Wikimedia Community User Group Turkey/Student Clubs
Wiki Student Clubs (Turkish: Viki Öğrenci Kulüpleri), are established by Wikimedian students in academic institutions in Türkiye with the support of Wikimedia Community User Group Turkey. Clubs have various purposes such as raising awareness of open knowledge to students, using correct and quality references, and contributing to Wikimedia projects according to their interests.
History
After the Wikidata Trainings For Turkic Wikimedians 2022 held at Üsküdar University in 2022, the students in the program intended to establish a Wiki student club. On top of that, after completing the necessary procedures, they established student clubs. This was the first Wiki student club in Türkiye.
Following the club established at Üsküdar University, it was decided to establish a student club at Istanbul Bilgi University. After the club completed the necessary paperwork, it was officially established in September 2023. Thus, BİLGİViki became the second Wiki Student Club established in Türkiye. In November 2023, third Wiki Student Club, METU Northern Cyprus Campus Wikipedia Society established. In January 2024, fourth Wiki Student Club, Istanbul Medipol University established. Lastly, the fifth club, Atatürk Teacher Training Academy Wiki Club, was founded in October 2024.
Clubs
Üsküdar University Wikipedia Student Club
Local name: Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vikipedi Öğrenci Kulübü (UUWSC)
Founder: User:İsnaaa
Establishment: September 2022
Social media: Instagram Objectives: While the student club was the first Wikipedia student club to be established in Türkiye, it provided the students within the university with Wikipedia training, Wikimarathons, etc. will carry out such work.
Istanbul Bilgi University Wiki Student Club
Local name: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Viki Öğrenci Kulübü (BİLGİViki)
Founder: User:Kurmanbek
President: User:Oxorca
Establishment: September 2023
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter)
Objectives:
- We aim to encourage students to contribute to Wikipedia based on the knowledge they have on the topics they wish, after learning the rules of writing, verifying and accessing the right sources, not just reading, Wikipedia, which is open source and freely licensed.
- Gaining a culture of cooperation and sharing.
- To inform students about free licenses and knowledge.
- Collaborations on youth and student issues with the Wikimedia CEE Hub Youth Group and other Wiki Student Clubs around the world.
Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Wikipedia Society
Local name: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Kuzey Kıbrıs Kampüsü (ODTÜ KKK) Vikipedi Topluluğu
Founder: User:ToprakM
Establishment: November 2023
Social media: Instagram
Istanbul Medipol University Wikipedia Student Club
Local name: İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Vikipedi Öğrenci Kulübü
Founder: User:Piyanist
Establishment: January 2024
Social media: Instagram
Objectives:
- Raise awareness among students about the editable nature of Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia.
- Provide students with opportunities to enhance thinking, writing, and research skills.
- Improve the quality of Wikipedia and encourage students to contribute.
- Popularize the use of Wikipedia among students.
- Enhance the quality of both Wikipedia and university resources by transferring university content to Wikipedia.
- Gain the ability to use correct sources and filter reliable sources.
Atatürk Teacher Training Academy Wiki Club
Local name: Atatürk Öğretmen Akademisi Viki Kulübü
Founder: User:Biologg
Establishment: October 2024
Social media: Instagram
Objectives:
- Encourage the creation, expansion, and improvement of Wikipedia articles to provide accurate, unbiased, and free knowledge for global audiences.
- Help students develop research, writing, and citation skills by contributing high-quality content to Wikipedia based on reliable and verifiable sources.
- Facilitate collaboration between university students and the global Wikipedia community, allowing members to participate in knowledge sharing on a global scale.
- Promote the creation and translation of Wikipedia content in multiple languages.
- Teach members how to critically evaluate sources, understand Wikipedia’s editing policies, and become responsible digital citizens by identifying and combating misinformation.
- Establish partnerships with university departments, libraries, and faculty members to integrate Wikipedia editing into academic projects, research, and community service activities.
- Promote awareness of the importance of open knowledge, free licensing, and collaborative information sharing among the university community and beyond.
Events and articles
Here are the 5 most recently events and articles. Please click this link to view all.
- Wiki student clubs in Malaysia and Türkiye begin collaboration (Turkish), 11 November 2024
- Wiki Student Clubs 2024-25 year preparation meeting (Turkish), 27 August 2024
- A Photowalk with the Wikipedia Student Club Through an Abandoned City Frozen in Time by ToprakM, 13 May 2024
- Focus points of Turkish Wikipedia Student Clubs by Kurmanbek, 25 March 2024
- The Wikimedia movement in Turkey was featured in a Japanese web magazine by Eugene Ormandy, 5 March 2024 (Türkçe)
For clubs
Dear club staff, the points you need to pay attention to when setting up your Wiki Student Club are included in the PDF document under this heading. Following the rules here is very important to protect the Wiki Student Clubs brand, to ensure the awareness and visibility of your club, and to create harmony with other student clubs.
It is recommended that you follow this topic periodically in order to keep your club up to date.