IIITH-OKI/Advance Train The Trainer 2025/Expression of Interest/Submitted/VanshikaRathi

Basic Information

Wikimedia Username

VanshikaRathi

Wikimedia Project(s) you primarily contribute to

Wikimedia Technical Spaces

Gadgets
Tools
User scripts
Bots

Active in Wikimedia since (Year)

2021

Your Affiliate or Community Group (if any):

Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group

Languages you work with (on-wiki or off-wiki):

English, 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

Unfortunately, I was not aware about this program, so I missed the chance to apply and could not attend. However, I am interested to know more about the program and also be a part of it in the future.

I would like to mention that I have attended multiple hackathons organised by Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group (IMD-UG) and also participated in the virtual Wikimania 2022.

I also participated in India FOSS in the years 2024 and 2025, both sponsored by IMD-UG.

During these events, I was involved in:

Program design
Communications
Brainstorming with new contributors who wanted to be part of the Wikimedia movement

I have also contributed code through pull requests that were merged into GitHub repositories. Some of the contributions are listed below:

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

Yes, being a part of IMD extended group member I was involved in engaging with new participants and telling them about the Wikimedia movement, challenges in Wikimedia technical spaces and also organising and coordinating the hackathons.

Some of the Hackathons where I have contributed as coordinator:

Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Guwahati 2024
Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Bhubaneswar 2024
Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Kochi 2025
India Foss 2024 and 2025
Small wiki toolkits 2025

During the event I was involved in program design, communications and hosted virtual meetings, brainstorming new minds who wanted to be a part of Wikimedia movement.

Track Preference

Your preferred track during the workshop

Track 2: Project Design Challenge – From Learning to Action

Which track are you most interested in and why?

I would like to join Track 2: Project Design Challenge - From Learning to Action because most of my past contributions have been around organizing events and hackathons. I feel the next step for me is to learn how to design structured projects that continue creating impact even after an event is over. This track offers a valuable opportunity to practice project planning, receive feedback from peers, and design something practical that I can take back and implement in my community. I believe impactful and well-designed projects are the foundation of sustainable community growth, and this track aligns perfectly with that vision.

Tell us about one Wikimedia program, campaign, or initiative you’ve contributed to in a leadership role

Event Contributions

Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Kochi 2025 - Coordinate, and Communications
India Foss 2024 and 2025 - Coordinate, Participated and Handled IMD-UG Stall
Small wiki toolkits 2025 - Coordinated and supporting new contributors

In these roles, I contributed to program design, community engagement. I also helped onboard new participants, making sure they understood both the technical and collaborative aspects of the Wikimedia movement.

What skills or knowledge do you hope to gain from this training?

Training Goals and Expected Outcomes

Through this training, I hope to strengthen my skills in structured project planning, leadership development, and sustainable community building projects that address the gender gap in technology and create inclusive spaces, especially for Women in Tech within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

Learn how to design projects that generate long-term impact rather than short-term outcomes
Gain practical tools and methods (such as logic models and project canvases) for planning and evaluation
Improve my ability to communicate ideas in a way that inspires collaboration and participation
Build strategies to address important challenges such as the gender gap in technology, fostering Women in Tech initiatives, and making technical resources more accessible
Ensure that more individuals, especially from underrepresented groups, can benefit from free resources like MediaWiki to enhance their knowledge and skills

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.

Observations from Hackathons and Community Events

While coordinating hackathons and community events I have seen that after the event participants often leave with excitement and new ideas, many projects lose momentum without a structured follow-up plan.

For example, during India FOSS 2024 and 2025, we successfully onboarded new contributors, but sustaining their engagement over the following months proved difficult. I realized that while events are effective entry points, what our communities really need are well-designed, small-scale projects that give contributors a concrete pathway to stay involved.

How do you plan to apply what you learn after the event?

Community Implementation and Capacity Building

Community Implementation: I will design a structured, short-term project in collaboration with help of IMG-UG ensuring that the project has clear goals, measurable outcomes, and a sustainability plan.

Capacity Building: I will share my learning with fellow Wikimedians through knowledge-sharing sessions, documentation, and mentorship so that others can also apply these frameworks in their own initiatives.

My aim is to create projects that not only support new contributors but also provide continuity and growth opportunities for existing community members.

I also want to apply my learning to design initiatives that encourage more women and underrepresented groups to join and thrive in the Wikimedia and open tech spaces, helping to reduce the gender gap.

(Optional) Are you open to mentorship (either receiving or offering it)?