Grants:IdeaLab/Wiki Nigeria
The primary target is young Nigerians who are actively learning and doing research and secondarily the people coaching/guiding them through the learning process.
At the end of the project, the lack of trust in online resources by professors should be drastically reduced, thus encouraging more learners to embrace using Wikipedia. Also, learners will be encouraged to use and contribute regularly to Wikipedia which will help them grow their ability to write credible and well-cited research papers.
Audience
[edit]Who are the people you want to introduce Wikipedia to?
[edit]Try to be as specific as possible about this group.
Students at Nigerian schools (both secondary and tertiary)
Teachers and Professors at Nigerian institutions
Research enthusiasts
In what languages do they search for information, online or otherwise?
[edit]English
In what ways does this group communicate with each other?
[edit]This can include services and apps in social media, mailing lists, physical spaces like conferences or lectures, or at specific institutions like at a library.
Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype, Slack, e-mail and phone calls.
What are some reasons this group would use Wikipedia? How would they benefit from it, or what would they find useful?
[edit]Think about what they would be interested in reading and learning about; does Wikipedia provide better access to information this group cares about?
This group uses Wikipedia to learn about things from a broad category of topics. They apreciate research articles, learning resources and fact finding.
Yes. Wikipedia covers a broad range of topics and provides sources which can aid further reading/research
Project idea
[edit]What language Wikipedia projects will you promote to new readers?
[edit]English
How will you communicate with new readers? Will you be communicating with them online, in-person, or both?
[edit]I will send proposals via email and phone calls to contacts at schools and universities (students and lecturers) to raise awareness in meetings which I will organize on campus.
Describe your idea to engage new readers. How might it be implemented? What will you tell people about Wikipedia?
[edit]Think about the steps that might involved to make this idea happen, and what you might teach people about your experience or others' experiences using Wikipedia.
To get new users on board, I will have meetings where the benefits of wikipedia will be demonstrated.
This will include:
Quizzes for the audience around information that, without Wikipedia, will be difficult to find.
Short lessons on how to verify the credibility of information found on Wikipedia
Lessons on how to contribute to Wikipedia.
Distrubuting branded (Wiki Nigeria) T-Shirts to boost awareness on and off campus.
I will also be encouraging professors to use Wikipedia as a teaching aid and convincing them that information from Wikipedia can be trusted (this will discourage them from penalizing students who use information from Wikipedia, a common practice in some Nigerian institutions). I will try to get them to reward students who contribute authoritatively to Wikipedia with extra credit.
How will you know if this project is successful? What are some outcomes that you can share after the project is completed?
[edit]If you’re not certain about how to respond to this question when starting your idea, you do not need to answer it right now. Campaign participants and Wikimedia Foundation staff can help you consider some options.
I expect to see more young Nigerians actively contributing to Wikipedia articles (esp ones relating to Nigeria)
Do you think you can implement this idea? What support do you need?
[edit]Do you need people with specific skills or resources to complete this idea? Are there any financial needs for this project? Do you need advising from Wikimedia Foundation staff?
I believe with the right support, this project is achievable.
I will need some respected representatives from Wikipedia to back my proposals to schools (Nigerians tend to respond better to big names). I will need advice from Wikimedia Foundation staff regarding endeavors that have succeeded in the past and what challenges I may be facing.
The project will also require financial aid to create and distribute materials (branded T-shirts, notebooks, pens, etc). Also, funds to organize and cover logistics for the meetings will be required.
Get Involved
[edit]About the idea creator
[edit]I grew up in Nigeria. I was fortunate to attend a university that encouraged doing research over the internet.
My experience with Wikipedia was mainly as a learning resource and as a research aid. Recently, I began contributing to Wiki articles. This has opened my mind up to the poor documentation culture in Nigeria and encouraged me to work towards changing this.
Participants
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]Expand your idea
[edit]Would a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation help make your idea happen? You can expand this idea into a grant proposal.
No funding needed?
[edit]Does your idea not require funding, but you're not sure about what to do next? Not sure how to start a proposal on your local project that needs consensus? Contact Chris Schilling on-wiki at I JethroBT (WMF) (talk · contribs) or via e-mail at cschilling
wikimedia.org for help!