Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedians of the Levant UG Grant Proposal 2024

Inquiry from Liberia

Dear Sir/Madam: I'm Mitchell M. Harris from Generational Thinkers from Liberia. Generational Thinkers is a Liberian youth focus NGO that is dedicated to building a more just, Generational Thinkers (GT) is a non-political, non-governmental and not-for-profit youth focused organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality capacity building and opportunities for young women and adolescent girls.

I write to find out whether organizations from Liberia are eligible to apply for the Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund Mitchell.harris22 (talk) 08:37, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Maybe you have to add your question here. Mervat (talk) 19:49, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

Proposal Feedback and Invite for Response

Thank you for submitting your application. After the review process please find the feedback - comments and questions below for your response;

• We found your application to be generally understandable - while the programs and approaches have been detailed - we lacked seeing the specific activities. For examples; in program 2 you speak to engaging with WMF campaigns, which ones specifically would be you engaging in and how? On interacting with Arab community interest - what activity will you do to fulfill this? Will you organize 1 call a quarter for the community? Kindly review the proposal sharing more specific activities per program and the intended outcome - how will know the program worked?

<Reply>

* With regards to WMF campaigns, we have previously participated in many of the campaigns outlined in the campaigns section below. This year, we plan to participate in WikiWomen’s Month, Wiki for Human Rights, Wikipedia Birthday, Wiki Pages Wanting Photos, and our budget allows for participation in additional campaigns, depending on the availability of participants. We will be following the global announcements for these events and participating in the discussions leading up to the events. For example, we know for a fact that many affiliates will launch initiatives relating to women in March, so will coordinate with other groups and adapt the initiatives to suit our community’s needs and interests.

* As for interacting with the Arab community, the activities targeted towards them are many. A prime example is the Al-Arz competition, which is an annual editing competition targeted at the entire Arabic-speaking Wikipedia community. The podcast is another example targeted at the wider Arabic-speaking community. Additionally, Wikimedians of the Levant is planning to host this year’s edition of WikiArabia, the biggest Wikimedia event in the region that brings together Wikimedians from the entire Arab World. The outcomes of the programs are documented and published, and the new iterations of the programs take into account the learnings from previous years. Most of our planned activities are return activities that we have found to be successful.

* The quarterly community call is a good idea. It is not currently in our plan, but we can try to incorporate that in, and see how effective it may be.

--Mervat (talk) 20:42, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• We recognize your continued commitment in working with universities and GLAM partners - this is consistent with previous annual plans.

<Reply> These types of programs fit our community’s needs, especially because it opens horizons to new partnerships and attracts the attention of people from different backgrounds, which is a chance to increase our membership base.

--Mervat (talk) 20:42, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• We see the role you play in coordinating and fostering collaboration in the region’s community efforts of contributing to Wikimedia projects.

<Reply> Coordination and collaboration is a very important aspects in the region, and we plan to continue playing a leading role in making that happen.

--Mervat (talk) 20:42, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• We find your metrics to be low. For instance having a goal of 55 participants for the full year, same for Commons and Wiki data. Would you say more on this goal. Additionally, we did not see any metrics related to contributors including editors. In case there was a rationale for this please let us know.

<Reply> We realize that on the surface, the number of participants looks a little low. However, we are setting realistic and achievable goals with sustainability in mind. This number is very likely to be higher. For example, this year’s Al-Arz contest alone has attracted 48 editors, the education program launched in the Medicine faculty at Hebron University in Palestine in 2023 attracted 47 participants and another program in Jordan had 30 participants. So the number 55 was meant to be the in-person participants in the various workshops and events; i.e. the group's members and didn't include participants in the proects that we initiate for the entire Arabic community.

--Mervat (talk) 20:42, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• We see a growth in staff and management costs - would share the rationale? Please have a look at the computation of the costs - there is a discrepancy between detailed and summary budgets.

<Reply>:

Please notice that in the Summary, we partialized the fiscal sponsor's costs from the Staff costs, whereas it is margined in the Detailed budget. The sponsor's cost is a percentage of the total cost, hence you don't see it added in the detailed budget, but it's there in the summary as is calculated when the total was computed.

We saw a need to cover the expenses of the board members that they spend managing the different projects and probable projects. For example, board members visit partners, conduct meetings with different entities, use the internet, and transportation, and spend hours reviewing and discussing internal projects and discussing requests, responding to members needs, etc. This is all time, cost, and effort that could/should be compensated for. However, this need was discussed with Veronica in a meeting and we understood that many groups allocate a simple percentage of the fund to cover for the management expenses. --Mervat (talk) 21:03, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• Would you elaborate further on the planned per country / community work and impact - for the countries planned to be engaged in the Levant region. We are seeking to understand your intervention on both a per community / country and regional basis.

<Reply> Even though the four countries covered by our user group are culturally very similar and are quite intertwined, and even though we try to cover the whole region in the same activities, we recognize the difficulties arising from coordination across borders which can prove to be impractical or even impossible. This is where the country-specific activities fit in. Activities such as the education program in Hebron and collaboration with cultural organizations in Jordan are examples of activities that cannot work across the region. Additionally, we are keen to increase the involvement in Syria and Lebanon --Fjmustak (talk) 22:34, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

• Seeing that the user group has planned for a coordinator role for this grant, we are keen on learning on your plan for their location to support the communities in the region. Do you have a recruitment plan that also enables representation diversity?

<Reply> this is not a new role, we already have a paid coordinator, and we see the need to continue having a coordinator, who helps The coordinator plays an important role in following up on projects, starting with following up on the offers proposed internally by the group members, through coordination with the financial sponsor to finance the projects as necessary, and ending with closing the projects after they are completed and documented. His knowledge also includes coordinating the group’s periodic and unscheduled meetings to discuss developments, and participating in writing Reports, preparing work plans, coordinating between members, following up on the group’s official pages in ًwikipedia and Meta, and other tasks requested of him by members of the Board of Directors.

--Mervat (talk) 20:42, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

Expert reviewer - GLAM

I see they are mentioning ICOMOS and libraries overall, but it would be helpful to understand what other institutions they are considering and how many (an estimate).

They mentioned in "Strategies": "Carry out a diverse range of activities that fulfill the common goals." But what activities are they planning to propose to those cultural and heritage institutions? Events? Guiding content donation (metadata or multimedia files)?

Overall, the proposal is very general and it needs specificity on how they will accomplish the work with GLAMs. This is especially important as it seems they only have one paid position and the proposal is full of different areas. <Reply> We recognize the importance of partnering with GLAM institutions, and or partnership with ICOMOS is but one. We have a strategic goal to increase the collaboration with GLAM institutions, whether by making use of their resources or by holding events there are forthcoming. Collaboration with GLAM institutions is a must. --Fjmustak (talk) 23:13, 14 November 2023 (UTC).

Expert reviewer -Education

It could be helpful to note some strategies that the applicants are planning to implement to monitor and evaluate the impact of their initiatives, as well as to reflect as a team and share their learnings with the larger movement.

In regards to the budget line for Education, it's not clear what the expenses of those 3 education programs are (printed materials? contractors? venues?). It could be helpful to add more detail in that regard

I think the plans to continue past efforts, strengthen partnerships, and build from there is a big strength of this proposal.

In regards of the Reading Wikipedia program, I have met with members of the team before and linked them to WM Morocco. I think the proposal could benefit from some more detail as to how they're thinking to bring about this collaboration (or other similar ones).

We highly recommend you get in touch with the regional program officer to support you in understanding the questions raised or if you find it useful to meet with the committee as well, please let them know and they can organize a conversation meeting.

<Reply>:

Thank you for your review and advice. We have a strong belief that partnering with the education sector will help us reach a larger segment of the public to increase awareness about the idea of free knowledge and the importance of participating in collecting and documenting it, and this includes teachers, students and academics alike. Education programs in their traditional scope have achieved success in our region, but they have not continued in the same way for various reasons. However, by reconsidering the implementation strategies and methodologies that we aspire to implement during the coming year, we will achieve our desired goals. We already contacted some of our old partners to renew our collaboration and they very much welcomed it. As for the initiative to read Wikipedia in the classroom, and given the successes achieved by our colleagues in the region, we believe that we can benefit from their experiences to implement the project in Jordan, and we have already begun planning for that, as we agreed with two Wikimedian academic colleagues to implement two phases of the project in their educational institutions, and we held Several meetings to develop the work plan, including a meeting with the foundation's project officer, and two meetings with colleagues in Morocco and Yemen. We are ready to launch a pilot version soon, before expanding it within next year’s plan. One of the good things that we hope to achieve through education programs is to increase the awareness of academic communities about the importance of knowledge documentation, answer the traditional questions that we repeatedly hear about lack of reliability, and recommend that academics avoid relying on Wikimedia in educational activities. By eradicating Wikipedia literacy, we will increase the chances of bringing more members into the movement, and this has already happened, especially young people who can come up with new ideas to achieve our vision. ​On the other hand, it's worth mentioning that a good percentage of the budget allocated for education is spent to cover cost of venues, printed material, gifts and insentives for the best participants, transportation, and meetups. --Mervat (talk) 21:35, 14 November 2023 (UTC) ==

Thank you and we look forward to receiving your responses to support us in the next steps. On behalf of the MEA Regional Committee and Staff - VThamaini (WMF) (talk) 08:43, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

Thank you Veronica, hope our replies ansewer your questions and clarify things.

On belf of the wikimedians of the levant user group: --Mervat (talk) 21:35, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

Thank you so much for taking the time to carefully respond to the questions and comments. We plan to share funding decisions in the next week and in case of anything, we will be sure to let you know. Thank you. VThamaini (WMF) (talk) 14:54, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

Review of Wikidata experience

This grant proposal outlines a significant contribution to Wikidata, but does not identify any users who are knowledgable about that project. Can this be remedied? Thanks, Bovlb (talk) 05:24, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

Budget 2024

Hello. Your budget includes a monthly compensation of $275 allocated to the board three members for the duration of the grant, which is one full year. However, the answer to question No. 19 about the number of people who will receive compensation or salaries is for one person only. I think it is better to indicate that they are 4 people, as board members compensations is monthly and fixed.

Is The UG budget $34,050 for 2024?

Please enable access to the budget sheet link. Tagging some of Board members @Fjmustak @Mervat. Thank you for your efforts. Best, NANöR (talk) 19:38, 24 February 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your concerns @NANöR:, these are just plans, that were shared with Veronica and her team previously; we (all groups) usually share the final reports in public on meta, with details on how the grant was spent. Ii already discussed this with Veronica, she and her team approved our 2024 grant after checking the breakdown that we shared. However, the approved grant for 2024 is $47,990, the amount that appears in the proposal is in the local currency (as stated), but the template that is used for the proposals marks all amounts in US dollars (that's the WMF template). We are open to discuss any doubts you may have. Mervat (talk) 03:25, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

Levantine Arabic Wikipedia

Hello @Mervat @Mervat (WMF) @Freedom's Falcon @Fjmustak @Sandra Hanbo:

We are a group of Wikipedians working to launch a Levantine Arabic Wikipedia. We believe that this project is crucial for promoting linguistic equity in the Levant and in the globe. As you know, the Levant faces a situation of diglossia, where Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has a well-established Wikipedia, while Levantine Arabic, the native language of millions, lacks similar support. This creates a significant barrier for those who primarily communicate in Levantine Arabic, especially displaced people or those without access to formal MSA education. One of our motivations is to bridge this gap by creating a comprehensive Levantine Arabic Wikipedia. This initiative aligns perfectly with the Wikimedia Foundation's commitment to equity and accessibility of knowledge. We kindly request your support. Any assistance you can provide, whether through an edit-a-thon or by simply connecting us with Levantine Wikipedians who could be interested in this project would be invaluable. Thank you for your time and consideration.

CC: @FunLater @A455bcd9 (Some members of the unofficial Levantine Arabic Wikipedia user group.) CC: @VThamaini (WMF): TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 04:59, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

As a native speaker of one of the many varieties of Levantine dialects of the Arabic language, I salute your enthusiasm to embark on this very ambitious project. That said, I'm afraid to say the reasoning behind creating this version is flawed. People without access to formal MSA education also lack access to formal "Levantine Arabic" education. In fact, the differences among the varieties of Levantine spoken dialects are so great, that MSA would be the best way to "standardize" the writing.

I am aware of some efforts to codify and standardize the spoken dialects that have gained very little traction over the years (most notably Lebanese), but the fact remains that the spoken varieties of Arabic in the Levant remain just that. Any attempt to standardize the varieties on Wikipedia would be akin to original research.

Of all the Levantine Wikimedians (and non-Wikimedians) I know, I have yet to meet one who would think this is actually a good idea. The best way for a Wikipedia in a new language to emerge is organically, and not by linguistic enthusiasts. Therefore, I would strongly suggest putting your efforts elsewhere. Fjmustak (talk) 10:41, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Fjmustak: Thanks so much for getting back to me. Learning your perspective has been very helpful. I would say these arguments are very similar to the ones that were brought up agains the Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia (arguments against) and the Moroccan Wikipedia (arguments against), and both projects are alive and successful today. Therefore, instead of providing an extensive response, I would like to ask one favor: could you share our invitation to collaborate on the Levantine Arabic Wikipedia with the broader Wikimedia Levant members? I am confident that their perspectives are more diverse than you believe. (Notably, our small group includes several Wikipedians from the Levant, myself included.) TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 17:49, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Sure, I will bring it up to our group in the next meeting. Please note that this talk page is not really the right place to be discussing this. Fjmustak (talk) 18:35, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

I am curious about 2 things, the factors based on which you concluded the Egyptian arabic wikipedia is successful today, and how you will lead a dialict project (levantian is not a language but a dialict) while you only have basic knowledge. Unfortunately, we cannot provide support as a group. inivdiuals are free to choose. Mervat (talk) 04:14, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

Hello Mervat! Thank you for getting back to me. I'd be happy to answer your questions. Regarding the success of the Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia, one can check the stats: We see that it has received 342 Million page views over the last year. That means it is helping people to get access to knowledge, in the language they prefer. And I won't be leading the project, I am just a volunteer like anyone else. I'm trying to help with tasks that don't require language proficiency, such as finding more contributors. That's why I tried to get in touch with you. Regarding dialect vs. language discussions, the WMF Language Committee leaves those decisions to ISO, and according to ISO, Levantine Arabic is considered a language. It's not mutually intelligible with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the language of ar.wikipedia.org. So there is currently no Wikipedia version that Levantine Arabic speakers can easily use. That's why I believe this project perfectly aligns with the goals of the WMF and the Wikimedians of the Levant user group. According to Ethnologue, "In most Arab countries only the well-educated have adequate proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic." For the rest of the Levantine Arabic speakers who did not have access to a high-quality education, or had to complete their education outside of an Arab country, the Levantine Arabic Wikipedia would be a great resource. Even if they are proficient in MSA, some people may still choose to consume knowledge in their mother tongue, rather than a second language.

While I'm sorry to hear you're not interested in getting involved, I would still be grateful if you could share our invitation to collaborate with the larger group. I've gotten many positive responses from people in countries like Lebanon and Syria, and I truly believe there could be some interested contributors within your user group. TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 05:47, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

Hello @TheJoyfulTentmaker, I am just wondering if you are really from the Levant, why you are speaking English to people? How you can tell native speakers what is there language is all about while you have stated in your home page that your knowledge of levantian dialect is limited?

I live in France, and my French is very good, I teach in French! but I can not tell French people what is true or false about thier mother tounge.

Could you please consider asking people of Levante what do they think on creating levantian Wikipedia? do not worry I will do it for you today, and let us see what they think! Michel Bakni (talk) 08:38, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

@Michel Bakni Thanks for the question, happy to answer. I grew up in the part of the Levant that is in Turkey. Levantine Arabic was spoken extensively in our homes, especially by the earlier generations. And I did ask many people! That tell me, that can speak with a Syrian easily, but they understand nothing from the Syrian news broadcast. That is because they went to school in Turkey, not in Syria. So they don't know Modern Standard Arabic. They will be able to use the Levantine Arabic Wikipedia if we can implement the multiple writing system support after launch. Also, even within Arab countries, MSA is for the privileged, who has access to a good education. Leaving out the mother tongue of the people contradicts the WMF goal of "equity". TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 14:15, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

@TheJoyfulTentmaker:, @Mervat:, @Michel Bakni:, may I suggest moving this discussion elsewhere if you wish to continue? This is the talk page for the annual grant where specific discussions about the grant take place before a funding decision is made, and not a forum to discuss new language. Regards --Fjmustak (talk) 01:02, 13 March 2024 (UTC)