2025-08-07 –, ELDORET (Clubhouse)
Language: English
This Connectathon challenges Listeners to collaboratively build a Lego castle based solely on verbal instructions from the Builders, who have already constructed the lego castle. Separated by a barrier to prevent visual interaction, the Listeners must replicate the Builder's creation without seeing it until their attempt is complete. Builders must articulate each step clearly, while Listeners can ask clarifying questions but cannot hold up pieces for confirmation. This Connectathon highlights the importance of patient active listening, clear communication, and following instructions within a team. The end goal is to demonstrate how effective communication and listening can enhance collaboration, whether working with familiar or unfamiliar Wikimedians. By the end, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how these skills contribute to a multigenerational, sustainable, inclusive, and impactful movement.
Aim: To illustrate the importance of patient active listening, asking questions and following instructions when building a project, an initiative, a campaign, or a program with a group of people - whether you know them or not!
Objective: Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of what patient active listening looks and feels like while also following instructions. By keeping both teams on opposite sides of the room, the exercise fosters trust, encourages effective communication, and challenge participants to break down complex tasks (ideas) into manageable steps.
This Connectathon involves teams of 6+ people. Each team will be divided into two sub parts: the Builders and the Listeners. The Listeners are tasked to work together to build a Lego castle by patiently listening to the Builders verbal instructions on how to build the lego castle. The Builders and the Listeners will be on opposite sides of the room so that there is no temptation to show each other's legos at any time. The Listener is tasked with replicating the creation solely based on the Builder's verbal instructions on their already built lego castle. The key to the exercise is that neither the Builders of the team or the Listeners of the team are allowed to see each other’s legos until the Listener completes their attempt at building the exact replica of the Lego castle the Builder already has.
The Builder must articulate each step clearly and with precision, guiding the Listener to recreate the same Lego castle. While the Listener can ask clarifying questions, they are not allowed to hold up or show pieces for confirmation. This Connectathon emphasizes the importance of clear communication, attention to detail, and the ability to break down complex tasks into simple, understandable steps, fostering team work, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
- How does your session relate to the event theme: Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
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This Connectathon aligns with the theme by focusing on soft skills: team work, communication, emotional intelligence and problem solving, to foster an impactful, sustainable and inclusive Wikimedia movement, which inherently aims to “include” diverse communities and underrepresented voices. Through patient listening and following instructions, participants will have a deeper understanding of the importance of knowing how to break down complex ideas to each other. For example, advanced and long time Wikimedians need to know how to explain the Wikimedia movement to newcomers, while also practicing patient listening when newcomers have new ideas and questions - and vise versa. We can build a more connected movement for “sustained” engagement and knowledge sharing through the practice of patient listening, clear communication and team work.
- What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below.
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Collaboration
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
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Everyone can participate in this session
- How do you plan to deliver this session? You will be asked to confirm this closer to the date in case of changes to the format.
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Onsite in Nairobi
- Should your session be selected for the program, do you agree to release your session and supporting materials on-wiki and on the eventyay platform under CC BY-SA 4.0?
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I agree
Volunteer Wikimedian from a small affiliate “Odia Wikimedians User Group” from India,South Asia. WikiWomenCamp 2023 COT member and WikiWomen* Task Force member. An engineer by profession and Wikimedian by passion. I have been in the Wikimedia movement since 2016.
Bukola James is a certified librarian and passionate open knowledge advocate committed to promoting open access to information and empowering communities through digital literacy. As co‑founder of Africa Wiki Women, Sub‑Saharan Liaison for the Let’s Connect working group, and Community Coordinator for the African Wikipedian Alliance, she has played a key role in fostering collaboration across the Wikimedia community. In addition to serving as vice chair of the Wikipedia + Education User Group, Bukola leads the Learnovation Network Foundation as chairperson, where she champions innovation, fosters partnerships, and drives initiatives that strengthen digital literacy and collaboration within the open knowledge movement.
Hello! We are the Let’s Connect program, a collaborative effort led by eight members from the Let’s Connect working group, each representing one of the eight regions. Our initiative was founded by Jessica Stephenson, who believed that peer-to-peer learning is essential for the sustainability of the Wikimedia movement.
Each month, we host learning clinics where we work together with a diverse range of Wikimedians, including affiliates, new and experienced organizers, and recently, newcomers. Our primary aim is to create safe, relaxed learning environments that showcase what interactive, peer-to-peer learning can look like both online and in person.
We invite individuals from various communities to share their expertise on a wide variety of topics, enabling us to learn from their experiences and challenges. With speakers from within the community, Let’s Connect participants gain valuable insights from real-Wiki experiences and highlights of current projects, programs, and tools in action.
I have been a Ghanaian Wikipedian since February 2016, a Freelance Digital Strategist, and currently serve as the Board Chair of the Wikimedia Ghana User Group. I am also one of the Working Group Members of the Let's Connect program. I am an active advocate for mental health, the environment, and a freelance photographer.
I am Colombian, British and Brazilian and grew up moving around the world.
I studied politics and history and have a Master's in Development Studies. For the last 25 years I have worked in project design, management and evaluation in issues related to education, peace building, improving livelihoods, youth and gender equity. A main feature of my work has been empowering diverse communities through innovative movement strategies. This has ranged from working with indigenous women's movements in remote regions in Colombia to youth groups in Brazil.
I have been part of the Movement since April 2021 when I joined the Wikimedia Foundation. I currently work within the Community Devleopment team supporting hub initiatives and Let's Connect.