Wikimedia Ukraine for educators and scholars: community support and innovation in times of war
With:
Mariana Senkiv
Day: May 30, 2025 Time: 11:40 Room: Guadalupe
Abstract: The main objective of the session is to analyze the role of Wikimedia Ukraine in supporting educators and scholars in times of war through innovative campaigns, communication tools, etc. I will use case study method to examine specific Wikimedia Ukraine initiatives and projects, focusing on their impact on the educational and scientific process. Wikimedia Ukraine has successfully adapted its initiatives to the conditions of war, in particular by organizing online resources for educators and scholars, providing technical support to improve educational processes and research. The organization is actively working to improve access to knowledge, involving educators in the creation of content that meets needs in the context of war. An important area of Wikimedia Ukraine’s activity is communication and involvement of women in wikiprojects, in particular, female educators. For this purpose, separate channel for quick communication has been created in 2025.
In 2024-2025, Wikimedia Ukraine organized: a conference for wikicommunity educators in a hybrid format (more than 70 participants joined the online part; 25 joined the offline meetings), an in-depth training for educators (15 teachers and lecturers from different regions of Ukraine who already use Wikipedia and wikiprojects in the educational process took part), two webinars with the participation of scholars researching Wikipedia and other wikiprojects, two wikischools for high school students, etc. A separate chat with the latest news has been created for communication with educators of the wikicommunity. So, thanks to the support of Wikimedia Ukraine, educators and scholars are able to continue their work even during the war, maintaining access to important information and creating new knowledge. Of course, there are also challenges that the organization faces along this way: unfortunately, not all educators who are members of the wikicommunity actively use Wikipedia and wikiprojects to teach pupils and students. There are also cases when educators who are not experienced Wikipedia editors ineffectively use Wikipedia tools for the educational process. Wikimedia Ukraine's efforts are also aimed at reducing these cases through training such educators.
Wikimedia Ukraine for educators and scholars: community support and innovation in times of war