ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025/Report/Raflinoer32

Mabuhay!👋🏻

I am Rafli Noer Khairam (User:Raflinoer32), a Sundanese Wikimedian from Garut, West Java. I represented Wikimedia Bandung Community at the ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025.

Things learned from ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025

Wikimedia ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025 has given many valuable experiences and deep insights. Through this event, I gained a wealth of knowledge about the ESEAP Hub. It also gave me the opportunity to share my ideas and aspirations for the Wikimedia movement in the ESEAP region. Moreover, this summit became a space for me to learn and connect with Wikimedia volunteers and Wikimedia staff from across the ESEAP region.

Here are the key points I learned from the Wikimedia ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025:

I gained a deeper understanding of the ESEAP Hub. Prior to attending the ESEAP Strategy Summit, I didn’t fully grasp how the ESEAP Hub and its governance worked. However, after joining the session "HUB, Action! 🎬 Designing Governance and Strategy Together," I found the answers to all the questions I had in mind.
I learned about opportunities for cross-border cooperation and collaboration. With the presence of the ESEAP Hub, the possibilities for collaboration among countries have become more accessible. Communities can now work together and build partnerships for Wikimedia-related activities.
I realized how vital the voices of volunteers are to the success of the ESEAP Hub. I vividly remember when Belinda Spry mentioned that no matter how small our experiences may seem within the Wikimedia movement, they are valuable to the ESEAP Hub. This inspired me to continue sharing my ideas and aspirations while staying actively involved in the Wikimedia movement across ESEAP.

Things the participant contributed or participated in or since ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025

Pre-summit

This was my first time attending the ESEAP Strategy Summit. I felt truly excited and grateful when I received the email announcement that I had been awarded a scholarship to join this event. I understood that a summit would be different from a conference, instead of just listening to presentations, participants would engage in workshops and discussions, which required a deeper understanding of the ESEAP Hub.

In preparation for this, I, along with my colleagues, Asmah, Mbak Elice, Mas Bayu, and Zahirul, initiated a peer learning program. We held weekly online meetings to discuss topics related to the ESEAP Hub. Through these peer learning sessions, I gained valuable insights into the ESEAP Hub, which I was able to apply during the summit.

Day 1 (May 23, Friday)

Opening Session
HUB, Action! 🎬 Designing Governance and Strategy Together
Friday Prayer at Mecca Mosque
HUB, Action! 🎬 Designing Governance and Strategy Together
Finalizing: The Governance System
Affiliate Health Criteria

Day 2 (May 24, Saturday)

Connecting and Collaborating between Affiliates and Countries
Open Mic for Cross-border Collaboration
Strategic Tactics for Building External Partnerships
CEE Hub: Exchange and Learnings
Global Trends Workshop
Global Trends Workshop (Breakout 1: Readers and Contributors)
Field building - from conceptualisation to actualisation (a pilot initiative)

Day 3 (May 25, Sunday)

GLAM-Wiki Meetup
Global Resource Distribution Committee Update
Move into Future Conference(s)
Closing Session
National Museum Tour

Post-summit

After the summit concluded, I still had ample time to explore the city of Manila. On Monday, May 26, 2025, Asmah, Mas Bayu, and I decided to explore Intramuros. We did a photo walk around the historic area and visited San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral. Afterward, we headed to SM Mall of Asia to buy souvenirs typical of Manila to bring home for our loved ones.

Plans after ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025

After attending the ESEAP Strategy Summit, I am inspired to begin collaborating with Wikimedia communities across countries. Specifically, I plan to initiate cross-border collaboration focused on the preservation of traditional culinary heritage. I currently lead the project WikiCitaRasa, which aims to document traditional recipes from across Indonesia in Wikibooks. I believe that countries within the ESEAP region also possess a rich variety of traditional cuisines. I hope my projects can serve as a gateway for international collaboration, allowing us to collectively document and celebrate the diverse culinary heritage of the ESEAP region through Wikimedia projects.

In addition to cross-border collaboration, I am committed to actively contributing to the Wikimedia movement in the ESEAP region. I aim to leverage my capabilities to support the success of future ESEAP Hub programs. I believe there are many ways I can contribute—ranging from content translation to community empowerment across the region.

Lastly, I will share the valuable knowledge I gained from the ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025 with my beloved community, Wikimedia Bandung, during our monthly meeting. I will disseminate information about the ESEAP Hub, initiate collaborative efforts, and provide other relevant updates. In doing so, I hope to ensure that my community shares a common understanding of the programs and discussions presented at the ESEAP Strategy Summit. After that, I will put this knowledge into real action together with the Wikimedia Bandung Community.

Comments/suggestions about ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025

Appreciation:

I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the entire organizing team for their hard work in making the ESEAP Strategy Summit 2025 in Manila a success. I observed that both the preparation and execution of the event were smooth and well-organized.

I particularly appreciated the printed documents provided to participants during certain sessions, especially during the HUB, Action! 🎬 Designing Governance and Strategy Together session. These materials greatly helped me and my fellow participants better understand the topics, which in turn facilitated more productive discussions. I hope the practice of providing supporting materials can be adopted in other ESEAP programs as well.

Suggestions:

I appreciate the organizers and volunteers for arranging and coordinating airport transfers for scholarship recipients via GRAB. However, in my opinion, this method was less effective and efficient. I understand that this decision was made after careful consideration of various factors. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest using a collective shuttle service for airport transfers, similar to the arrangement during the ESEAP Conference 2024. I believe this would be a more efficient and practical option, allowing participants to travel together without having to wait long periods for individual drivers at the airport or hotel.

Gallery

Maraming salamat po! ✨