Dear Wikimedia Bangladesh founders and supporters.
Congratulations on getting recognized by the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation as our newest Wikimedia chapter!
My name is Asaf, and I work for the Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco. I am in charge of the Wikimedia Grants program, as well as growing Wikimedia in the developing world.
I would like to invite you to start planning your activities as a chapter, and to consider how you can make use of the help offered by the Wikimedia Foundation and the rest of the movement.
The
Wikimedia Grants program[1] is a way for you to fund mission-aligned activities, and you can submit a request for a grant, according to the guidelines in the Grants page linked below.
Grants can help you start chapter programs such as outreach (recruiting new editors, educating Wikipedia readers, educating the press, changing attitudes toward Wikipedia among teachers and professors), partnerships (with educational organizations, including the government, with libraries, archives and museums [GLAM], with like-minded organizations [e.g. Free Software NGOs, Mozilla, Creative Commons]), events, and community meetups.
In addition to giving you funding, the Foundation can send you some Wikipedia merchandise (pins, stickers, etc.) to give away in public talks and events.
Finally, the Foundation is well-connected to Wikimedians around the world, and can most probably connect you with Wikimedians who share your interests, or have experienced challenges similar to yours, so I would like to personally encourage you to turn to us (and to me, specifically) for advice or help in any problem you come across.
We look forward to seeing the Bangladeshi community grow and prosper, and would like to hear your thoughts on what it would take to achieve that, and how the Foundation can help.
If you prefer, I am happy to have a voice
conversation with a representative from your group. Please let me know what days and times are
good for you, or contact me via one of the following:
--
Asaf Bartov
Wikimedia Foundation