WikiAdvocates/Programs/Art and Feminism Philippines 2022/Brazal.dang

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas Edison, as quoted in An Enemy Called Average (1990) by John L. Mason, p. 55.

Why this outreach on an island?

Being a volunteer around the movement for several years has taught me that opportunities to connect with people and communities are rare. As a community organizer, working with different stakeholders from academe extending to other social sectors within our region is a challenge. Building connections with people who share the same passion and commitment to open knowledge, environmental and human rights is impossible for communities that have to work multiple jobs just to live for another day. I always consider it a gift when a community member expresses intention to learn from us, Wikimedia volunteers, as it gives us an opportunity to share what we know, what we have and establish linkages to work together going forward. So when Mr. Napoleon Arcilla III, an established local writer and a dedicated school principal in a remote area in the Island of Catanduanes, reached out to one of the Wiki Advocates volunteers, I have convinced myself that we need to be there and share what we have. It may not be much for us, but it will make a difference for them.

Planning the Outreach

It is always not easy to organize an outreach activity with limited resources. As a very small group of volunteers, we are limited both in finances and human resources. To make it possible, we asked support from the Art & Feminism, published a call for volunteers and started saving our own money to make this journey a success. Several weeks before the event, selected volunteers started their training to ensure a smooth flow of events. Volunteers were grouped into two teams. One will focus on Art & Feminism, and the other on Access to Kiwix (with offline Wikipedia, WikiFundi and other relevant resources). All of the volunteers were also expected to help in preparing the meals of the group during the entire stay in the island.

Stay in the Island

For four days, the volunteers wake up at 3am in the morning and have to sleep late to ensure that everything is ready for the next day. Everything is on the clock. We needed to strictly follow the timeline because every minute that we spend on that island is a peso lost. If we were late for the ferry, we will need to wait for another day to catch it, which means we will need additional expenses on the accommodation and food. These, we can no longer afford. We also didn’t expect that transportation on the island would be so expensive. We needed to cut on some of our meals to cover these unexpected expenses. Volunteers are physically tired from the journey but were still very motivated to visit the community.

We reached the island in the afternoon of May 14, 2022. It is a challenge finding cheap accommodation. We spent the remaining hours of our first day looking for a roof over our heads then unpacking. We spent the second day on another round of training and delegating tasks. On the third day, we visited Bislig Elementary School, where we were greeted with the warmest welcome and faces full of hope. The journey was all worth it, even though we knew that we were all going back home penniless, because we were making a difference.

Even though the school has no internet connection, a very small collection of books that they call a library, they have the most engaging teachers I have ever met. They were all eager to learn new things, and they were very appreciative of the resources Kiwix can offer. All of the teachers tried creating their Wikipedia account for the first time using Wikifundi. We were able to discuss the anatomy of an article and how one can verify an article. They also tried making simple edits and you can tell how enthusiastic they were about it. The entire workshop was easy because of all the volunteers that we had that time. They knew how to answer the questions of the teachers and how to troubleshoot the technical issues in the devices of the teachers. Some of them even improvised by sharing their mobile phones, others are very keen in translating the technical terms I am using during the workshop to be understood by the participants. For the first time as an organizer, I have received the help I needed through these volunteers and felt that I don't have to do it alone.

What is your role as a volunteer in the wiki outreach activity conducted? How did you prepare for it?

I am one of the speakers for the training workshop in Catanduanes Island. My role is to discuss how to access Kiwix and its resources, both using the Kiwix desktop and the box that we brought for Bislig Elementary School. Several weeks before the outreach, I trained the volunteers on how to use and navigate through the device. I also trained them how to make simple edits both online and offline.

What are your learning during the whole activity?

I have been around the movement for quite some time now and every time I go out for an outreach, I am always reminded of how far we are still in reaching out to communities that need us. It is disheartening to know that there are people without access to information even though we are so technologically advanced. There are communities surviving on their own, because help is inaccessible for them. These always remind me to be grounded and never lose sight of the mission of making knowledge accessible for everyone, regardless of race and social status. This experience also taught me that no matter how challenging it is to reach out to communities and build networks, it is what we need to do to reach and help educate more under-served communities. .

Give us a few highlights of your best experience in the activity.

The best highlight of this experience is knowing how the volunteers handled the new participants. It is very rewarding to see that there is always a new set of volunteers willing to share their time and energy in continuing the group’s commitment to build space for open knowledge and share whatever resources we have. The team’s effort to sustain the group’s needs and to still be able to give to others is very remarkable.

I am also very grateful to Art and Feminism and Art & Feminism Philippines for making this outreach possible. Without their financial support we will not be able to reach the teachers in Bislig. They helped make it possible for teachers in Bislig to have access to information and have hopes of being able to share knowledge outside their classrooms.

Cite some difficulties you've encountered during the outreach activity and tell us what you would do differently next time.

Fully booked hotels and expensive transportation
Food preparation
Incomplete training materials and equipment
Lack of compatible devices
Limited financial resources for unexpected expenses

As a volunteer, what impact did the activity have on you? Are you willing to be part of similar activities in the future?

Through the four-day journey with other volunteers, I am reminded of the importance of surviving within a group. For several years I have been organizing and visiting communities on my own or at times with very few people. This is the first time we went out as a big group. There were some challenges with transportation and accommodation but working with a bigger group makes the work easier. I am very happy to have met new, confident, kind and smart volunteers who are really dedicated to sharing knowledge to other communities. The call for volunteers and the screening process was worth it.

Yes. I will always be willing to work as a volunteer in any endeavor to provide equal access to information, promote environment awareness and human rights, and support Art and Feminism future initiatives in serving communities in developing countries.