User:.Anja./Starting a project

Many events about Wikimedian projects can be organized:

• Contribution initiation: to teach how to contribute to newbies (rules and recommandations of the projects, free licences...)
• Workshop or editathon: one day (more or less) to contribute about a specific topic mainly on Wikipedia, Commons... or other Wikimedian project, to improve the content about a specific topic
• Photo contest: (...)

These events can be mostly on only online, in real life or most of the time they can be a mix of both.

This page gives you some tips to organize an event.

Step by step

Step 1 : Defining the idea

• Which project(s) ?
  Wikipedia, Commons…
• What are your aims?
  Teaching contribution, improve a specific subject, convince/empower a group of specific people that they are able to contribute, giving a lecture about the Wikimedia projets/movement…
• Which target audience?
  Newbies, experienced contributors, students, workers or people interested in Wikimedian projects and/or a specific topic…
  • Do you need to teach them how to contribute? (you may need to plan a teaching/training session to learn them how to contribute before the contributing session of your event)
• Which kind of event ?
  Workshop or editathon, photo contest...
  • How long ?
    A full day, an half-day, a series of workshops...
  • How many people do you expect?
  • Does this event take place in a wider event (ex. Black History Month, Mois de la contribution francophone, Mois de l'art et des rites funéraires…)?
• When?

Your aims must be clear.

You will need to think about:

• Will a training session be needed ? You will need to teach how to contribute if people are not used to projects.
• Will you need some volunteers for teaching/training/supervising ?
• Will you provide computers and other materials? Will people need to come with their own devices?
• Are there some organizations which could help you to reach the target audience?
• What kind of accomadations do you need to welcome people with disabilities or with specific needs?

Step 2 : Realisation

• Material aspect:
  • Finding a place (see User:.Anja./Starting a project#Finding a place)
    • With devices : Wifi, tables, chairs… and eventually computers
    • Easy to reach (transportation)
    • With disabled access

/ Keep in mind that the number of attendees is mainly limited by the place you will have.

• Chronology of the event :
  • Clear aims (cf. 1.)
  • Chronology (date de l'évènement, début / fin, accueil, présentation(s)…)
  • Organization (session(s) de formation, session(s) de contribution, repas, pauses, animations etc.)

• Supervising:
  • Finding one volunteers or more (depending on the size of the event).�The volunteers who supervise contribution need to well know the project(s).

Cost

Let's talk about money! You have to estimate your project's costs as soon as possible. The usual costs of an event are:

• Transportation costs (for superviser volunteers)
• Food and drink(s)
• Place (rent).

Do not book or commit yourself to pay something if you have not been funded yet. Keep in mind that your reimbursement request can be rejected or lower than you expected. Some events do not require many funding or no funding at all.

1. Estimate of the expenses
   • Place (amount of the rent? Free?)
   • Transport costs of the volunteers (train tickets in 2nd class, kilometric reimbursment if you use your car)
   • Food and drinks / lunch
   • Communication (posters, flyers)
2. Findings funds
   • Demande de remboursement par Wikimedia Belgium (lien) and/or
   • Demande de Rapid grant auprès de la Wikimedia Foundation (lien)
   • Support d'une organisation partenaire
   • Financement personnel

Focus on specific points

About specificities of events

• Edit-a-thon :
  • Specific requirements? ...
• Photo contest
  • Specific requirment? ...
• Lecture / Conference
  • Specific requirment? ...

Finding volunteers

• You need people who know the project(s) well
• Reach them :
  • Ask in village pumps, talk page of local contributors or similar project pages…
  • Use mailing lists (Wikimedian or other mailing list)
• How many volunteers?
  • It depends of the size of your event.
  • If you are not used to the project(s), it is highly recommended to have at least one experienced contributor at your side to prevent biggest mistakes.

Communication

Project page

It is highly recommended to gather all the informations about your event on a project page.

• Where?
  • on this wiki;
  • or on the Wikimedia project you will contribute for this event.
• What?
  • Place, date, aims;
  • Access: transportations, parkings...
  • Lunch, devices?

Reach the target audience

You can use mailing lists and social networks (Facebook, Twitter...). Identify the groups who can help you and ask if they can make an announcement about your event on their own networks to their contacts:

• Organizations: NGO or associations, institutions, enterprises, specialized websites or projects...
• Wikimedia projects : village pumps, projects pages, banneer…
• Wikimedia chapter : Wikimedia Belgium, or any other chapter concerned.

Welcoming people with specific needs

People with other specific needs

I.e neuroatypies, hypersensibility... / Sensory inputs, quiet space.