Wikimedia Georgia/Annual Plan/2024

Wikimedia Georgia's Annual Plan
2024

About

Wikimedia Community User Group Georgia (WMGE; Wikimedia UG Georgia) is a non-profit organization representing the Wikimedia Foundation User Group, created by active members of Wikimedia contributors living in Georgia who are interested in organizing and participating in outreach activities on a national level. The organization aims to promote and develop the Wikimedia Foundation's projects (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Commons, Wikisource, etc.) and the Wikimedia movement locally. One of its core missions is to aid and encourage people to collect, develop, and disseminate knowledge and other educational, cultural, and historical content in the public domain or other licenses that allow everyone to use the knowledge freely and distribute and modify it for free.

Programs

Bridging Gaps

Bridging content gaps in Wikimedia projects is an important endeavor aimed at improving the project's coverage of currently underrepresented or not well-documented topics. Wikimedia UG Georgia’s mission is to provide free and reliable information to everyone, and addressing content gaps is essential to fulfill this mission.

Wikimedia UG Georgia is on the way to filling the content gap in Wikimedia projects by carrying out the following activities:

• Article Contests: The organization will continue to hold thematic and international contests (CEE Spring, Wikipedia Asian Month, etc.), which already have a traditional character, but the main focus will be on encouraging editors to participate less materially.
• Media Contests: Organizing photographic contests, such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth for Wikimedia Commons. For 2024, we plan to host Wiki Loves Earth.
• Trainings: Conduct trainings for employees of the National Library on how to work on Wikimedia projects. This will enable library resource integration to fill Wikipedia and Wikisource content gaps.
• Edit-a-thons: A series of edit-a-thones will be organized on various topics, including WikiGap.
• Workshops: To be organized to improve content in Wikimedia projects.

As progress is made, a decision will be made to extend or improve the process of organizing specific events. Some events will be organized in cooperation with our partners.

Community Development

Community development, support, and preservation of community sustainability is one of the most important goals of Wikimedia UG Georgia. With this goal, Wikimedia UG Georgia wants to attract new volunteers, editors, and people to the initiative of the Wikimedia movement to develop and improve Wikimedia projects. In accordance with the strategic plan and for the sustainable development of the Wikimedia community in Georgia, the organization has planned the following activities for 2024:

• WikiClubs: Currently, there are 7 WikiClubs throughout the country, which provide courses on editing Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects on the basis of educational institutions. In 2024, we will expand the Clubs network and open two new WikiClubs in different regions of Georgia.
• WikiCamps: Over the past 3 years, WikiCamps has proven effective in attracting new contributors to Wikimedia projects and refining existing contributors' skills. WikiCamp participants gain enough knowledge, which they then share with other contributors and also effectively use in their daily work on projects. Since 2023, Wikimedia UG Georgia will hold two camps a year, one of which is designed for teachers who subsequently pass on their knowledge about Wikimedia projects to students. Students are potential members of our WikiClubs. Wikimedia UG Georgia will host two camps in 2024 for teachers and young people.
• Workshops: Wikimedia UG Georgia will conduct workshops for all interested parties who want to contribute to developing Wikimedia projects. This is intended for newcomers who will be learning wiki-technologies and existing editors who will improve their skills on Wikimedia projects.
• Edit-a-thons: Throughout the year, Wikimedia UG Georgia will hold a series of thematic edit-a-thons, including one on closing the gender gap in Wikimedia projects.
• Meetups: The organization will hold various meetings in different locations with members of the Wikimedia community. Also, the annual Wikimedia Conference will take place in Tbilisi. This will serve to bring volunteers and all interested parties closer to Wikimedia projects.
• Scholarships: Wikimedia UG Georgia will provide scholarships to active members of the Wikimedia community in Georgia to participate in Wikimania and regional meetings.

In accordance with the organization's strategic plan, as this annual plan progresses, we can make adjustments for the community's sustainable development.

Advocacy

Wikimedia UG Georgia has planned to conduct research in 2024 on the state policy and legislation of Georgia on copyright policy. Also, the research will include the study of European law and the legislation of EU countries on copyright. The research will subsequently provide an opportunity to develop an advocacy strategy for Wikimedia UG Georgia.

The organization will also continue advocating for Freedom of Panorama and its partners in Georgia. In this matter, the organization will also actively cooperate with the Legal Department of the Wikimedia Foundation to eliminate the issues existing in Wikimedia projects.

In the design and advocacy process, Wikimedia UG Georgia will actively collaborate with the Wikimedia Foundation's Global Advocacy team and Wikimedia Europe.

All resources created by the affiliation will be shared with partners and Wikimedia communities.

Partnership

Wikimedia UG Georgia will continue strengthening partnerships with all existing partners, including government, educational, and non-governmental organizations. Also, the organization will continue to expand its network of partnerships with new organizations.

This year, we will continue to work with our partners, the Administration of the President of Georgia, to promote the Freedom of Panorama project at the legislative level. In addition, we plan to hold joint edit-a-thones in different thematic areas.

Wikimedia UG Georgia actively cooperates with the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia. We already have an active Wikipedian in the library, which integrates library resources to the Georgian Wikipedia and Wikidata. In 2024, it’s also planned to incorporate the library’s photo archive into Wikimedia Commons, for which Wikimedia UG Georgia will provide human and technical resources for a joint library and affiliation project. Wikimedia UG Georgia will also continue to provide training for National Library staff on working on Wikimedia projects.

Wikimedia UG Georgia plans to establish new partnerships with schools (public and private) in Tbilisi and other regions of Georgia this year. This will allow us to open new WikiClubs based on these schools. Also, attract new teachers to Wikimedia projects.

Organizational Development

Wikimedia UG Georgia plans to become a new chapter of Wikimedia in 2024. During this process, Wikimedia Georgia will change its charter and adjust official documents and registration at the local level, following the requirements of the legislation of Georgia and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikimedia UG Georgia will develop a plan and hold meetings with members of the organization to plan better the involvement of members of the organization in working in the chapter and attract new members to the organization.

Wikimedia UG Georgia will develop a new plan for the growth of the organization and the growth of staff in the organization. This plan will be following the priorities of the organization's strategic plan. The plan will allow WMGE to prioritize the strategic plan's goals and direct human resources to work on the goals.