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LDH Fante Community Mentorship 2025 - 2026

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This is the central documentation page for the mentorship relationship between the Fante Wikimedia community and the Wikimedia Language Diversity Hub (LDH).

Overview

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  • Mentored Language: Fante (fat)
  • Mentorship Start Date: March 2025
  • LDH Mentor(s): Sadik Shahadu
  • Primary Community Contact:
  • Key Institutional Partner: University of Education, Winneba (UEW)
  • Community Page:
  • Related Projects:

Community Assessment Summary

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The Fante community is working with students from the University of Education, Ajumaku campus, where Fante is taught as a course. They have challenges with mobile editing on Wikipedia. Most co

Current Status & Strengths

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  • Stage: Recently Graduated (Wikipedia). Actively incubating Wikiquote.
  • Active Contributors: 15-20 active contributors, with structured leadership.
  • Strong Institutional Ties: Formal connection with the University of Education, Winneba, providing a base for recruitment and activities.
  • Content Output: ~2,000+ articles on Wikipedia. Focus on adding 1,000 more in 6 months.
  • Grant Experience: Has successfully applied for and used Rapid Grants.

Primary Goals

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  1. Add 1,000 new articles to Wikipedia in 6 months.
  2. Graduate Wikiquote from the Incubator and reach 2,000 quotes in 12 months.
  3. Increase active editors from ~20 to 30+.
  4. Engage more schools, cultural institutions, and media partners.
  5. Build advanced Wikipedia and Wikidata skills (e.g., creating templates for local languages).

Identified Challenges & Support Needs

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  1. [Critical] Volunteer Recruitment & Retention: The #1 challenge. Difficulty differentiating volunteer work from paid jobs; need for consistent activities to maintain engagement.
  2. Funding for Capacity Building: Need funding for regular training and edit-a-thons to sustain volunteer activity and motivation.
  3. Technical Skills Gap: Limited technical skills among most members, specifically for advanced templates and Wikidata.
  4. Network Connectivity: Some contributors face internet connectivity issues in out-of-coverage areas.
  5. Partnership Formalization: Desire to build stronger, more formal partnerships with existing and new institutions.

Mentorship Action Plan

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Phase 1: Stabilize & Systematize Retention (Months 1-3)

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Objective: Develop a structured system for integrating and retaining new volunteers, reducing reliance on one-off grant-funded events.

Action Item Lead Status Notes/Deadline
1. Co-create "Fante Onboarding & Engagement Kit" Community + LDH Mentor Pending A simple guide with welcome message, tutorials, and easy first-tasks.
2. Launch Bi-weekly "Skill Share" Sessions LDH Mentor + Community Pending *30-min sessions on basic skills (e.g., VisualEditor, sourcing).*
3. Draft Partnership Proposal for UEW Community + LDH Mentor Pending Formalize requests for in-kind support (e.g., computer lab access).
4. Develop Micro-grant Concept for Connectivity Community + LDH Coordinator Pending Plan for a grant to address "network challenges" for active contributors.

Phase 2: Skills Application & Content Sprint (Months 4-6)

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Objective: Apply new skills to achieve content growth targets.

  • Host a thematic "Content Sprint" (e.g., "Fante Educational Institutions Month").
  • Focus Skill Shares on Wikidata item creation and templating.
  • Submit a micro-grant application for data/connectivity support.
  • Progress significantly toward the 1,000-article goal.

Phase 3: Partnership Growth & Wikiquote Push (Months 7-9)

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Objective: Leverage content success to expand partnerships and advance Wikiquote.

  • Approach media partners for coverage using success stories.
  • Plan a "Wikiquote Graduation Blitz" with UEW, engaging literature/language students.
  • Facilitate connection with Wikimedia Ghana User Group.
  • Increase Wikiquote activity and article count.

Phase 4: Sustainability & Legacy (Months 10-12)

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Objective: Formalize community structure and ensure post-mentorship sustainability.

  • Review and update the "Engagement Kit" based on experience.
  • Community leads a workshop for another Hub community on volunteer retention.
  • Finalize documentation for Wikiquote graduation.
  • Develop a 12-month sustainability roadmap.

Meeting Notes & Logs

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  • December 2025

Initial Assessment & Planning: Discussed the community's strong university partnership and the critical challenge of volunteer retention. Agreed to prioritize building a systematic onboarding and engagement program to create sustainable activity beyond one-off events.


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Contact

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  • On-wiki: Sadik Shahadu
  • Community Lead:
  • Institutional Partner: University of Education, Winneba

This page is maintained collaboratively by the Fante Community and the LDH team. Please feel free to add updates, notes, and reflections below.

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