ESEAP Conference 2024/Report/Nelynnnnn

Greetings! This is my first time ever attending such a big conference that includes so many diverse attendees from around the globe. I shall offer some of my perspectives regarding the Wikimedia ESEAP Conference 2024 in this report. Come on, let's dive right in!

This year ESEAP Conference was the third regional conference for Wikimedia communities across the ESEAP region which is East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. The conference was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from 10-12 May, 2024. For this year 2024, the conference theme is Collaboration beyond the horizon.

Sponsorship[edit]

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Wikimedia Foundation for granting my application for the full scholarship to attend this conference. By receiving this scholarship, I was able to attend this conference without expending an excessive amount of money and throughout the conference, I felt at ease in terms of accommodations, hospitality, and food. Aside from that, I also got the opportunity to visit and enjoy trips to some amazing places.

Roles[edit]

During the conference, I carried out three roles which is :

Full scholarship participant
Interpreter for Ms-dtp
Member of Kelab Wiki Kent

Overview of the Conference[edit]

Hybrid-conference

The conference includes both online and offline (face-to-face) participants which allows the attendees to participate either in person or virtually, offering greater flexibility and accessibility. Online attendees of the conference were connected using the Zoom and YouTube applications. The conference allows for participation in many languages and promotes language diversity. The committee presented many language interpretations during the session. Some of the languages that were available for interpretation are Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Kadazandusun. This helps participants who are having difficulty understanding the language used for this conference, which is English.

Conference Management

The committee members was effective in setting up the sessions and activities that took place during the conference. My observations show that while there were occasional technical issues during some of the sessions, they professionally overcame the issues. Other than that, the committee team provided Trust and Safety (T&S) committee that ensure the safety of the participants throughout the conference.

Accomodation & Facility

Session Summaries[edit]

Day 1 (10th May 2024)

During the first day, I started my role as an Interpreter for ms to dtp during the opening ceremony. After that I attended the Wiki in Education session that was held in Sayat-sayat Room. The other session I attended Editing Wikipedia to understand our past: Enriching Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s local history on Wikipedia . During the session, it was discussed how the Wikipedia Summer Students deal with the difficulties in using Wikipedia to improve local history. From what they've shared, I've discovered that some indigenous people were reluctant to share their knowledge because they wanted to protect it from outsiders editing it on Wikipedia. They also emphasized that with pure intentions harm can still be caused.

I also attended the Utilization of Wikimedia in Lessons session as well. During the session, there was a discussion about the strategic ways to promote open educational resources to teachers. They talked about the educational uses of Wikimedia sources. Examples of images that can be used in education are those found on Wikipedia, many of which are free to use, licenced media, and instructional materials. Other than that, narrative and descriptive tests can be administered using literary text kinds from Wikimedia. Crediting the content is still necessary even if the sources are freely available.

At Timpohon Room, I attended 3 differents session presented by students and lecturers from IPGM Campus Kent. The first session is Bridging IPGM Campus Kent’s Collaboration Network With the Community through Wikimedia. The session discussed about the introduction of Kent Wiki Club and how IPGM Campus Kent develop and enhance the Kadazan Dusun Language Teacher Education Curriculum. IPGM Campus Kent also has established a network with the community through various activities that aimed tp uplift and empower the Kadazandusun Language.