Wikimedia CH/Grant apply/Wikipedia for Peace 2024

Infodata

• Name of the project: Wikipedia for Peace 2024
• Amount requested: 22'970 CHF
• Type of grantee: ORGANIZATION
• Name of the contact: Hannah Egger (SCI Switzerland)
• Contact: hannah.eggerscich.org

In case of questions, please write to grantwikimedia.ch

The problem and the context

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

Wikipedia for Peace has been going on since 2015 as a project to get new editors and new target groups (youth, activists, people from marginalized groups) to write about peace and social justice on Wikipedia. Since 2018, Wikimedia Switzerland supports the project annually by making camps in Switzerland and online possible. SCI Switzerland organised five camps in person in Switzerland and five online camps with the support of Wikimedia Switzerland. More than 250 people from all around the world have participated in the project so far, writing and improving countless articles on a variety of topics ranging from climate justice and climate journalism, queer rights to antimilitarism. However, not so many people who have participated in the project have become regular editors. Most of our camps are project-based and we lack an ongoing structure to support newcomers also after an intense camp, emotionally, intellectually and in terms of technical support.

The project has stalled a bit because of its project-based funding structure. We could never develop a proper volunteer retention structure, because we had not budgeted this, and the project could never develop bigger than its camp structure because of this lack of capacity. While several people were involved in organising the project over the years, only two people (Bogumila Hladki and Thomas Schallhart) are initiating new camps and the project heavily relies on their involvement alone.

While most camps have been funded through Wikimedia grants, SCI Austria together with Wikimedia Austria has also successfully gotten funding for Wikipedia for Peace camps through grants by the European Union. We feel a need to look further into bigger grants, but lack the capacity to do so in our daily work life.

We have also lacked a system to summarize and promote the success stories of Wikipedia for Peace within the Wikiverse. Our Meta page Wikipedia for Peace is not taken care of as well as it could be and our Meta pages could get a brush-up in terms of layouting and design.

What is your solution to this problem (please explain the context and the solution)?

For 2024, we have three phases planned:

1. Structural Development of the Project: We would love to have budgeted and allocated time to spend in structurally developing the project. We want to have three days budgeted for both Bogumila and Thomas in working on finding new funding opportunities for the project (e.g. via the Swiss youth funder Movetia, the Council of Europe and specifically the European Youth Foundation). For parts of these three working days, Bogumila and Thomas will work together, for other parts they will invite people who could help them develop the project (e.g. Claudia Garad from Wikimedia Austria/Wikimedia Europe, Kerry Hargadon from the international SCI). Part of the time of these three working days each will be allocated to developing the new volunteer retention structure, e.g. with a moderated Telegram group and developing a concept for the new monthly meetups that we plan. We also want to work on making the project more environmentally sustainable by reducing flights that are taken within the project and regionalizing it. We want to discuss how this is possible within SCI's internationalist camp vision. Finally, part of this working time will be spent in training 1-2 more people to enter into the coordination team of the Wikipedia for Peace project. We also want to hire help for layouting and design of our Meta pages as well as a possible simple website for the project overall with a new newsletter function and regular project calls.
2. Engaging new volunteers: Also in 2024, we want to organise two volunteering camps. Again, both of these camps will have a thematic focus. The first one will be an 8-day in-person camp in Mont Soleil (Canton Bern) at the end of June 2024, with a focus on improving and writing articles about military conscription and conscientious objectors from past and present. SCI Switzerland and Wikipedia for Peace project pay attention that workcamps take place in environmentally- friendly places which support local community and/or volunteers or NGO organisations. The location of the workcamp is forseen to take place in a mountainous shelter in Mont Soleil in Jura Mountains in a house belonging to Amis de la Nature, a Swiss organisation which enables wider community to enjoy the nature and live sustainably. An online camp about Fake News and war propaganda will follow in September/October 2024, with 8 online sessions via Zoom planned like in the 2023 online Wikipedia for Peace camp. The online workcamp will gather participants of previous Wikipedia for Peace workcamps to join and edit Wikipedia articles and brainstorm about war and peace journalism. It will also be addressed to new participants that want to be active in online editing and who are interested in aforementioned topic. The targeted audience are people that might be Wikipedia beginners or more experienced Wikipedians.
3. Volunteer Retention: Active use of the new Wikipedia for Peace Telegram group and setup of a newsletter. Monthly Zoom calls from September 2024 in the form of a new Wikipedia for Peace Support Group on an evening. These calls would include editing together, but also socializing and giving input on a specific topic. Each call would have a thematic focus with some article suggestions, it would include helping people with technical questions around editing as well as giving emotional support to each other when writing articles (e.g. celebrating successes together, giving space for talking about conflicts on Wikipedia) and involving new people in the strategic envisioning of the Wikipedia for Peace project.

Project goals

• We want to get more newcomers from groups that are underrepresented in the Wikiverse (young people, activists and people from marginalized groups) from around the world to get active on Wikipedia around peace and social justice issues.
• We want them to get to know each other in an intercultural and international setting, build a small community within the structure of a volunteering camp, where they learn how to edit, and we want them to stay active also afterwards.
• We want to build up an ongoing international working group on peace and antimilitarism within the Wikiverse, as a collaboration between SCI and Wikimedia.
• Through this and continuing our tradition of doing annual volunteering camps, we want to also improve content on peace and social justice issues on Wikipedia in multiple languages.
• We also want to develop the project structurally, thinking about new funding possibilities and ways we can improve and expand the project. We want to involve new people in our small coordination team and make the project environmentally more sustainable.

Project impact

How will you know if you have met your goals?

• Two volunteering camps will have taken place, with at least 10 and up to 15 participants each
• New editors from underrepresented groups (youth, activists, marginalized groups) are trained in editing Wikipedia and publish their articles
• Articles on military conscription and war propaganda in several languages have been written, translated or improved
• Higher volunteer retention ratio than in previous Wikipedia for Peace projects
• Higher capacity for developing the project further in 2025 through focus on structural development, capacity building and fundraising

Do you have any goals or metrics around participation or content?

For Phase 1:

• 2 new funding applications planned or handed in for development of Wikipedia for Peace for 2025
• New design of Wikipedia for Peace Meta page
• 2 new members of coordination team by end of 2024

For Phase 2:

• 15 participants in in-person camp (minimum 10 participants)
• 15 participants in online camp (minimum 10 participants)
• 75 new or improved articles
• 10 new files on Commons
• 75 new or improved Wikidata items

For Phase 3:

• 4 Monthly Support Group calls have taken place by end of 2024
• 10 regular participants from the camps in 2024 or from previous Wikipedia for Peace camps show up in the Monthly Support Group calls
• 1 new Telegram group with regular updates is set up
• 1 simple Wikipedia for Peace website with Newsletter and project calls is set up

Project plan

Activities

• Several working meetings between Bogumila, Thomas and other stakeholders for the structural development (Phase 1)
• In-person camp in Mont Soleil (Canton Bern) for 8 days in June 2024, with a focus on military conscription and conscientious objectors (Phase 2)
• Online camp in September/October 2024 (Phase 2) focus on fake news, war propaganda, war and peace journalism

Zoom call for Monthly Support Group September 2024 (Phase 3)

• Zoom call for Monthly Support Group October 2024 (Phase 3)
• Zoom call for Monthly Support Group November 2024 (Phase 3)
• Zoom call for Monthly Support Group December 2024 (Phase 3)

Budget

Costs in CHF

Phase 1:

• 6 working days to expand project: 1'800
• Website domain: 20
• Design: 500

Total Preparation: 2'320

Phase 2:

• In-person camp (Camp 1)
  • Accomodation & Food, 17 (15 pax + 2 coordinators) * 7 nights * 22.50.-/person/night for accommodation + 17 (15 pax + 2 Coordinators) * 8 days * 13.-/person/day for food: 4'446
  • Coordinators fee Thomas: 2'700
  • Project assistance fee: 1'000
  • Transportation for coordinators: 300
  • SCI Operational Costs (international bidding, volunteer placement, event preparation, project monitoring and evaluation, etc.O: 4'000
  • Insurance costs of the participants, 17 (15 pax + 2 Coordinators) * 8 (days) * 1.50 CHF: 204
  • Costs of the programme for example entrance fees; expert fee, content inputs for participants; project visits; visa costs: 1100
  • Materials (stationary + internet + flipcharts): 100
• Total In-Person Camp: 13'850
• Online camp (Camp 2)
  • Coordinators fee Bogumila: 2'300
  • Project assistance fee: 500
  • SCI Operational Costs (International bidding, volunteer placement, event preparation, project monitoring and evaluation, etc.): 3'000
• Total Online-Camp: 5'800

Phase 3:

• Coordination of 5 Monthly Support calls, 200 CHF per call: 1'000

Overall total = 22'970

Community engagement

SCI as a global movement organises their projects and activities with a special focus on marginalised and unprivileged groups and provides safe spaces for individuals to feel welcomed, respected and involved.

SCI Switzerland developed a project Create a Common Understanding which involves asylum-seeking persons to participate in SCI workcamps, it provides financial support e.g. to cover the costs of travel. It gives space for intercultural exchange with volunteers from all around the world and provides a refreshing change from daily life in the reception centres. Wikipedia for Peace workcamps host volunteers from different parts of the world as well as local volunteers.

Wikimedia CH's response

Hello,

Thank you for your request. We have decided to accept it partially. Here are the details:

Wikimedia is happy to support phase 2 (one in-person camp & one online camp) and phase 3 (Follow-Up) with CHF 17,500. We particularly welcome the plan to involve more volunteers in the camps. According to discussions with the SCI, we are aiming for a quota of at least 1/3 people who live in Switzerland. In addition, the proportion of volunteers from neighboring countries should be increased ideally also up to 1/3. WMCH will actively support SCI in reaching out to people based in Switzerland. Please let WMCH know which Phase 2 & 3 activities can be provided with this budget.

WMCH also very much welcomes the newly proposed phase 1, but is unable to support it financially as our grant system can only cover some operational costs. For this and the costs not fully covered in phases 2 & 3, we encourage SCI to apply for a Rapid Grant from the Wikimedia Foundation for $ 5,000.

    TOTAL : 17’500 

The budget will be paid in two instalments: the first half in January 2024, and the second in June 2024 after discussion with Wikimedia CH about projects for the rest of the year. Please inform us now about the dates of funded events taking place between January and March 2024. --Flor WMCH (talk) 09:40, 14 December 2023 (UTC)