Growing Local Language Content on Wikipedia (Project Tiger 2.0)/Writing Contest/Community Training 2022

Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) and WMF's partner in India Access to Knowledge (A2K) program conducted and supported a series of events and activities in India such as edit-a-thons, photowalks, Wiki-workshops, equipment support etc. To support and bridge the knowledge gap online in regional languages, Wikimedia Foundation and Google collaboratively started the Project Tiger initiative in India in 2018. A2K has been the implementation partner for this project in India. As of now, two events are already successfully happened and Project Tiger 2.0's two phases, content writing and Hardware support, are already done. Due to COVID-19 or the lockdown Project, Tiger 2.0's training was not organised.

The project Tiger 1.0 winner community was Punjabi Wikimedians and for Project Tiger 2.0 winner is the Tamil community. Tamil community is ready to utilise its winning prize and they have started a discussion to organise training.

Note: Dates for the event are 26 to 28 January 2023.

Event page

Here is the event page created by the Tamil community.

Role & Responsibilities

Winner Community

• The prize money is for the Winner community and they only have the right to utilise it collectively.
• Community will decide when they are ready to do any activity with their prize money.
• They will break down the budget by themselves.
• Community will finalise the venue, accommodation, dates, time, and attendees.
• Community will set the criteria to invite the Wikimedians from another community or other communities.
• Sessions will be planned by the community only.
• Trainers will be decided by the community.

A2K

• A2K will support the community where the community want to.
• A few payments will be transferred by A2K directly.
• Logistics will be held by A2K.
• A2K will help to schedule meetings with the community and A2K and also with other communities if winner community wants
• A2K will only interfere or support as the community's desire

Note: According to FCRA September 2020 amendment, CIS-A2K can not use the FCRA amount outside India. Also, CIS-A2K can not invite participants from outside India and support booking travel tickets, visas and other expenses.

Update

Meetings

29 May 2022

• Not clear about the three-day workshop. If A2K can share pre-design about an event that would be good
• A2K is planning for the further events
• Kind of query, template translations were designed
• In August, we can plan for the event
• What about the budget? Can Tamil Wikimedians invite some Wikimedians from Srilanka?
• A2K: The funding part is frozen due to a long time after the pandemic situation. We are looking for the further situation
• It should be clear what we are planning for PT 3.0
• This event will be an A2K’s General program
• It is a national event and inviting participants from outside is a difficult task, there are many govt formalities.
• BalaJi: 2 or 3 participants might come for the event
• Who will be the people? - It will be an open process no one is decided yet.
• There are a few difficulties like collecting VISA, and several permissions from the ministry. Ravi Shankar should involve in this process.
• More flexible will be the planning part. We will take it to the foundation and discuss it.
• 40 participants for three days and the Punjabi community invited half number from the Tamil community. We can follow the same and also if we want some change then we can invite a few people from other communities as well.
• We can see whether it will be a large workshop or a small workshop.
• Community asked about the budget: 9 to 10 lakh rupees for the workshop and we can not use more than 10 lakh. It is up to the community how you can utilise the budget for the community like two or three workshops for the community.
• After Wikimenia, in September workshop can take place and at the same time, we will start work on PT 3.0
• Mid-June we will go to the foundation and will start PT 3.0 starting and about the large-scale workshop
• Till the first week of July, we will confirm the thing
• Tamil community will initiate the discussion with other community members and will have a discussion about the budget and other things.
• A2K is interested to do some skill-development workshops for the community if the community wants the same
• The community will come back to finalise the dates of events with colleges.

16 November 2022

• 40 participants - 4 days and 5 people trainers or A2K staff
• 2 researchers on the accommodation and venue for the event
• Bangla resort and oxibadi
• Informed Bengali community and Punjabi community
• For both communities, A2K will take responsibility for the travel
• Tamil community local transport like trains and buses will be booked by A2K
• What about CIS-A2K travel and accommodation expenses? -
• Badges and t-shirts
• The scholarship is going on
• On 1st December Community will provide the details
• The first week of December should book the travel tickets for participants
• T-shirts and all - 1 Lakh
• Budget proposal for accommodation and food travel

1 December 2022

• Discussed about the A2K's responsibilities
• Travel bookings should be starting soon
• All the participant's details are collected
• Discussion on inviting Srilankan Wikimedians for the Project Tiger Training
• A2K can not support visa and governmental protocols due to policies
• Venue and hotel is almost finalised and payment process discussed

Conversation Via email

The Tamil community is working with A2K via email regularly. All the preparation are discussed over email such as the breakout budget, the process of selecting participants, from what communities participants will be in training, the list of participants and so on.