2023:Program/Governance/K73MWA-Regional Grants Committees

Title: Regional Grants Committees

Speakers:

Butch Bustria

Butch Bustria is an Overseas Filipino Worker / Wikimedian (OFW) based in Singapore, He use his spare time in doing Wikimedia projects. His first edit was in December 2005 with a series of edits about the Philippines’ hosting of the Southeast Asian Games. In 2010, he along with 4 others co-founded Wikimedia Philippines, the second Wikimedia chapter in Southeast Asia. In 2017, he joined in organizing the first ESEAP conference in Bali, Indonesia and the first ESEAP Strategy Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. He also part of the core organizing teams of the second ESEAP Conference in Sydney, Australia and is an Event lead for Wikimania 2023 in Singapore. He is also part of the Wikimania Steering Committee since 2020 and the ESEAP Regional Funds Committee since 2021. Image : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimedia_Summit_2019_-_Portrait_Butch_Bustria.jpg License: cc-by-sa-4.0 Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.

Farah Mustaklem (FJMustak)

Veteran Wikimedian from Palestine. Editing in Arabic and English Wikipedia and contributing to Commons. Co-founder and board member of the Wikimedians of the Levant User Group. Former member of AffCom. Currently a member of the Regional Grant Committee for Africa and the Middle East.

Harriet Bayel

I am Harriet Bayel, a Ghanaian Wikimedian and community lead for the Global Open Intiative Foundation. I am currently studying to acquire a master’s degree in leadership in open education from the University of Nova Gorica and saying yes to new adventures. I am very passionate about volunteerism and bridging the content and digital gender gaps. During Re:publica 2018, a representative from a trusted media house in Ghana made mention of Wikipedia not being a credible site. As the volunteer at the Wikipedia desk, I made it known to her that we depended on their site for sources, hence they might be responsible for errors. Another problem that has been identified is the duplication of content from one media site on all other media sites, which is the copying and sharing of the same content on all other platforms. I once had a conversation with an academic writing lecturer who shared the same sentiments. Considering our dependence on such media houses for sources and contributions of content to Wikipedia, we realized the need to involve a larger audience to help solve this issue by sensitising journalists and the media.

Ghozi Septiandri

Bio

Shabab Mustafa

Pretalx link

Etherpad link

Room: Room 310

Start time: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:40:00 +0800

End time: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0800

Type: Lecture

Track: Governance

Submission state: confirmed

Duration: 20 minutes

Do not record: false

Presentation language: en

Abstract & description

Abstract

Grant-making is playing an increasingly important role in diversifying the Wikimedia ecosystem. Decentralizing the decision-making process into Regional Grants Committees has been a great step in the right direction for a more inclusive movement. As a member of the grants committee for one of the historically least funded regions, I will showcase the virtues of having these committees and promote their growth.

Description

When I joined the Regional Grants Committee for Africa and the Middle East two years ago, the grant-making landscape at the WMF was quite different. Decisions about grant proposals were being made centrally, often by people who had very little knowledge about the regional or local context of the proposals. I am happy to share that splitting the grant-making decisions into regional committees has enabled grantees from under-represented communities to have a better chance at implementing their proposals. The decentralized model of the grants committee is a great example of how the movement governance can be decentralized successfully. The regional grants committees are also a great way of including volunteer community members in the process, who bring in invaluable insight, as many of the volunteers have been on the receiving end of grants in the past, and are familiar with the challenges grantees may face.

Further details

Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?

The session is all about promoting more diversity and collaboration among the volunteers. The future of the movement requires more and more diversity, and the regional grants committees are a great example of this diversity.

Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Average knowledge about Wikimedia projects or activities

Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?

Onsite in Singapore
Remote online participation, livestreamed
Remote from a satellite event
Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
Pre-recorded and available on demand