Education/News/September 2023/Inauguration of the Kent Wiki Club at the Wikimania 2023 Conference

“Inauguration of the Kent Wiki Club at the Wikimania 2023 Conference

Author: Jilorisa

Summary: The 18th edition of the Wikimania 2023 conference took place from August 16 to 19 at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Center in Singapore, bringing together over 3,000 delegates from 138 countries all over the world to honor the Wikimedians and volunteers who contribute to the Wikipedia project.

Teacher Trainee from Kent Campus Teacher Education Institute, Sabah as Wikimedian Malaysia.

Inauguration of the Kent Wiki Club at the Wikimania 2023

The Kent Wiki Club was launched on August 18 at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Center by Dr. Hamidah Samsudin, the Director of the Kent Campus Teacher Education Institute (IPG), Sabah. The establishment of the club aims to further empower the indigenous people, specifically known as Kadazandusun's culture and language, by introducing and promoting it internationally

With the establishment of this club, students from IPG who will become educators and leaders of this language also have the opportunity to contribute to the Wikipedia project, thus continuing to preserve and elevate this language.

Dody Ismoyo, the president of Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia, stated that the digitization strategy is crucial in the effort to honor all languages in Malaysia from different races and ethnicities so that they do not go extinct due to the declining use of them by the younger generation.

Present at the launch of the Kent Wiki Club were key figures, including Mrs. Linah Bagu, the Director of the Kadazandusun Language Department; Mr. Mohd. Taufik Rosman; Dr. Rosie Jhonny; and Puan Rosmawati Ebbie. Additionally, eight volunteers from the Wikipedia project at IPG Kent were in attendance. These individuals, along with other participants, were beneficiaries of scholarships provided by both the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia and the Wikimedia Foundation. Notably, representatives from various groups, such as the Paiwan Wikimedians User Group, and other Wikimedian scholars from Malaysia, also joined this inaugural event.

The launch of this Kent Wiki Club was possible thanks to the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Malaysia, which developed the international program and provided the necessary financial support. The establishment of this club is hoping to attract more volunteers to contribute to the Wikipedia project, especially among the younger generation.