Basque Wikimedians User Group/Reports/2020

As in other places throughout the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit hard the Basque Country in 2020, leading to extraordinary measures implemented in society, characterized by lockdown, i.e. restriction of movement between different territorial sections, social isolation of individuals and closure of commercial outlets, followed by a short lift of lockdown in summer and a new contagion outburst in October, with increased restrictions until December.

This situation has put pressure on the expected Basque Wikimedians' activity, especially the Education Program, since it targets the education community, an area deeply affected by the pandemic, altering its scheduled course of action. The Basque Wikimedians have accommodated to this unfortunate situation, centering on digitally based external activities and minimizing in-site interventions. As a result, overall spending has also been somewhat smaller than usual.

As in last years, the Basque Wikimedians User Group has engaged in synergies with social and cultural agents operating in Basque and producing material and/or technology liable to be used in Wikimedia projects. The summary of all activities breaks down as follows:

Initiative WikiBizi

As the summer started amid measures restricting movement among districts in the fight against the Covid19 pandemic, an initiative was launched to foster by means of volunteers tourism and knowledge of Basque natural and cultural heritage, including a photographic contest and reviews of tourist venues providing services in different locations.

The initiative, called WikiBizi, included both online and offline activities. The initiative is still open to be continued for the next year. These are some of the related activities carried out in 2020:

Visit and editathon at Museum Oteiza, Navarre - 20 July 2020
Workshop and presentation round at Errenteria, Gipuzkoa - 15 August 2020
Workshop in Egia, Donostia-San Sebastian - 20 August 2020; see Commons Category
Workshop in Usurbil, Gipuzkoa - 29 August 2020
Workshop in Gares, Navarre - 29 August 2020

Press coverage

Basque Wikipedia in general

Goiena: Euskarazko Wikipediaren sekretuak ezagutzen

Txikipedia

GLAM

Aiurri

Full coverage at Tokikom media. News about the media: Andoain, Aduna, Larraul, Asteasu, Zizurkil
Coverage by Goiena: blog post, Television
Report on Basque Public Television: TOKIKOM Wikiproiektua: tokiko komunikabideen iruditeria, sarean

UPV/EHU, University of the Basque Country (Education Program)

Coverage by Gara Ikasleak eragile: euskaraz elikatuz Wikipedia aberastu
(Basque) EHU-Wikipedia Informatika Fakultatean (The Faculty of Informatics in the project EHU-Wikipedia between Basque Wikipedia and the University of the Basque Country) Faculty of Informatics of the University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU.
(Spanish) EHU-Wikipedia en la Facultad de Informática (The Faculty of Informatics in the project EHU-Wikipedia between Basque Wikipedia and the University of the Basque Country) Faculty of Informatics of the University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU.
(Basque) Mineral guztiak euskaraz Wikipedian journal Campus of the University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU.Only one Wikipedia had all these minerals and it was that of the Basque language. Linguistic resources have been used for the automatic treatment of the Basque language and the wikipedia robot mineralBot developed in 2019 (Xabier Garmendia Diaz, Kepa Sarasola and Galder Gonzalez)
(Spanish) Todos los minerales en euskera en Wikipedia journal Campus of the University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU.

UEU, Basque Summer University (workshop)

One-day Wikipedia-Wikimedia editathon 2020 in the summer courses of the Basque Summer University Wikipedia-Wikimedia editatoia 2020. Donostia-San Sebastian, 14 July 2019.
- Itzulpen automatikoa wikilariak laguntzeko (Machine Translation to help wikipedians). Iñaki Alegria and Kepa Sarasola
- Wikipedia editatzen: nor-nori-nork. Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga, itzultzailea, urte luzetan wikilaria Euskarazko eta Ingelesezko Wikipedian, EWKE eta UEUko kidea.
- Katalogazioa: euskal egileak wikidatatzen. Amaia Cuende, Koldo Mitxelena Liburutegiko teknikaria eta Wikimediako kolaboratzailea, eta Mertxe Zabala, Donostia Kulturako liburutegi laguntzailea.

Itinerancies

Participation (streaming) in Panel discussion: COVID-19 and the Wikimedia community, Celtic Knot 2020 (Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga/Iñaki LL) - 10 July 2020.
Presentation "Zer egin dezakegu euskaldunok interneten? Euskal Herria wikitzen" on Wikimedia and Basque Wikipedia by Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga in collaboration with cultural association Hernani Errotzen. Hernani, Gipuzkoa - 19 November 2020. Call in the media here, here and here. See Commons Category.
Eskola Digitala ("Digital School") presentations within the Basque Public Education Network on making Wikimedia and Txikipediainstrumental for educative development:

> Wikimedia eta hezkuntza: lagunak izan gaitezke. G. González, "Wikimedia and education can be friends", Galder Gonzalez

> “Zumaiako Txikipedia proiektua” Mikel Fernández de Arroiabe, "Txikipedia project of Zumaia", Mikel Fernandez de Arroiabe

The wikipedian Jose Ramon Etxebarria received Manuel Lekuona Award

Jose Ramon Etxebarria is a well-known Basque scholar, renowned for its contribution to the standardization of Basque language and development of both specialized academic and Secondary School materials. As he retired, he increasingly engaged in the Basque Wikipedia, taking on an active role in text production and correction of aspects related to both content and form. He has now been recognized for hist life-long achievement by Eusko Ikaskuntza, an institution for the advancement of excellence in knowledge.

Dissemination

Syed Muzammiluddin from the Hindi Wikipedia made an interview to a Basque wikipedian to learn about Basque Wikipedia and the Basque Wikipedians User Group. History, activities and future goals were discussed in the interview. See full interview with Basque Wikipedian User:Gartxoak (Mikel F. Arroiabe).

Membership

The Basque Wikimedians User Group had 6 new members registered in 2020. The updated list of members can be found here.