IIITH-OKI/Advance Train The Trainer 2025/Expression of Interest/Submitted/Tamanpreet Kaur
Basic Information
[edit]Wikimedia Username
[edit]Wikimedia Project(s) you primarily contribute to
[edit]- Wikipedia
- Wikisource
- Wikidata
Active in Wikimedia since (Year)
[edit]- Active in Wikimedia projects since December 2018.
Your Affiliate or Community Group (if any):
[edit]- Community Member, Punjabi Wikimedians User Group: December 2018 - Present
- Wiki project Punjab, Wikidata: November 2023 - Present
Languages you work with (on-wiki or off-wiki):
[edit]- Punjabi, Hindi
Have you participated in any Train the Trainer or similar Wikimedia training before? If yes, please mention the name of the event along with the year in which you participated
[edit]- Train the Trainer 2023
- Mini Train the Trainer Punjab 2019
Are you currently involved in any leadership, facilitation, or mentoring roles within the Wikimedia movement? If yes, briefly describe the imitative and your involvement in it
[edit]- I served as an Event documentation and Reporting lead in Punjabi Wikipedia Birthday Connect, 2025 and was responsible for meticulously recording the proceedings, key discussions, and outcomes of the two-day Wikipedia event. This included capturing participant insights, session highlights, logistical details, and feedback from community members. In addition to documenting the event, I also prepared a comprehensive draft report that includes discussing the annual plan and strategizing for the continued growth and development of the Punjabi Wikipedia community, aligned with the community’s goals and strategic priorities.
Track Preference
[edit]Your preferred track during the workshop
[edit]- Track 1: Evaluation, Impact, and Data Storytelling
Which track are you most interested in and why?
[edit]I am most interested in Track 1: Evaluation, Impact, and Data Storytelling because I want to move beyond contributing individually to becoming someone who can meaningfully support and guide others within the Wikimedia movement. While I have been actively involved in editing and organizing events like edit-a-thons and community gatherings, I’ve realized that creating impact goes far beyond counting edits or measuring participation. It requires a deeper understanding of how to evaluate the long-term value and sustainability of our efforts.
In the past, I’ve contributed to multiple Wikimedia projects especially Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Wikidata. Through these experiences, I’ve seen the challenges of tracking meaningful engagement, especially after events are over. For example, during the Mahatma Gandhi 2023 Edit-a-thon that I helped organize, the response was encouraging in terms of content creation and participation. However, I found it difficult to assess the lasting impact whether the newly onboarded editors remained active, whether the articles continued to evolve, or if the themes we worked on sparked further interest. These limitations made it clear to me that developing strong evaluation strategies is essential to plan and improve future campaigns.
Track 1 appeals to me because it focuses on data-informed decision-making and on telling compelling stories with impact data. I believe that learning how to use technical tools, frameworks, and methods to evaluate community work will help me not only organize more effective events but also advocate for our work more convincingly within and beyond the Wikimedia movement. I want to understand which metrics matter, how to capture community sentiment, how to report outcomes meaningfully, and how to identify opportunities for improvement.
This track also aligns with my goal of supporting underrepresented language communities, particularly within the Punjabi Wikimedia space. Despite the meaningful contributions being made, communities face challenges in communicating their impact due to limited access to technical skills and structured evaluation tools. By learning how to effectively assess and tell the stories of our projects, I hope to help amplify their efforts and contribute to more sustainable, visible, and impactful outcomes.
Ultimately, my interest in Track 1 is driven by a desire to build capacity not just for myself but for those around me. I hope to become someone who can help others within the Punjabi Wikimedia User Group and the broader Indic community and think critically about how to measure it and how to use that knowledge to grow stronger, more inclusive projects. Through this track, I aim to develop practical skills and strategic thinking that can transform the way we plan, implement, and evaluate our collective work on Wikimedia platforms.
Tell us about one Wikimedia program, campaign, or initiative you’ve contributed to in a leadership role
[edit]I had the opportunity to attend the Mini TTT 2023, which served as a valuable foundation for my journey within the Wikimedia movement. Following this experience, I successfully organized my first online edit-a-thon titled Mahatma Gandhi 2023 Edit-a-thon, under the mentorship of senior Punjabi Wikimedians. This event was hosted on behalf of the Punjabi Wikimedians User Group and involved collaboration with four other Wikimedia communities: the Odia Wikimedians User Group, Malayalam Wikimedians, Assamese Wikimedia Community, and Karavali Wikimedians.
Impact: The edit-a-thon led to the creation of numerous high-quality articles related to Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy across various Indian languages. The event witnessed active engagement, with 28 Wikimedians contributing consistently over a span of 10 days. This not only enriched the multilingual content on Wikimedia platforms but also fostered inter-community collaboration and cultural exchange.
Learnings: Through this experience, I developed a deeper understanding of event planning, community engagement, and the importance of knowledge equity in the digital space. I enhanced my communication and leadership skills, learned how to coordinate effectively across language and regional barriers, and gained practical experience in promoting open knowledge. Organizing this event also deepened my appreciation for the Wikimedia movement’s collaborative spirit and its potential to bring diverse communities together through shared learning.
What skills or knowledge do you hope to gain from this training?
[edit]From this training, I'm really hoping to get a better grasp of the tools and strategies that can help make community initiatives more impactful. In the past, I’ve organized events and worked with different Wikimedia communities, but I’ve often felt unsure about how to properly measure the results or track the long-term impact. Learning how to use the right tools for that would definitely help me plan better in the future.
I’m also interested in understanding how others approach community engagement especially when working across different languages and regions. I’ve faced challenges there before, so hearing how others navigate those situations would be really valuable. Overall, I want to grow from just contributing individually to being someone who can support and guide others in the movement.
Based on your selected track, what is one challenge you have encountered in either evaluating Wikimedia programs or designing impactful projects? Please share your experience relevant to your chosen track.
[edit]One challenge I’ve faced in evaluating Wikimedia programs is figuring out how to properly measure the actual impact of an event beyond just basic stats like number of edits or participants. For example, during an edit-a-thon I helped organize, we had decent participation and created quality content, but I wasn’t sure how to evaluate its long-term effect like whether new editors stayed active or how the new articles were being used or improved later. It made me realize I had a gap in understanding which tools or indicators reflect community growth or content quality over time.
Another challenge has been gathering consistent feedback from participants. After events, we usually try to get some input, but responses are often limited or not very detailed. This makes it hard to know what actually worked well or what needs improvement. I’ve realized that evaluation isn’t just about collecting data, it’s also about building a culture where participants feel comfortable and motivated to share honest feedback. I want to learn better ways to encourage that kind of engagement, and how to turn feedback into meaningful improvements.
How do you plan to apply what you learn after the event?
[edit]After the event, I plan to apply what I learn by supporting and strengthening the work of the Punjabi Wikimedians User Group and other communities I collaborate with. One of my main goals is to help organize more strategic and impactful campaigns, not just focusing on content creation, but also on how we measure and sustain engagement over time.
Building on this, I intend to lead a small pilot project focused on improving campaign evaluation within our community, by designing a simple impact tracking framework that can be reused for future edit-a-thons or outreach events. I’d also like to mentor newer volunteers who are interested in organizing events, and share the tools and practices I learn during the training to help them plan with more clarity and purpose.
I’m especially interested in sharing these learnings with underrepresented language communities that may not yet have access to technical or evaluation tools. I hope to collaborate more closely with other Indic communities to co-host joint learning sessions or cross-community campaigns that focus not just on contribution, but also on sustainable growth and meaningful outcomes.
Overall, I want to become a resource for others in the movement; someone who can help plan, evaluate, and improve community efforts with a clearer understanding of what works and why.
(Optional) Are you open to mentorship (either receiving or offering it)?
[edit]I am open to receiving mentorship to advance my technical skills and knowledge and would love to share my learnings with fellow Wikimedians.