Wikimedia MKD/Reports/2025-06
"Organization of women in Sveti Nikole" Workshop
[edit]Wikimedia MKD continues to expand its activities, striving to reach as many people as possible from different parts of the country and introduce them to the world of free knowledge. One of the main goals of the organization is to bring the concept of Wikipedia and its importance closer to the general public, especially through educational training and the inclusion of new editors.
Within the framework of these projects, on June 2, 2025, Wikimedia MKD organized a workshop and editing marathon with members of the Women's Organization in Sveti Nikole. The event of a lecture on Wikipedia and training for Wikipedia editing began at 1:30 p.m. in the premises of the Municipality of Sveti Nikole and 10 participants were present.
The event began with an educational lecture by Bosa Filipovic, Education Program Manager at Wikimedia MKD, who introduced the students to the basic principles of Wikipedia, the importance of free knowledge, and the rules for editing the encyclopedia. She explained how the platform works, how to check sources of information, and how to write encyclopedia articles. The participants followed the lecture with great interest, asking questions about how they can contribute to improving Wikipedia content.
After the first part, the participants stared editing on Wikipedia, so they created their first articles on Wikipedia in Macedonian language. With the help and support of the Wikimedia MKD team, they wrote a total of 15 articles.
The inclusion of new communities and organizations, such as the Women's Organization in Sveti Nikole, shows that interest in participating in the creation of freely available knowledge is growing. Wikimedia MKD will continue to organize such trainings across the country, in order to inspire as many people as possible to join the free knowledge movement.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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The participants -
Bosa Filipovic giving a lecture -
Editing articles -
Editing articles -
Editing articles
"Protected natural areas of Slovenia" Workshop
[edit]Wikimedia MKD, through its continuous work and dedication to spreading free knowledge, constantly organizes various activities — events, workshops, trainings, and collaborative editing — in order to reduce the content gap on Wikipedia in the Macedonian language and increase the accessibility of free knowledge to the wider public.
In the past period, the organization has achieved fruitful and successful cooperation with the Slovenian Center – Skopje, and the latest activity from this successful cooperation is the workshop "Protected natural areas of Slovenia", which was held on June 4, 2025 at the premises of Wikimedia MKD at the Youth Cultural Center (MCC) in Skopje. The event was organized on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Slovenia, which is celebrated on 25th June. 9 students from High school “Vasil Antevski – Dren” participated in the workshop, under the mentorship of professor and coordinator Liljana Stojkovska.
The event began with a speech by the executive director of Wikimedia MKD Snezana Štrkovska, who emphasized the long-standing cooperation with the Slovenian Center-Skopje and the success of this type of workshops. She was followed by a speech by Sašo Stojkovski from the Slovenian Center-Skopje, who emphasized the role of the center in promoting Slovenian culture and language in Macedonia and emphasized the importance of this type of cooperation between the two associations.
After the official speeches, the students moved on to the second part of the workshop, where they focused on editing and translating Wikipedia content into Macedonian. As a result of their work, a total of 18 new articles were written and published, which enriched the coverage of the topic of Slovenian national parks and protected natural areas.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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Saso Stojkovski and Snezana Strkovska giving a speech -
The participants -
The students editing on Wikipedia -
The students editing on Wikipedia -
The students editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia
Editing week "Waste management"
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Wikimedia MKD organized an editing week on the topic of "Waste Management", with the aim of enriching the content of Wikipedia in Macedonian related to the environment, waste and its proper management. The event was part of the global initiative "Wiki for Human Rights 2025", which aims to highlight the connection between human rights and the environment, as well as the importance of access to information for environmental protection.
The editing week "Waste Management" was held from June 2, 2025 to June 8, 2025. All articles had to be written in accordance with the principles and rules of Wikipedia, so all articles had to be written in an encyclopedic style and supported by appropriate sources. When editing the contest, or after its completion, all participants had to write their username on the project page, along with the articles they had written. In addition to writing new articles, participants also had the opportunity to significantly improve an existing article.
To win any award, it was necessary to create or improve at least 20 articles. So the winners of the awards are:
- I Award - Тиверполник
- II Award - 19user99
- III Award - Chnitke
The editorial week ended successfully and thus, the Macedonian-language Wikipedia gained 108 new articles related to the topic "Waste management", created by 6 different users of the Macedonian-language Wikipedia.
"Meet Peru" Workshop
[edit]The members of Wiki Club Veles had the opportunity to be part of an extraordinary and very inspiring cultural event – “Meet Peru”, which was held in Veles on 13th June in the city library "Goce Delchev". As part of the event, those present had the opportunity to hear excerpts from the book “When Love Conquers War”, copies of which were donated to the Veles library – a contribution to enriching the fund with new and culturally significant literature. This part was particularly inspiring for the young students from the schools, members of Wiki club Veles, who were present at the event.
With special honor and attention, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Peru in Macedonia, Mr. Nenad Janiđević, also addressed the event, who with his dedication and love for Peruvian culture contributed to the significance of this meeting. A creative workshop entitled “Let’s Paint Peru in the Colors of the Rainbow” was also organized, at which Peruvian Rosa, a resident of Veles, authentically conveyed the magic of her native country. Through video presentations, conversations and sharing of traditional customs, the participants were instantly transported to distant Peru – through the colors, sounds and stories of this unique cultural country.
In the spirit of cultural connection, the members of the Wiki Club Veles under the leadership of coordinator Lili Arsova ended this event with an edit a thon, during which 26 articles related to Peru were created by 8 editors. In this way, through the digital encyclopedia, the young people contributed to the spread of knowledge about this fascinating country and its culture, accessible to everyone in the Macedonian language.
Such events are proof that cultural encounters can build bridges between peoples, bring different traditions closer together, and remind us of the value of mutual respect and understanding.
"Journalism" Workshop
[edit]On June 24, 2025, a workshop dedicated to the topic of "Journalism" was held for the members of the Wiki Club Demir Hisar. Under the leadership of the coordinator of the Wiki Club Demir Hisar, Aleksandra Shundovski, the workshop attracted great interest among the members who actively participated. The workshop was structured in two parts: educational and practical.
In the first part of the event, the participants had the opportunity to attend an inspiring lecture by Blagoja Shundovski - a journalist, musician and writer, who has been actively working in the media sphere for decades. He spoke on the topic: "What it means to be a journalist", explaining the basic principles and the role of journalism in a democratic society. In addition to introducing those present to the basic tools and knowledge necessary for journalistic work, Shundovski also shared personal experiences, anecdotes and real situations from his journalistic career, which further enhanced the lecture and brought journalism closer to young people.
The second part of the event was dedicated to practical work – edit a thon. Encouraged by what they heard and with the support of mentors, a total of 6 members of the Wiki Club actively engaged in creating content related to journalism. They edited and wrote a total of 8 new articles about Pulitzer Prize winners – the most prestigious recognition in the field of journalism. In doing so, they not only gained new knowledge about prominent journalists and their contributions, but also enriched the Macedonian language corpus of Wikipedia with important information that was missing so far.
The editing marathon took place in a positive atmosphere, with a lot of enthusiasm, cooperation and a desire to learn. The event once again confirmed that such activities have a key role in encouraging young people towards critical thinking, creative expression and active civic participation through digital tools.
Wikimedia MKD will continue to organize edit a thons on various topics, in order to increase the quantity and quality of content on Wikipedia in the Macedonian language.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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Blagoja Shundovski giving a lecture -
Blagoja Shundovski giving a lecture -
Members of Wiki club Demir Hisar -
Editing articles -
Editing articles -
Editing articles
Caparsko pole Wikiexpedition
[edit]During the third weekend of June (June 21-22), our team embarked on another wikiexpedition, this time aimed at a lesser-known, but historically and culturally very significant area in the southwestern part of Macedonia – Caparsko Pole, also known as Gjavatkol. This area, which administratively belongs to the Municipality of Bitola, hides a multitude of villages with a rich history, unique architecture and spiritual heritage that is increasingly falling into oblivion over time.
By around 9 am, the team was in the first village of Bratin Dol, which began the expedition. Moving along the old Bitola-Resen highway, the team also stopped at the Bratin Dol motocross track, where there is also a small artificial lake, to photograph them with a drone. The first village visited was Srpci, where photographs were taken of the main village church, as well as the monastery above the village. After Srpci, the team went to Ramna, where were also photographed the church above the village, which is actually located on the site of the former old village and several houses around it have been preserved. Several photos of the old houses were also taken from the village, as well as the cooperative house. After Ramna, the team went to Lera, where were photographed the village mosque and the village school. After Lera, the team went to Dolenci. Next was the village of Kazhani, where there are numerous social facilities and the former police station. From Kazhani, the team headed to Gjavato, where the two village churches were photographed.
Then the team visited the village of Malovishte, which is the only one within the Pelister National Park. Here, were photographed the church "St. Petka" and the monastery "St. Ana" above the village. A goat mountain path leads to the monastery and it takes about 30 minutes from the village. After Malovishte, it was the turn of the former municipal center, the village of Capari, where there were also several churches. Here, the church "St. Athanasius" was photographed, as well as the church "St. Spas".
The team began the second day with a visit to Rotino. After visiting and photographing the village churches here, the village of Magarevo followed, where the village and monastery churches were photographed. After Magarevo, the villages of Trnovo, Nizepole and Dihovo followed. After these villages in the Pelister region, the Wikipedians headed to the village of Krstoar, from which they only had a few photos of the village church and the monastery as part of a cycling expedition conducted in 2018, but it was not fully visited. The road to the monastery of the village of Bukovo leads from the monastery above Krstoar, and the monastery is quite well-maintained, like the previous Krstoar monastery. Then followed the village of Orehovo, where the village church and the village center itself were photographed, as well as the former school.
As a conclusion to this expedition, the villages located next to the city of Bitola, Gorno Orizari and Raštani, were visited, as well as the place where the Bitola fortress was located and where the foundations of the former church "Presveta Bogorodica", which was really large, can be seen. Excellent drone photos were taken of it, and the team also took a group photo there, which concluded this expedition.
With 15 new villages photographed, 4 revisited, and over 600 kilometers traveled, the team had another successful wikiexpedition. You can view all the photographic material from the Wikiexpedition here, but there are some pictures bellow:
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St. George's Chapel and Church of the Ascension of Jesus near the village of Bukovo -
A former institutional building in the village of Lera, Bitola Municipality, North Macedonia -
St. Petka Church in the village of Malovište, Bitola Municipality, North Macedonia. -
Dormition of the Theotokos Church in the village of Ǵavato, Bitola Municipality, North Macedonia
Editing Days
[edit]Editing days is an activity that lasts for the whole year in organization of Wikimedia MKD. Each Tuesday and Thursday different topics are given and the participants create or improve existing articles. In June 2025 there were in total 8 editing days, where participants edited on different topics in order to enrich the content of Wikipedia. The editing days and the topics were:
- 3.6.2025 - Card games
- 5.6.2025 - African national association football teams
- 10.6.2025 - Maria on the Moon
- 12.6.2025 - Carthaginians
- 17.6.2025 - Daughters of Byzantine emperors
- 19.6.2025 - Volcanic winters
- 24.6.2025 - Works by Leo Tolstoy
- 26.6.2025 - Astronomical clocks
Cumulatively, 5 different users took part in these calls and edited. In total, 32 new articles were created during the editing days in June 2025.
Editing Weekends
[edit]Editing weekends is another project that is organized during the whole year. During weekends (Saturday and Sunday) user are welcomed to take part in this project activity and improve or enrich Macedonian Wikipedia content. During these weekends, the participants are expected to edit articles on given topics. In Јune 2025 the following editing weekends were organized:
- 7-8 June 2025 - Basketball teams
- 14-15 June 2025 - Volcanoes of Europe
- 21-22 June 2025 - Religious faiths, traditions, and movements
- 28-29 June 2025 - Men's national handball teams
In total, during these weekends there were 3 different users editing on the given topics and they created 20 new articles on the Macedonian Wikipedia.
