Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wiki Indaba Morocco 2023

statusCompleted

Conference and Event Fund

Wiki Indaba Morocco 2023

proposed start date2023-04-01T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2023-12-31T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)1534512 MAD

amount requested (USD)147420.87 USD

amount recommended (local)1534512 MAD

decision fiscal year2022-23

applicant• User:Anass Sedrati

organization (if applicable)• Wikimedia MA User Group

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

Review Final Report

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant details

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Wikimedia MA User Group

F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

User:Anass Sedrati

F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

User:Anass Sedrati User:Rachidourkia User:Reda benkhadra User:Ideophagous User:Mounir Neddi

G. Are you legally registered?

No

If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.

I. Fiscal organization name.

Wikimedia ZA

Objectives and Strategy

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Wiki Indaba Morocco 2023

2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.

2023-11-03

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2023-11-05

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2023-04-01T00:00:00Z

3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?

2023-12-31T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Morocco

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

5. Is it a remote or in-person event?

Hybrid event

5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)

120

6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.

Regional

6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.

Wiki Indaba is a regional conference for all countries in Africa. All of them are invited to participate.

7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaMAUserGroup Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wikimedia_MA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wikimedia_ma/

8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.

Yes

8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.

WISCom.

9. Please describe the target participants for this event.

Our target participants are African Wikimedians, or those with a relation or strong interest to the continent. As per Wiki Indaba planning pack guidelines, we aim to have 60% experienced editors and 40% newbie editors split for attendees of the conference. Our definition of a newbie is an editor who has created an account within 12 months before the conference and has at least 50 edits in any wikimedia project. We also aim to invite local organization partners who are aligned to the Wikimedia Movement.

10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.

The event page will be created on meta wiki as soon as the grant is accepted. It will be under the following url: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiIndaba_conference_2023

The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.

11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?

0

11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?

We aim to conduct the survey from the March 30, 2023 to July 30, 2023.We will target 200 responses and are confident that we will get more than that.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

0

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

The primary objective of WikiIndaba conference is to bring together members of African Wikimedia communities to share experiences, discuss challenges, and find solutions to promote the growth and sustainability of the Wikimedia movement in the region. This year's conference, to be held in Morocco, will serve as an instrumental platform for participants to learn from each other, exchange ideas and strategies, and explore opportunities for cross-border collaboration. With a projected attendance of 120 participants (both in-person and online), the conference will also provide training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for attendees, in order to inspire the next wave of contributors and leaders. Eventually, this event aims to create a thriving African Wikimedia movement that contributes to the production and distribution of free and open knowledge on the continent and beyond.global online learning and knowledge sharing communities.

14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?

Since we have not conducted the survey yet, we provide responses based on previous conferences. The conference will help the community achieve regional alignment on strategy by:

• Offering spaces for open discussion
• Providing platform for drafting and adoption of resolutions on urgent regional issues which require coordination amongst multiple communities
• Offer opportunities for community members to lead identified initiatives
• Offer space for recognition of exemplary community initiatives

15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.

Content Gender gap, Geography, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)

15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).

We know that the coverage of Africa as a region in Wikimedia projects is very low compared to Europe and North America (e.g less than 5% [1] of All content in English WIkipedia is about African topics). All affiliates and community members working in their countries and in their local languages are directly involved in bridging the content-gap about Africa and by extension addressing Knowledge Equity.

16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.

Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Socioeconomic status, Digital Access

18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?

We plan to invite local Moroccan partner organizations who have supported our efforts within the GLAM space and the education area, so that they can learn more about the movement.

19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?

We plan to follow-up with participants within 3 months after the conference to check on any initiatives that they may have volunteered on, as well as connect them to the Africa Hour initiatives (e.g Africa Connect) so that they can keep in touch with other community members.

20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Identify Topics for Impact

Logistical Aspects

21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?

We suggest the Dunes d'Or Hotel in Agadir, Morocco as the venue for the WikiIndaba conference. It's conveniently located near the airport and bus station. It has audio-visual equipment, Wi-Fi, and catering services. It also has its own conference center. They can also provide logistical support to ensure everything runs smoothly. With a capacity of 427 rooms, the Dunes d'Or Hotel is a great option for the conference. [2]

22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

We aim to offer a total of 100 scholarships and as follows:

• 50 international scholarships (For African countries and the diaspora)
• 10 international organizer scholarships (members of organizing committees, ex. Program, scholarship, WisCom).
• 20 Virtual scholarships (For African countries and the diaspora)
• 20 Local scholarships (For User Group members from Morocco)

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

The scholarship will cover travel (return flight, visa expenses), accommodation, access to the conference including meals, as well as participation in a social event.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

Scholarship recipients will be selected according to the Wiki Indaba Guidelines and based on:

• Affiliate representation
• Gender parity (As much as possible)
• 60% Experienced vs 40% Newbie split
• Proposal for speaking at the conference

26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?

We would appreciate the following support from WMF Staff:

• Legal and Safety support
• Outreach and Comms support
• Community resource & Grant making support
• Partnership support
• Affiliate recognition support
• Community Strategy support

26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.

20 Wikimedia Foundation employees.

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.

The local organizing team shall be responsible for:

• Drafting event proposal and grant request.
• Co-Selection and awarding of scholarships with WISCom.
• Soliciting suppliers for reasonable Venue and Conferencing facilities.
• Working with a travel agent to book and coordinate flights.
• Organising Accommodation and Airport transfers
• Co-designing conference program with WISCom.
• Managing finances and payments.
• General marshaling of conference participants.
• Assess and provide support for safety and security during stay in Morocco
• Solicit an event organizer for conference planning.

28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

No

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.

29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?

• Huge sums of money takes time to move in the African continent, we are looking to have an event organizer with already established relationships with service providers, we will also discuss with the fiscal sponsor to provide us with options in case there are delays.
• We’ve learned from Rwanda that flights were delayed due to pilot strike actions. We are looking to have an already established travel agency with experience flying people in the African continent.
• There is a risk that some selected candidates will not receive a visa. To mitigate this we plan to (1) Start the visa process ASAP, and (2) have a plan B with a waiting list to know whom to invite if some candidates do not have a visa and (3) we plan to host a hybrid event to allow people to participate online as well.

30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?

We see this as a conference that truly embraces all the African communities including French speakers, English speakers as well as Arabic speakers. From organising this year’s conference we hope to learn more about the challenges facing these diverse communities, including learning about strategies they use to activate and retain new users as well as strategies they use to support their existing communities and if they are able to raise funds outside of WMF how are they doing so. Additionally, We hope to learn how to effectively facilitate and organise a successful international conference. Through this experience, we would like to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of international collaboration, the importance of fostering a strong sense of community, and best practices for creating a successful hybrid event and the challenges that come with it in this ever changing Wiki environment.

32. Main open metrics

Main Open Metrics Data

Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Newbie Editor Activation	A percentage of Newbie editors who are motivated and activities to run initiatives in their communities/countries. 50% of newbies who attended the conference run their own initiatives 6 months after the conference	50
Movement growth and regional cooperation	A percentage of invites from Countries without Affiliates, start plans to organise their communities. At least 2 more countries start affiliate set-up 6 months after the conference, and at least 2 affiliates collaborate in a project across geographic region.	4
Regional leadership activation	Clarification of regional leadership and cooperation. 2 More community members volunteer to support WISCom.	2
Raise Wikimedians awareness	Number of Wikimedians who have had their article tagged for speedy deletion, IP blocked in English, Arabic and French Wikipedia. What do they understand about policies in these languages. 3 admin/stewards attend the WikiIndaba conference.	3
Gender equity	Ensure that different genders are represented in the conference, in an equal manner. Minimum of 40% non-male attendees..	40

Financial Proposal

33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

1534512

34. Select your local currency.

MAD

Requested amount in USD

147420.87 USD

35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12IbpQVrrI82ooCxvnPIqleDJ-NmF0Gug

36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?

No

36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.

Other public document(s):

Endorsements and Feedback

Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.

Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:

• Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
• Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
• Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
• Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
• Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).

Endorse