Community Capacity Development

Start

Capacity 1:
Community
Governance

Capacity 2:
Conflict
management

Capacity 3:
On-wiki
technical skills

Capacity 4:
New contributor
engagement and growth

Capacity 5:
Partnerships

Capacity 6:
Communications
& Media relations

Community Capacity Development is an initiative that aims at identifying needs and ways to build capacity in different Wikimedia communities , and then initiating specific actions to build specific capacities in specific interested communities.

What is community capacity? "Community capacity" is the ability of a community to achieve their goals. These goals are very diverse, and span issues that affect one or all Wikimedia communities.

What is capacity development? Capacity building, also known as capacity development, is a development approach that involves identifying the challenges that inhibit a community from achieving their goals, and then building, facilitating, or supporting projects to address these challenges.

Are you interested in building capacity within your community? There are currently six areas for development - read each capacity's scope, challenges, and potential solutions to see if you are interested. These areas were chosen after interviews with sixteen communities or countries (predominantly in the Global South), and seem to be the areas that affect a large portion of Wikimedia communities. Community governance Conflict management On-wiki technical skills New contributor engagement and growth Partnerships Communications In each capacity space, we invite your comments and participation - to discuss and clarify challenges, existing solutions (from other communities), and potential future work (e.g. research, trainings, facilitated meetings, etc.).

What is the Community Capacity Development Project? The purpose of the Community Capacity Development project is to (finally) make systematic progress toward building capacity within Wikimedia communities. This project began with a phase of Community Research , where the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) conducted qualitative research into strengths, challenges and needs of different communities, aiming to understand the breadth and scope of capacity needs in emerging communities. These interviews were conducted with sixteen communities or countries through in-depth video interviews with a small group of community members. Preliminary results from this research phase was presented at the Wikimedia Conference 2015 in Berlin in May 2015. The slides are on Wikimedia Commons.

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