Global Open Initiative

Global Open Initiative
Global Open Initiative
Location	Global Online Community-based
Staff	10
Volunteers	198
Official language(s)	English
Other language(s)	Dagbani; Twi; Nzema;
Key people	Hariet Bayel; Emmanuel Yeboah;
Mobile number	+233(0)207792629
Skype	GOIFoundation
Website	www.goifoundation.org
E-mail address	info@goifoundation.org
Mailing list	goifoundation-community@googlegroups.com
Telegram	GOI_Foundation
WhatsApp	GOI_Foundation
Twitter	GOIFoundation
Facebook	GOIFoundation
Instagram	goi_foundation
YouTube	Global Open Initiative
Mailing address	c/o Sadik Shahadu, P.O. Box CT 4570 Cantonment Accra, Ghana
Motto	Making Knowledge and data freely accessible to everyone

Mission

Our mission is to help groom the skills and talents of Ghanaian youths through volunteering. By empowering them to lead and contribute to open-source projects like Wikipedia, we provide a platform and opportunities for them to apply the knowledge they acquired from schools. We also equip them with skills, knowledge, and experiences that could be of great benefit to them career-wise. We do what we do because the Ghanaian educational system, due to its impractical nature, has failed to prepare graduates for the job market. We believe that aside from internships, there are many benefits that students and graduates can gain from volunteering their service to a good cause.

Objectives

1. Sustain Institutional Partnerships: Ensure the continuity and growth of partnerships with various institutions in Ghana in 2024, thereby strengthening the support and resources available for our mission to empower Ghanaian youth. This objective aims to secure ongoing collaboration with these institutions to expand opportunities for youth involvement in open-source projects like Wikipedia. Additionally, we will organize training and workshops to educate the public on open data and the use of open technologies to strengthen these partnerships.

2. Democratize Access to Information: Expand access to knowledge and information resources for Ghanaian youth by implementing strategies that make open-source platforms like Wikipedia more accessible. This includes initiatives to bridge the digital divide, enhance digital literacy, and promote the use of open knowledge within local communities. As part of this objective, we will extend open activities to remote areas, especially the three northern regions of Ghana, to ensure that information and knowledge reach underserved communities.

3. Preserve Cultural Heritage: Launch programs and activities in 2024 that specifically focus on preserving Ghana's rich cultural heritage through open-source projects. This objective seeks to empower youth to contribute to the documentation and preservation of cultural artifacts, traditions, and histories on platforms like Wikimedia. To further support this goal, we will conduct training and workshops to educate the public on open data and technologies, enabling them to actively engage in the preservation of cultural heritage.

4. Foster Community Engagement: Develop projects and initiatives designed to foster active community engagement and collaboration. This objective encourages youth participation in projects that benefit their local communities while also nurturing a sense of ownership and responsibility towards open knowledge initiatives. Our efforts will be complemented by training and workshops to educate the public on open data and open technologies, fostering a stronger bond between communities and open knowledge.

5. Promote Female Participation: Implement strategies and activities aimed at increasing female participation in open-source projects like Wikipedia. This objective recognizes the importance of gender diversity and inclusivity within the open knowledge community, fostering an environment where women are encouraged and supported to contribute their unique perspectives and expertise. We will offer specialized training and workshops to educate the public on open data and technologies, specifically targeting female participation in open knowledge initiatives.

6. Maximize Impact Through Various Programs: Create and execute distinct programs, each tailored to address specific challenges and leverage unique strategies. These programs will encompass a range of activities and initiatives to achieve the overarching goals of sustaining partnerships, democratizing access, preserving culture, fostering community engagement, and promoting female participation. Within these programs, we will integrate training and workshops on open data and open technologies to enhance the skill development of our participants.

7. Empower Youth Through Volunteering: Central to our mission, this objective focuses on providing Ghanaian youth with opportunities to volunteer and gain valuable skills and experiences. This involves creating pathways for youth to actively participate in open-source projects, like Wikipedia, and fostering their growth as contributors and leaders in the open knowledge community. Training and workshops on open data and technologies will be integral components of our youth empowerment programs.

8. Increase Skill Development: Enhance the skill development of Ghanaian youth participating in our programs. This objective seeks to offer training, mentorship, and resources that enable youth to acquire and hone valuable skills, such as digital literacy, research, writing, and project management, through their involvement in open-source projects. Our commitment to skill development will be further reinforced by ongoing training and workshops on open data and technologies.

9. Measure and Evaluate Impact: Establish a robust system for measuring and evaluating the impact of our initiatives and programs in terms of youth empowerment, skill development, institutional partnerships, and community engagement. This objective ensures that we can continually assess and improve our efforts to meet our mission's objectives. The data and insights from our evaluations will inform the refinement of our training and workshops on open data and open technologies, enabling us to adapt and grow effectively.

Activities

1. Edit-a-thons: Edit-a-thons are events where participants come together to collaboratively edit and improve Wikipedia articles/ Wikidata Items on a specific topic or theme. These gatherings provide a structured and focused environment for both experienced and new editors to contribute their expertise and knowledge. Edit-a-thons are an effective way to create or enhance content on subjects of interest, such as local history, culture, or notable figures. They often include training sessions and mentorship to guide participants in Wikipedia's/Wikidata's editing processes and best practices.

2. Training Events: Training events are organized to provide participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to become proficient editors or contributors to open-source projects. These events can encompass a wide range of topics, including Wikipedia editing techniques, data entry and curation, digital literacy, research skills, citation practices, and content creation. Training events are instrumental in empowering individuals with the tools they need to actively engage in open knowledge initiatives.

3. Workshops: Workshops are structured sessions that delve into specific aspects of open knowledge, offering in-depth instruction and hands-on experience. Workshops can cover a variety of subjects, from advanced Wikipedia editing techniques to data analysis, and even the use of open technologies. Workshops are a great way to foster skill development and empower participants to tackle more complex tasks related to open knowledge.

4. Photowalks: Photowalks combine photography with the creation of open content. Participants, often equipped with cameras or smartphones, embark on a guided tour to capture images of their surroundings or related to specific campaigns (Wiki Loves Africa, Folklore, Monument etc.) which are later uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. These images can be used to illustrate Wikipedia articles or provide visual documentation of cultural, historical, or natural aspects of a region. Photowalks not only contribute to open knowledge but also promote a deeper connection to the subjects being photographed.

5. Community Meetups: Community meetups serve as gatherings where members of the open knowledge community come together to network, share ideas, and plan collaborative projects. These meetups are essential for building a sense of camaraderie and cohesion among community members with shared interests in open knowledge. They provide a platform for brainstorming new initiatives, discussing challenges, and celebrating successes. Community meetups often result in the formation of strategies and partnerships to further advance the goals of the open knowledge movement.

Planned Activities

GOIF (Global Open Initiative Foundation) is partnering with key organizations, including Nubuke Foundation, the Ghana Library Authority, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to initiate a comprehensive series of programs designed to expand the reach of open knowledge and address critical knowledge accessibility challenges in Ghana. These collaborative efforts are focused on fostering community engagement and making valuable resources more readily available to both Ghanaians and the global audience.

The Documentation of Fabric Weaving Types in Ghana is a program with a profound mission to safeguard and celebrate the diverse fabric weaving techniques and traditions that thrive across the regions of Ghana. This project strives to capture the intricacies of weaving methods, patterns, historical significance, and cultural context, ensuring that this invaluable heritage is preserved for future generations. It is a poignant recognition of the risk these traditions face and a dedicated effort to preserve the artistry and cultural significance woven into each thread.

The Wiki in Ghanaian Schools project is a dynamic initiative with the central goal of introducing university students and professionals in Ghana to the invaluable advantages of using Wikipedia and Wikidata for their research and writing needs. It offers a multifaceted approach designed to enhance participants' writing skills, foster effective communication, and nurture leadership abilities, all while instilling a sense of accomplishment through their contributions to open knowledge. Beyond this, the project has a keen focus on promoting the use of open-source information and working to improve research transparency. The key challenges that this initiative aims to address include limited awareness, writing proficiency, low article quality, and the need to promote research transparency.

The Democratizing Access to Supreme Court Cases through Wikidata program is a pioneering effort with the primary objective of making Ghana's Supreme Court cases accessible to a wide audience through Wikidata, a powerful and freely available database. This initiative represents an evolution of our prior success in uploading more than 600 Ghanaian Supreme Court cases to Wikidata and aims to harness the full potential of this platform beyond its traditional Wikimedia applications. By developing a user-friendly web application driven by Wikidata's SPARQL queries, we aspire to create a comprehensive repository of Ghanaian Supreme Court cases, thus fostering increased accessibility and comprehension.

The Drugs and Diseases (Twi Translatathon) for Our Twi Community project is a well-conceived effort aimed at addressing a significant content gap on Twi Wikipedia, focusing on articles related to drugs and diseases, while also improving the quality of corresponding articles on English Wikipedia. Despite Wikipedia's longstanding presence, these critical areas have been underrepresented and in need of updates. The project strategically targets regions in Ghana with a substantial Twi-speaking population, empowering local contributors to enrich articles in their native dialect. This initiative not only seeks to engage both new and experienced Twi contributors but also aims to raise awareness about the existence of a local Wikipedia platform.

The Nzema Workshops project is a commendable initiative with the primary aim of creating content in the Nzema language, which is one of West Africa's indigenous languages spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast. This initiative closely aligns with Wikimedia's broader mission of preserving and promoting local languages. The project's initial success involved workshops conducted in collaboration with the Nzema department at the University of Education in Adjumako, resulting in over 400,000 edits in 2023 and numerous contributions to Translatewiki. Building on this foundation, the project intends to organize comprehensive training sessions for students, equipping them with the skills needed to create Wikipedia pages in the Nzema language.

We hold monthly online community meetings (last Saturday of the month), and share announcements on our WhatsApp platform. '

Members

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Global Open Initiative
(GOI Foundation)
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