Date and location[edit]

Date: 26th July 2019 and 17th August 2019. Location 1: Devamplify Hub, Grace and Faith House, Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Aroma. Anambra State, Nigeria. Location 2: Cavic Nigeria, No.30 Agadez Street, opposite Glo Office, off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria.

Participant List[edit]

Okpala Amarachi
Onuoha Onyinye Jane
Owolabi Oluwaseun F
Somadina Mbajiogwu
Chijioke Christian
Abuchi Ojiaku
Henry Og
Obi Onyeka
Mata Stanley
Okeke Charles Ifeanyi
Chinaegbo N.
Okorie Theodora Chiamaka
Uzoma Ozurumba
Tochi Precious
Chika
Oby Ezeilo

What happened[edit]

We commenced the salon by asking participants to write down in short sentence what they know about Wikimedia and Wikipedia. 90% had a general knowledge of Wikipedia, and just 30% knew about Wikimedia.
A presentation that we captioned 'About Wikimedia Foundation' preceded the poll, it aimed at familiarising the youths about the Wikimedia movement, its vision and projects they host.

After the above activity, we introduced the topic:Wikimedia 2030 Strategic direction. This presentation explained knowledge equity and knowledge as a service. It further described the processes, the thematic topics and our targeted two topics called Diversity and Advocacy.

We split the participants into two groups, and each group chose a secretary to document the discussions and opinions.

The facilitators explaination on Diversity and Advocacy are as follows:[edit]

Diversity Team: The youths were made to understand Diversity in the scoping document context. Which is the recognition that humans are different and the need to accommodate knowledge to represent our individuality and complexity.

The context of Diversity in Wikimedia movement cuts across the following:

Gender
Geographical representation
Language
New audiences
Historic marginalisation of various groups

The different aspects or characteristics of Diversity

Cultural background
Ages
Colonized people
Differently (able/disable people)
Ethnicity
Gender
Indigenous people
People from emerging countries, language speakers, etc

The current situation in Diversity

Individualism
Discrimination
Marginalization
Nepotism/favouritism

The common areas affected by Diversity.

Creation of contents
Contribution

The facilitator asked the question below:

How do we solve the problem of marginalisation?
Participants answer: By having a representation of other languages in the decision-making body, this will ensure equal participation of all.

Summary of the discussion points[edit]

Question 1: What effective measures should be taken for the future so our greater community can use languages other than English to make decisions, eliminating the requirement for mastery of English as part of our decision-making community?

Answers:

By ensuring that all administrative pages on Wikimedia platforms should have language administrators assigned with the responsibility to ensure the translation of relevant pages.
The Wikimedia Foundation must ensure that enough language administrators are representing the 302 language projects hosted by the WMF.
The engaged translators or language administrators should be adequately motivated or paid and suitably equipped to work.
The duties of the translators should be appropriately defined to avoid mediocrity amongst translators.
A human intelligent Software that helps people translate to different languages should be designed and inputted in all platforms.

QUESTION 2: What steps should stakeholders take to ensure language diversity across various platforms to provide support to ensure the broadest possible representation of various languages as well as those with physical and cognitive challenges to participate in our movement?

Answers:

For the physically challenged, multimedia components that can help visually challenged individuals navigate and read should be inputted in all Wikimedia hosted projects. Also, stakeholders should work with key people with such challenges in the development of tools, content and projects that are suitable for them.

Furthermore, they should be given a quota in the board seat or any decision-making body to adequately protect their interest.

To identify role models in different languages that will be part of the decision-making bodies and allocate quota to ensure representation.
Develop friendly interfaces for the easy creation of new language projects.

QUESTION 3: How can children and youths understand the contents presented to them?

Answers:

Develop multimedia (audio, visual, graphics and animation) content for children
Categorize contents base on the age range
Make content interactive and easy for children of every age to add content.
The audio content should be synchronised with the written materials.
Collaborate with Disney, carton network and other animation agencies or company to develop content for children. This content should be relevant based on human diversity. That is to say, the content should relate to people of diverse cultural heritage.

Advocacy Team: In this Team, the Youths began with giving the definitions to what advocacy meant to them as it meant different things to different people. Some defined it as fighting for a course, some said it meant constant creation of awareness of a particular purpose.

Question 1 What is the vision for Advocacy?

Answers

Ensure that our voices are heard.
Feel comfortable to tell our own stories.
To break barriers that hinder free knowledge sharing.example: technical barriers to enable easy contributions.

Question 2 How do we ensure that our community's various contexts are represented through advocacy?

Answers

Raise and build a committed community of volunteers to ensure we are represented.
Creating more awareness to enable people know the importance of free knowledge.
Educating more people literate in Igbo Language on how to contribute to the different Wikimedia projects.
Create enabling environment. e.g develop apps that do not need internet connection to enable contribution.
Have constant communication with the community. (Create medium for constant communication where members can contribute)

Question 3 How do we use advocacy to turn "adverse" or "unaware" environments into enabling environments?

Answers

Using ussd codes to send daily messages of articles of the day to allow more usage and views just like Ureport (a UN ussd codes message Initiative enlightening people on different subjects including diseases.
Educating the people in our communities more to enable more contributions.
Create more awareness of Wikipedia with special focus on Igbo Language.
Target secondary school students in contributing.
Partner with Ministry of Education/private schools to create Wiki Clubs and addWikipedia editing into their curriculums.
Donate gadgets to schools to allow students contribute.
Have a Wikipedia app for easy access.

Question 4 How do we advocate so that all people who want to access Wikimedia projects can do so in the languages and ways they want?

Outreaches: language advocacy in schools.
Create contests in schools to motivate students.
Consistent use of the Media (TV, Radio) to create awareness.
Display ads on websites like pay per click.
Use Social Media platforms to create awareness.
Be in constant communication with contributors/users.
Partner with Telecom companies for easy internet access.

Question 5 How can we ensure that the movements efforts are not harming the neutrality of the Wikimedia projects content?

Answers

Have checks and balances.
Have Focus
The volunteers should be properly educated/trained on what they should and shouldn't do (about policies).

Question 6 What is needed to encourage and inspire advocates for the Wikimedia movement?

Answers

Rewards/incentives/stipends
Create opportunities for capacity building.
Create job opportunities beyond volunteering

Question 7 What sort of material, conceptual resource and expert support do movement advocates need and where does it come from?

Answers

Research/project assistance in form of expert support.
Grants/funds
Collaboration with eLibraries
Personal donations from individuals/organizations.

Question 8 How do we safeguard and protect the efforts of advocates (and contributors) within "adverse" or "unaware" environments?

Answers

Providing security measures. E.g. by working with legal entities.
Feedback emails should be sent after contributions.

Question 9 How do we incorporate existing and future aligned partners in our advocacy efforts?

Answers

The partners should be well enlightened on the Wikimedia vision.
Wikimedia should partner traditional institutions to get more updates.

Reflections from participants or partners =[edit]

This Youth Strategy Salon was an opportunity for the members of the Young African Leaders Initiative Network in Awka to understand the movement hosting Wikipedia and their goals for the future. They were so amazed at the discovery of Igbo Wikipedia and the possibilities of other projects in the Igbo language. For my affiliate, the event offered collaboration opportunities.

Photographs or videos[edit]

Statementg the total amount of your grant and how much of that was spent. Thal reporting will be done separately, please see the section on Financial Reporting.Category:2018-20 Wikimedia movement s