officer.

On behalf of the regional funding committee and staff Aristidek5maya (talk) 14:59, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

Feedback:

• Relation with ELF; while we have asked this question in the past, we are in need of updated information on the current relationship status with ELF.
• To help in sharing this information we are keen to know - who is ELF to the User Group? Does ELF have any other relationships with the team proposed in this proposal - the paid staff. We see on the ELF site that WM UAE is a project of the organization and are curious to understand the nature of independence of existence between the UG and ELF.
• Additionally, how do the other members of the UG interact with ELF.
• In the past,it was indicated that ELF as a partner would offer services such as space though we see a number of budget items linked to venue costs. Would you clarify on what this space service entails and additional information on services from the partnership.

Answer:

• ELF serves as the fiscal sponsor for the User Group, overseeing the management of its funds within the UAE. This involves financial oversight, including annual audits to ensure transparent expenditure. The UG provides annual financial reports to the ELF, maintaining transparency and accountability.
• The User Group and ELF collaborate on various initiatives to foster growth and impact. ELF supports the User Group's activities by connecting them with key stakeholders, such as universities, organizations, and potential partners. This includes esteemed institutions like Zayed University, UNESCO, EAFoL, and others. By including User Group Core team on the ELF website -which was requested by the UG team-, the group's credibility is enhanced, facilitating connections with official entities and ELF's partners.
• While the User Group operates independently from ELF, it benefits from ELF's support and resources. This relationship is similar to the VoFG Project, which is also a separate entity but collaborates with ELF.
• The User Group remains legally dependent on ELF within the UAE. This means that ELF holds ultimate legal responsibility for the User Group's activities within the UAE. However, the UG collaborates with ELF on projects like the Million Wiki project. The User Group's core team members are not staffed by ELF and operate independently. ELF provides office space for the core team during working hours. Any additional space usage for events or meetings incurs a fee.

Feedback:

• Volunteer community: Given the information you have provided for instance that "Our community has a significant number of new members who are unfamiliar with editing Wikipedia (62% of our community have no experience with editing on Wikimedia projects)" and that you have a goal of recruiting 10 experienced Wikipedia editors as trainers.
• We are interested in learning what the shift in community building has been given the last 3 years of work whose goal has been to grow a community of Wikimedians in the UAE.

Answer:

• Over the past three years, our primary focus has been on building an inclusive Wikimedia community in the UAE and GCC. While significant strides have been made in attracting new members, challenges such as language barriers have emerged. To address these challenges, we have expanded our outreach efforts to a more diverse audience, recognizing the importance of multilingualism within the Wikimedia movement. By organizing projects that cater to both Arabic and other language communities, we aim to create a more inclusive, vibrant and sustainable community.
• To further our outreach efforts, we've actively participated in various events and conferences to raise awareness about the Wikimedia movement, including ICAPCI, SIBF, ADIBF, NLA, GESS, AFIKRA, DILC, SLOY, EAFoL, Project You Launch year 2, School of Life, Jameel Arts Center Career Fair, UOS Career Fair 2024, and the Omani Youth Program.
• While a core team of 2-4 individuals plays a crucial role, we actively involve a broader group of volunteers in project design and implementation. These volunteers contribute to various aspects of our work, from organizing workshops and events to mentoring new editors and reviewing content.
• Mentorship and Training: We've organized mentorship program and workshops, led by experienced Wikimedians like

Michel Bakni for the Omani Youth Wiki Program and other 12 guest trainers (Mohammed Qays, batoul84, Sandra Hanbo, Ibrahim.ID, ولاء, باسم, Anass Sedrati, Mervat, Dyolf77, Nehaoua, Alli Khalil, Ravan) from the community, to train new editors and volunteers.

• Community-Led Projects: We've supported community-led initiatives such as Wiki Loves Monument and Wiki Loves Ramadan (supporting in curating the pilot year and meeting with the project lead), empowering the members to take ownership of projects and support them as needed.
• Members involvement: We've actively involved volunteers in organizing campaigns and events, such as WikiArabia and EAFoL, where community members like Larasabri401 and Noreen played crucial roles in various tasks, from content creation to logistics.
• Mentorship Program: Inspired by the success of the Omani Youth Wiki Program and wikiarabia, we've observed how young people thrive when immersed in a community of dedicated volunteers. This experience can ignite a passion for knowledge sharing and inspire them to become active contributors themselves.
• To ensure accountability, the UG employs a robust system of internal metrics and external feedback. We actively engage the community through meetings, surveys, and open discussions. By fostering transparency and open communication, we empower our volunteers to shape the future of the Wikimedia movement in the UAE.
• Incentives:
• We understand the concern regarding the prize amounts. However, our approach is to collaborate with experienced community members to organize these competitions, which involves significant time and effort. As a token of appreciation for their expertise and dedication, we believe incentivizing these individuals is justified.
• The prize amounts are determined by several factors, including the competition's duration, the quality and quantity of expected content, and the level of effort required. These decisions are made by a dedicated competition committee, ensuring transparency and fairness.
• We firmly believe that recognizing and rewarding contributions is essential for motivating our community and fostering a culture of appreciation.
• WikiCollection:
• WikiCollection is a separate project funded by the Million Project, designed to encourage collaborative efforts among team members. The prize pool for this project is distributed according to specific criteria set by the project committee, which is not exclusive to WMUAE members.
• This year is funded as a competition. But the UG aims that this project becomes a campaign that can be organized by different individuals and community members in the UAE and GCC.
• In addition, we acknowledge the value of creating pre-made lists to guide participants. This year's Emirati Women's Day competition provided a valuable learning experience, demonstrating the effectiveness of such lists in helping both newcomers and experienced contributors. We will continue to explore this approach in future competitions.
• However, for this specific competition, the jury initially decided on an open approach, encouraging groups to focus on localizing their contributions based on geographical location or personal interest. This decision was made to foster creativity and diversity within the competition.
• Members List

You can find the community members here.

• Supporting Team of Volunteers
• Michel Bakni
• Mohammed Qays
• batoul84
• Sandra Hanbo
• Ibrahim.ID
• ولاء
• باسم
• Anass Sedrati
• Mervat
• Dyolf77
• Nehaoua
• Alli Khalil
• Ravan
• Akbarali
• روتانا

Feedback:

• Program outcomes;
• We see that the proposed activities are aligned with the objectives of cultivating a diverse and inclusive community of editors and the programs proposed.
• Having said that we see a clear mismatch between the proposed impact goals and the requested resources. At this time, we believe it is not appropriate to pursue a funding request of this magnitude. With that we will not be accepting a multi-year funding request at this time from the UG. As noted by an expert reviewer , ‘ The plan has multiple trainings planned, but the strategy notes that a majority of the group have little to no Wikipedia editing experience, and that a core of 10 trainers is still an aspired-to goal. The plan therefore seems very ambitious, as it does not seem that the group has the necessary experienced volunteer base to execute *and support* so much outreach and training.’
• Noting as well that this is something we have discussed in the last 2 funding requests. ○ In line with this we observed for instance in the SheSaid campaign a planned metric of 1000 entries , yet as of the mid- learning conversation, only 35 entries were made. What informed the creation of this metric and others - especially given the current status of community.
• What learnings from the implementation of Wiki Collections informed the proposal to continue with the program - especially as a new program

Answers:

• The SheSaid UAE campaign aimed to add 1,000 quotes to Wikiquote, an ambitious but achievable goal based on our community's potential. As of the mid-learning conversation, we had already made significant progress, adding 957 quotes and editing 176 pages. This substantial achievement highlights the dedication of our volunteers, especially considering the challenges faced.
• The SheSaid campaign is ongoing for the remainder of this year. Wikiquote's user-friendly nature makes it an ideal platform for new contributors to get involved, develop their skills, and eventually contribute to more complex projects.
• By setting ambitious goals, fueled by continuous learning and adaptation, we inspire our community to achieve great things. The progress made so far is a testament to their dedication.
• WikiCollection has the potential to support Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia, particularly in areas lacking resources like historical content and collectables. Partnerships with data-rich entities such as END can unlock valuable content and expand the impact of our projects.

Feedback:

• Please share how the fiscal sponsorship costs were computed.

Answers:

As agreed with ELF, the fiscal sponsorship fee will be:

• 5% for funding amounts up to USD 50,000.
• 10% for funding amounts of USD 60,000 or more.

Many thanks and warm regards, Serine Ben Brahim (talk) 08:54, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

While a core team of 2-4 individuals plays a crucial role, we actively involve a broader group of volunteers in project design and implementation. These volunteers contribute to various aspects of our work, from organizing workshops and events to mentoring new editors and reviewing content.

We can see only 2-4 individuals play main role in all actives. We could not see any discussion so far on this talk page. It means transparency in decision making is very minimal. 204شاهد (talk) 07:01, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

To ensure accountability, the UG employs a robust system of internal metrics and external feedback. We actively engage the community through meetings, surveys, and open discussions. By fostering transparency and open communication, we empower our volunteers to shape the future of the Wikimedia movement in the UAE.

When we mention about "transparency" , we cannot find following details on User Group page. such as

• Funds
• Reports
• Newsletters
• Assets

1. Financial reports are not yet created.
2. Activity reports are not updated last 2 years.
3. Volunteers pages are not created yet.

When we promote transparency this open communication and sharing information are concerned. 204شاهد (talk) 07:13, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your interest and questions. However, we would like to address a few key points:

About the user of the message and their approach:

This user in question created an account and promptly began criticising and began their engagement seemingly without a full understanding of the UG work. This raises concerns about the intent behind these actions. The tone and apparent lack of basic knowledge about User Groups (UG) operations suggest a need to review the Wikimedia Foundation's documentation about affiliates.

We believe these questions may pose a hindrance to the ongoing grant review process. Given the potential negative impact on our User Group, we may escalate this matter. If necessary, we will involve the Trust and Safety team to investigate the situation.

Your concerns about “transparency”

You can find our activities report here, and we will be adding our activities report of 2024 by December 31, stay tuned! Also, we submit our financial report through Fluxx which is later added into Meta by a Bot. Feel free to check the financial report there.

Also, you can read the answers of your questions below. Serine Ben Brahim (talk) 15:22, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

Concerns about UAE UG

There are many concern about the functions of UAE UG. It will be good if they can comment on following.

1. . What is the bylaw of UAE UG ?
2. . Why membership procedures are not transparent?
3. . Why members who already filled the applications are not added and updated on the meta page?
4. . How are the leaders of UG group is elected? Is it only reserved for ELF staff all the time? 
5. . Why ELF staff who are already appointed for projects then paid by WMF?

204شاهد (talk) 05:31, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

Responses to your other questions:

• Regarding the bylaw of the UG: User Groups are not required to have their own bylaws, as this is neither a recommendation nor an obligation. To fully understand the structure and functions of the UG, we recommend you review the official documentation provided by the Wikimedia Foundation.

On the transparency of membership procedures:

• Everyone is welcomed to be part of the UG and the registration form is available in almost all our activity pages and constantly shared online (here), (here), (here), (here). The current focus is on updating the User Group's website to provide more comprehensive information. Therefore, the Meta page may not be up-to-date at this time.

On adding members to the Meta page:

• As mentioned earlier, the primary focus has been on developing the official User Group website. Member profiles are being created on our website, which is publicly accessible through the link provided in previous responses.

On the election of UG leaders:

• To clarify, the UG's core team (here) are not ELF staff except for Dania who volunteers her time to support the members and community in their activities and partnerships. Individuals from ELF or other organizations in the UAE or GCC are welcome to contribute to the UG's mission. Moreover, If a member of the UG is a full-time employee of an organization, such as ELF or another entity, this information will be explicitly stated in the UG's staffing plan.
• Also, according to the Affiliate Committee (AffComm) User Groups are not obligated to conduct elections for leadership roles as you can read (here).

Why ELF staff who are already appointed for projects then paid by WMF?

• It seems there may be a misunderstanding about who you're referring to as ELF staff. None of the core team members, with the exception of Dania (a volunteer) are employed by the ELF.
• If you're referring to the Million Wiki Project when you mention "appointed for projects," please note that the team is working in their respective roles within the User Group (UG). The UG is open to supporting projects that align with its mission and Wikimedia’s mission.

We value open and constructive dialogue. but we expect a more thoughtful approach and respect for the community's efforts. Thank you! Serine Ben Brahim (talk) 15:34, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

Firstly, we want to express our appreciation for the activities organized by the UAE User Group, such as the Wiki Arabia conference, Edit-a-thon, and other programs. This discussion is not intended to criticize the user group's functions or hinder any WMF activities related to the UAE User Group.

The questions raised here are concerns about transparent procedures and the democratic approach of the User Group. If these questions are irrelevant, the team can disregard them. We have not made any personal attacks in this conversation.

The concern arises from the relationship between ELF and the User Group. Many User Groups operate voluntarily, with Wikimedia editors contributing their time and effort. However, in this case, the User Group leaders are being compensated for their activities.

Additionally, since the formation of the User Group, the same team has held major leadership roles, leaving little opportunity for others to assume leadership positions. As mentioned, ELF holds ultimate legal responsibility for the User Group's activities within the UAE, which influences the recruitment of the director and key positions within the User Group. This means that Wikimedians do not have a role in these decisions, as they are made by another entity.

We have not observed any talk page communication or transparent interaction between the User Group and its members regarding decision-making processes. Concerning membership procedures, individuals who filled out the Google form two years ago are still not listed on the User Group's meta page.

Furthermore, the requested budget for two paid employees ($52,273.98 or AED 192,003) to implement 11 programs seems excessive, especially considering that many other User Group members work hard without any payment and manage more activities than the UAE User Group. We hope the WMF will consider this matter positively. 204شاهد (talk) 11:12, 25 November 2024 (UTC)

Feedback

Hello @Aristidek5maya

First, I’d like to clarify that I’m not a member of the UAE User Group.

I’d like to thank @Serine Ben Brahim for mentioning me in the conversation. I wanted to share my feedback based on my experience working with the UAE User Group recently.

Here are a few examples of the projects we’ve worked on together:

1. Wiki Arabia 2024 Edit-a-thon I was both a trainer and project manager for this edit-a-thon, and we achieved some great results, including:
   • Training more than 30 participants.
   • Creating over 480 new articles on Arabic Wikipedia.
   • Hosting six training sessions.
     • The UAE team managed and funded this project, They helped with planning, recruiting participants (both during and outside the conference), and following up with winners and each step of the competition. We had more than four meetings to organize everything, and the team worked with professionalism and a friendly attitude. Special thanks to Serine, Duaa, and Ehab for their hard work.
2. Harrir Competition 2024 I’m one of the project managers for 2024 competition, and the UAE team has been incredibly supportive. They’ve been flexible, listened to our ideas, and made sure everything runs smoothly.
3. Wiki for Minorities in the Arabic Community 2024 I also worked with @Larasabri401 from the UAE team, who was one of our ambassadors for this project. She worked hard and contributed a lot, showing how active and supportive the UAE User Group members are in different Wikimedia communities.

Beyond these projects, Serine and Duaa have also supported the collaboration with Wikimedians of Kuwait User Group. We’ve been holding regular weekly meetings to discuss plans for 2025 and potential partnerships between the UAE and Kuwait User Groups.

The board members of the UAE User Group have been professional, supportive, and easy to work with. From my experience, I see no reason to suggest any changes to their leadership or structure. روتانا (talk) 21:33, 9 December 2024 (UTC)