Participate in communities - User Group of Belarus grant application

The project Participate in communities will activate collaboration between local/topic communities and the Belarus Wikimedia user group through diverse activities like workshops, editathons and wiki-expeditions.

Strategic priority

̈Do your activities improve one or more of Wikimedia’s existing websites?

Wikipedia (be, be-tarask, ru), Commons

Potential outcomes and impact

What are the concrete outcomes that are anticipated as a result of the activities? What difference do you expect your project to makeʔ

We are definitely understand that the activities will have two main outcome.

There will be more newcomers in the projects, both editors and volunteers.
Local media (traditional and social) will reflect the event(s) in their channels.

As a result, awareness increases in local communities about Wikipedia, the wiki community involve potential contributors.

Impact evaluation

A way of evaluating changes from an intervention or development program

For the local Wikimedia Community: Communication with different groups and communities to extend potential of the wiki community owing to new people, media outreach and in number of in-kind donations such as free accommodation, meal, places for meeting, internet. All of this will improve infrastructure and give opportunity to implement the other projects.
For society and free knowledge: Local communities get skill how to operate with wiki technologies and contribute free knowledge about their places or specific field of activities.

Contribution record

Do you have a history of engaging with Wikimedia projects and communities?

We have active Wiki User Group (Activities page, Wikimedia User Group)
Belarusian wikiactivists take part in different regional conferences.
We establish personal contacts with Wikimedians from different Wikimedia affiliates as well.

Project Goals

Engage fresh blood in Belarus Wikimedia community (editors and volunteers).
To spread words about local phenomenons, events, people in the Belarusian language.
To increase amount of media content about Belarus, especially pictures.
To inform communities about educational potential of Wikipedia.

Project Plan

Activities

1. What will we do?

10 (2 already done) meet-ups like Editathons for local and topic communities during eights months.
12 meetings for preparation and team-building (offline and online).

2. How will we disseminate information?

Approaches:

We usually use gatekeepers in target communities and these people help us make first contact with a group.
Some of us are a members of the community; and the contact occurs directly.
We use media channels of community (website, social networks pages, subscription).
Volunteers will be engaged using Wikipedias forum/village pumps (be and be-tarask) and current group in Facebook.
Before direct activity in the field we make survey and explore community's needs (like this)

3. Are there experienced Wikimedia editors to conduct master-classes?

There is a list of core activists who are engaged in the project preparation.

Experienced editors:

Artificial123 - 3 years experience, 25,000 edits, administrator of Belarusian Wikipedia.
Pessimist2006 - 8 years experience, 200,000 edits, with extensive experience of lectures on Wikipedia.

Organizers:

Mr. Zabej - a wiki contributor, community building, contest organization, international contacts.
Svetit - a wiki contributor, photographer, painter, master classes trainer, logistics.

4. Infrastructure and sources for content creation

What resources will be involved in the activities to create high quality content? If the participants do not have the necessary resources, will organizers support them?

The projector and the screen in the school halls.
Local publications (newspapers) and library assets.
Participants or organizers' cameras.
Friends living in areas near photo walks and master-classes activities.
User laptops.

If the local community does not have such resources the organizer team provides own (laptops, cameras, internet).

5. How will you engage participants after the event(s)ʔ

Support Wikipedia directly through pages of learning, personal mentorship.
Receive an incentive posts thanks for editing in Wikipedia.
By being involved in the traditional Wikipedia communication (discussion page, local forum) as well as social networks opportunity.
Collect contacts in lectures and workshops to gather information that interested party and to support future communication.
Gathering information about the post-party interest for further cooperation.
Offer part-help projects in the Belarusian User Group.
Involve active content making newcomers for participate in #10wikidays.

6. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this projectʔ

The prospects for further cooperation, the ability to reach more people, plans to increase the audience plans for the acquisition of state support, and others.
This combination of activities different type (photowalk, edit-a-thon and lecture), which makes it possible to diversify interest of potential participants in the life of society and content editing.
This type of event allows you to activate the potency to reconcile the interests of the participant and the Wikimedia projects. For example, after the lecture, the question arises, "but we have a museum - can you do about it the article?"

Questions:

̽Is it possible to invite experienced Wikipedians to meet user group Belarus for community empowerment? And to make a public lecture for those interested in the project of Wikipedia?

Impact

How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets:

Number of events: 10 (5 master-classes, 3 wiki-expeditions, 2 lections)
Number of participants: 100+
Number of new editors: 40
Number of of articles created or improved: 30 (20 improved)
Number of photos uploaded to Wikimedia Commons: 100 photos
Number of photos used on Wikimedia projects: 25% of total number of photos uploaded (~25)
Number of people who will help organize meetings: 15 (10 new of them)

Resources

Transport = $15 x 4 organizers x 3 wiki-expeditions = $180
Stationery $50
Food = $15 x 4 organizers x 3 wiki-expeditions x 2 days = $360
Prizes
- T-Shirt = $15 x 3 winners x 8 activities = $360
- Books for winners = $10 x 8 activities = $80
Misc
- Badges = $1 x 100 = $100
- Postcards with photos of participants = $1 x 200 = $200
- Internet (3G) = $15 x 3 = $45
Training events:
- Rent of premises - $10 x 12=$120
- Dinners for organizers-participants $5 x 4 x 12=$240

Overall: $1735

Endorsements

Notepad, which discussed the proposal

If you support the application please add Support {{support}} with clarification.
If you are against the application please add Oppose {{oppose}} with clarification.

Please add below your vote and its description:

Support --Maksim L. (talk) 11:42, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Хомелка (talk) 12:43, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Ohlumon (talk) 12:46, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Belarus2578 (talk) 13:15, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Hanylka (talk) 13:32, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Tomasz Bladyniec (talk) 16:20, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Nieszczarda2 (talk) 20:55, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Kalinowski (talk) 22:05, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Da voli (talk) 07:25, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Liashko (talk) 22:00, 17 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Support --Visem (talk) 07:22, 29 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]