Apply to join the Beta version of the Organizer Lab! - Wikimedia-l

22 Sep 2022

*Tl;dr: *Looking for a way to learn how to effectively organize around
sustainability? Join the beta version of the Organizer Lab on WikiLearn to
understand how to effectively organize a global campaign around
sustainability and climate change! Applications are open from Sep. 22 -
Oct. 19. Information session coming up on September 30 at 14:00 UTC
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/89032870014>.

Dear Wikimedians,

The Campaigns Team
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Campaigns/Foundation_Programs_Team> at the
Wikimedia Foundation is pleased to announce the beta version of a new
program called the Organizer Lab
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Campaigns/Organizer_Lab>. This call is
open to any Wikimedia community organizers with some local organizing
experience, who believe in the potential of the Wikimedia movement to
effectively mobilize around Topics for Impact
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recommendations/Identify_Topics_for_Impact>,
and who are keen to improve their skills to organize at the international
level.

Why an Organizer Lab?

Campaigns and other topic-based calls to action have been some of the most
impactful organized activities in the Wikimedia movement. However, as
observed consistently across Foundation grantmaking programs and in other
community settings, we hear organizers asking for additional support for
designing programs that successfully recruit and retain new contributors
drawn to address specific knowledge gaps on the projects, and which can
join with other movement activities beyond their local context.
Additionally, the Organizer Lab is aligned with other Movement Strategy
priorities and Foundation investment areas:

   -

   It is designed to generate replicable approaches to implementing
   elements of several Movement Strategy recommendations: Invest in Skills &
   Leadership Development, Identify Topics for Impact, and
   Evaluate/Iterate/Adapt.
   -

   It is will generate new insights and adoption opportunities for new
   event and campaign action software being developed by our close
   collaborators, the WMF Campaigns Product team
   <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Campaigns/Foundation_Product_Team>
   -

   Its initial topic of focus also supports the Wikimedia Foundation’s
Sustainability
   Initiative

<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/06/27/wikimedia-foundations-carbon-footprint-report-for-2021/>
   .

The Organizer Lab will provide a structured way for organizers to refine
their abilities, learning how to design campaigns and other effective calls
to action to address strategic knowledge gaps on Wikimedia projects. Though
we hope to expand to support other topics and themes in the coming years,
the first cohort will be themed around a topic of rising interest across
the movement: Climate Change and Sustainability.

What can I expect from the Lab?

The Organizer Lab will be a 9-week online learning experience from the end
of October until mid-December that prepares participants to design
strategic calls to action around prioritized knowledge gaps and more
generalized Wikimedia organizing and campaign/event design skills.

Participating organizers will leave the course with:

   -

   A firm understanding of how to develop a locally-relevant topic list for
   a knowledge gap-focused campaign
   -

   A process for identifying local audiences and organizations who would be
   good candidates for activation and recruitment
   -

   Understanding of the menu of tactics, tools, and newcomer engagement
   strategies available for effective event design
   -

   A scalable and fundable project proposal for events or projects
   connected to a global campaign around Earth Day (April 2023) (building on
   #WikiForHumanRights <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiForHumanRights>)
   or other regional and international campaigns.

By the end of this program, successful participants will not only be able
to lead campaigns targeted at climate and sustainability but should also be
able to transfer these skills to other topics for impact areas.

Participants who complete the program will also have access to a special
pool of grant funding that can support their first implementation of a
campaign or topics for an impact project. Applications are open from September
22 - October 19, 2022.

Apply now or learn more

To apply to join the cohort, please read the instructions on Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Campaigns/Organizer_Lab>, where you will
find: an application form, important dates, and general guidance. Also,
check out our publication on Diff
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/09/22/join-the-organizer-lab-beta-be-part-the-first-cohort-of-topics-for-impact-training-to-grow-the-next-generation-of-movement-organizers/>and
the campaign newsletter
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Campaigns/Foundation_Product_Team/Subscribers>
for wider campaign organizing news and updates.

You’re also invited to join the information session on  September 30 at
14:00 UTC <https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/89032870014> where we’ll share more
details and answer questions. A recording will be made available after the
info session. If you have any further queries ahead of this event, please
don’t hesitate to reach out to the team via campaigns(a)wikimedia.org.

We look forward to seeing you there!
-- 

Felix Nartey

Senior Program Officer, Campaigns

Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>