Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Santali Wiki Conference 2024 Kolkata India

WMF review and feedback

Hi @R Ashwani Banjan Murmu and the Wikimedians of Santali Language User Group.

Thank you very much for this proposal and for your initiative in organizing the Santali Wiki Conference 2024 . I highly appreciate the time and effort you put into this proposal. I have reviewed your proposal and have some comments and follow up questions:

• Can you please clarify the length of the conference? How many days/nights is it?
• By looking at the list of Wikimedians of Santali Language User Group Members (which might not be updated), and by the number of responses to the survey, I am not positive if the level of engagement of the Santali Language UG members is sufficient to prioritize funding for an in person event at this time. I acknowledge how challenging this is for smaller communities to grow and encourage participation under very limited funding. But we still need to have some clear evidence for the community to hold such an event. Can you please provide more details and information about the community capacity; interest areas; successes, collaborations, community engagement; number of regular contributors, etc? Unfortunately the proposal does not provide enough information and background for us to assess those criteria.
• What do you mean by ‘resource person’ on the scholarship question?
• How many people do you have on the organizing team? What is the role of CIS in the hands on support (if applicable)?
• I’m afraid that currently the scope of the event (30 participants in total) is too low and is out of scope for the Conference and Event Fund program.

When you're able, please respond to the questions on meta and revise the proposal on Fluxx if needed (I have sent the application back on Fluxx so you can edit it, just don't forget to re-submit when you are done). These revisions will be due by March 4, 2024 after which the Conference Grant Committee will begin formal review of the proposal to make the funding decisions.

Best, CAlmog (WMF) (talk) 04:34, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

• Can you please clarify the length of the conference? How many days/nights is it?

-The conference will be held over two days, spanning three nights, including Day 0.

• By looking at the list of Wikimedians of Santali Language User Group Members (which might not be updated), and by the number of responses to the survey, I am not positive if the level of engagement of the Santali Language UG members is sufficient to prioritize funding for an in person event at this time. I acknowledge how challenging this is for smaller communities to grow and encourage participation under very limited funding. But we still need to have some clear evidence for the community to hold such an event. Can you please provide more details and information about the community capacity; interest areas; successes, collaborations, community engagement; number of regular contributors, etc? Unfortunately the proposal does not provide enough information and background for us to assess those criteria.

-We appreciate your bringing up the page update. Regarding the number of survey responses, we received 20 number of responses. As mentioned in the proposal, our community members have long desired the opportunity to gather in person for discussions and collaboration. Despite previously proposing the conference twice, it was not supported at those times. Until now, we have primarily relied on online calls, workshops, and events. Additionally, our community aims to broaden its knowledge beyond Wikipedia to other Wiki projects. While our focus has been on Wikipedia, our members have the capacity to engage in more discussions and initiatives. However, due to limited interaction and knowledge, they often miss out on opportunities. Despite concerns about youth participation in open knowledge campaigns, we are proud that the majority of contributors in the Santali community are young and dedicated to our language and they have enough potential to grow and take leads on things. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our community was vibrant and active, but the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have affected us like many other communities. We are now working to reignite the enthusiasm we had before the pandemic. Prior to this proposal, we successfully organized an online edit-a-thon to celebrate Santali Wikipedia's anniversary. With support from CIS-A2K, we conducted six weekly training sessions on Wikidata, although we encountered challenges with internet connectivity during online sessions. In August 2023, coinciding with Santali Wikipedia's anniversary, we hosted three days of lectures and discussions with various speakers. We also dedicated a day to women, led by a female Wikimedian. Currently, we are collaborating with the Assamese and Odia communities, as well as CIS-A2K. However, we aspire to foster more collaborations and innovative ideas. We believe that achieving this goal requires sufficient in-person interactions, learning, and discussions, similar to what other communities have experienced in safe and friendly spaces.

• What do you mean by ‘resource person’ on the scholarship question?

-To explore new and innovative ideas, we require resource persons and trainers from outside the community who can assist us in understanding future strategies. Additionally, we are considering volunteers from different communities to serve as resource persons.

• How many people do you have on the organizing team? What is the role of CIS in the hands on support (if applicable)?

-From the community, there will be 5 to 6 people on the organizing team, selected based on their experiences and availability.

Regarding CIS-A2K, A2K has been supporting our activities. After COVID, A2K was instrumental in encouraging us to take charge of things. Prior to this proposal, A2K has been in touch with us for discussions as they work with other communities as well. They will be part of our organizing team to guide us, provide logistics support if needed, design the program, help us connect with Wikimedians who can join or support us, assist with documentation, and provide resources, among other things and etc.

• I’m afraid that currently the scope of the event (30 participants in total) is too low and is out of scope for the Conference and Event Fund program.

-If we understand the question correctly, as mentioned, the focus will be on strategic discussions concerning the Santali community and future steps, training sessions related to Wikimedia projects and tools, and brainstorming activities, etc. We cannot promise more than 30 participants (only community members) because this is a small community. We are aware of the needs of the language and its members, and the program will be prepared accordingly. R Ashwani Banjan Murmu (talk) 14:32, 10 March 2024 (UTC)