2025-08-09 –, NAKURU
Language: English
🎥 Session recording: https://w.wiki/FCnq 🎥
This lecture aims to provide a strategic overview of the Wikimedia & Education Movement, highlighting its evolution, challenges, and the steps being taken to build a more integrated and scalable support system. We will present the Theory of Change, which outlines a vision for strengthening global collaboration and providing services to education program leaders. Additionally, we will share updates on global programmatic activities, identify opportunities for educators, institutions, and Wikimedia communities to engage, and discuss governance changes as we eventually move toward establishing a hub-like infrastructure. By the end of this session, participants will have a clear understanding of the movement’s direction, available resources, and ways to contribute to the future of Wikimedia and education.
The Wikipedia & Education User Group is a global volunteer-driven community established in 2018 to promote the integration of Wikipedia and its sister projects in education. With 548 individual members and 29 supporting affiliates, the group collaborates with the Wikimedia Foundation and other affiliates to advance Wikimedia education initiatives through activities such as the EduWiki Knowledge Showcase, conferences, mentorship programs, local program support, and newsletters.
One of the key challenges we face is fostering global coordination in Wikimedia and education initiatives. Since 2013, numerous education programs have emerged worldwide—some led by Wikimedia affiliates, others by independent program leaders. While these programs vary in scope, they all share a common focus on the relationship between Wikimedia and education. However, support for these initiatives has been fragmented, coming from different sources such as the Wikimedia Foundation, the Wikipedia & Education User Group, Wiki Education Foundation’s Dashboard, and various regional collaborations. This lack of a cohesive structure has limited our capacity to provide services, engage new audiences, and scale impact effectively.
To better address global education challenges and respond to the needs identified in our assessment research (https://w.wiki/77FQ), we have collaboratively developed a Theory of Change (https://w.wiki/9CCj). This framework outlines a vision for a sustainable infrastructure that delivers key services and robust support to the Wikimedia & Education Movement. By empowering education program leaders worldwide, this infrastructure aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our initiatives and better address the evolving needs of the education movement.
This lecture will provide a comprehensive overview of the Wikimedia & Education Movement, its current challenges, and the steps being taken to build a more integrated and scalable support system. It will discuss what services are currently provided and needed globally. We will provide an overview of relevant discussions that have happened in other spaces, such as the Edu Wiki Conference 2025. We will also share updates on global programmatic activities, highlight opportunities for educators, institutions, and Wikimedia communities to participate, and discuss the governance changes within Wikipedia & Education as we move toward establishing a hub-like infrastructure for the movement.
- What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below.
-
Collaboration, Affiliates
- How does your session relate to the event theme: Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
-
A more effective Wikimedia & Education Movement is key for bringing in new and diverse audiences. Many people join our movement through education programs, as surveys systematically report, and improving how eduwiki programs work impacts directly the sustainability of our movement and its innovative potentials.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
-
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.
-
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?
-
I agree
João Alexandre Peschanski, PhD is the Executive Director of Wikimedia Brasil and a board member of the Wikipedia & Education UG. He edits as a volunteer as User:Joalpe.
Wikimedia Serbia
Wikipedia & Education User Group
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.