Your first interactive session: How to overcome the challenges 😌

I observed that our Arabic-speaking community is reluctant to engage in conversations, discussions, and activities related to movement strategy. To enhance their involvement, I applied for a MS grant to launch and activate Movement Strategy’s Arabic educational material and deliver the material in interactive sessions. 

The movement strategy 2030 has been a dream and a challenge. The movement community had set 10 recommendations, 10 principles, 8 prioritized clusters, and a very ambitious 47 initiatives (currently) to achieve. To push these initiatives forward into action, we need to work together and merge our skills, diversities, and previous experiences and knowledge.

The highlight of the movement strategy is inclusivity and specificity. All members and affiliates are invited to participate. You can take one initiative and push it a step forward.

This post documents my approach to fragmenting big goals into small challenges. In your first time doing things, everything sounds like a challenge, and every phase you get through is a win meant to be shared.

Your Wikisupport System 🤝

Having a support system is an asset when embarking on a new project within the Wikimedia Movement. This community of volunteers and like-minded individuals provides invaluable assistance, guidance, and motivation throughout the project’s journey. Whether you’re organizing an edit-a-thone, facilitating a session, or initiating a new initiative, a support system can help you navigate challenges, share knowledge, and foster collaboration. To find such a network, start by joining Wikimedia forums, mailing lists, or local Wikimedia user groups.

I reached out to the Arabic Window for movement strategy, experienced members from the Arabic community who engaged with the global conversations and had good connections with community members.

Building a strong support system ensures that your project outcomes have a lasting impact within the Wikimedia Movement. It will also help you build sessions that suit your community’s needs, advocate for your project, attract potential attendees attention, and document your activities.

Communities Needs 🤗

Defining the needs of the Wikimedia Movement’s communities is crucial when launching a new project related to Movement Strategy. These communities, comprised of editors, affiliates, organizers, and facilitators, hold unique perspectives and requirements that should inform project goals and strategies. Understanding their needs ensures that any initiative aligns with the broader movement’s objectives and effectively serves its diverse user base.

In the Arabic-speaking community, I started by reaching out to the community members through Arabic Wikipedia’s village pump (الميدان), Wikimedia-related social media platforms, and Telegram chats. My reaching-out process involved two methods: 1) a short survey to navigate their knowledge about movement strategy, to know the potential audience, and what they need to facilitate their engagement; 2) bringing people’s attention to the grant project by hosting a session about movement strategy implantation grants (MSIG) to enhance people’s interest through practical examples. The session’s title was MS grants: Could be me?

To define community needs, conduct surveys, engage in open discussions on Wikimedia platforms, and seek input from various community members. Regularly analyze data, feedback, and trends to adapt and refine project plans. By addressing community needs, projects are more likely to succeed and contribute meaningfully to the Wikimedia Movement’s mission of knowledge dissemination and accessibility.

New Audience: MS Newbies 🌚

Movement Strategy newbies (MS newbies) refers to individuals who are new to movement strategy, even if they are experienced editors with extended rights as some of them might not be involved in the movement strategy. Those people were my target audience as it’s vital to include them when starting a new project focused on Movement Strategy to ensure a fresh perspective and diverse input. 

To onboard and include these newcomers effectively, create welcoming spaces for discussions, provide resources and documentation, host orientation sessions with historical background, and actively engage with their questions and ideas. Inclusivity of newbies fosters innovation and helps the Wikimedia Movement evolve in line with its strategic goals.

Best Channels to Reach out 🧑‍💻

To onboard and include these newcomers effectively, create welcoming spaces for discussions, provide resources and documentation, host orientation sessions with historical background, and actively engage with their questions and ideas. Inclusivity of newbies fosters innovation and helps the Wikimedia Movement evolve in line with its strategic goals.

I contacted the audience using their talk pages on Arabic Wikipedia as it is their home Wiki. The Arabic Window team helped me in defining the new audience and reaching out to them. I have also inculded a question in the first survey about their prefered communication method. It is also important to reach out again. 

Engaging community members through these channels ensures that projects are well-informed, align with the Movement’s goals, and receive valuable input and support from those deeply involved in Wikimedia initiatives.

Wikipedians Appreciate Privacy 😶‍🌫️

Engaging community members through these channels ensures that projects are well-informed, align with the Movement’s goals, and receive valuable input and support from those deeply involved in Wikimedia initiatives.

My project preserved their anonymous participation and urged them to use the chat only to cooperate.

Language Gap 🔤

A project’s chance to succeed is enhanced by delivering it in a language familiar to the audience so they can engage and interact with your content.

We need not widen the language gap and keep the content updated and translated to our members’ languages. I have translated meta pages and files related to the movement strategy. I have also created new interactive content for the Arabic-speaking community.

Catch up with MS trends in the Movement 💥

If you are the facilitator, then you need to study. Studying the movement’s work to deliver it in an engaging way is a vital part.

The movement strategy has been set and is still under implementation. I reviewed a crash course, subscribed to the newsletter about the ongoing work in the movement charter, followed mailing lists, and discussed the content with users from the Arabic Window team who take part in the global conversations. I started with the newest content to stay relevant to the priorities and keep my audience updated about the trend in the movement.

Our movement has a valuable tendency to document on Meta, and my partners in this project were grateful.

Keeping Your Audience Engaged While Behind the Screens 🤷 

Active engagement through virtual means, such as online meetings, webinars, and collaborative platforms, ensures that community members remain connected and motivated.

I have designed two interactive sessions. The first one was Q&A-based with multiple choices; people find it entertaining to compete about the right answer and to discuss the answers afterwards. The questions about the intentions behind setting a target, its initiatives, recommendations, and current status The second part of the session involved a case study; attendees were divided into breakout rooms (not recorded), discussed the case, and documented it using Google Docs.

The second session introduced the movement charter and its new chapters. I focused my session on the global council. I asked the audience to imagine themselves as future global council members and provided indicative tasks, and we discussed together whether this task is under their power or not according to the current draft.

Feedback 🤔

Learning and evaluation rely on the audience and not just self-reflection. In the era of survey fatigue after COVID-19, it is challenging to get your surveys filled out, and it is even more challenging to have valuable responses. I used yes-or-no questions in my surveys and in session polls to know what people thought about the activities.

Conclusion

Starting a Movement Strategy project in Wikimedia involves understanding community needs, building support systems, engaging through various channels, and keeping the audience engaged virtually. These elements ensure project success and inclusivity within the Wikimedia Movement.