By the Durham Wiki Volunteering Project
The Wikimedia Project at Durham University has been a remarkable journey of collaboration, learning, and community engagement. It all began when one of us, Merak, got involved through the university’s volunteering platform. Merak was quite active in various volunteering projects, and the Wikimedia Project caught his interest due to its approach to open knowledge. After coming back from one of the sessions, he introduced his roommate, Hoh Shan, to the volunteering project within the university. Hoh Shan had started editing Wikipedia in 2015 but had been inactive for a long time. Being able to volunteer this way within the university rekindled his interest in contributing. Mindy, another key member of the team, had no previous experience with Wikipedia editing before this. She heard about the project through Merak and Hoh Shan and was happy to help out.
Before our sessions, we regularly update our spreadsheet of Wikipedia article edit suggestions, with different topics to improve the quality of Wikimedia content related to North-East England and Durham, while also catering to the personal interests of volunteers. We organised various workshops and sessions to keep the Wikimedia Project alive at Durham. These included regular Wikipedia edit-a-thons, WikiData workshops and WikiCommons workshops. These events were aimed at students and academic staff at Durham who had an interest in Wikimedia. The project also benefited from connections with people in London who were involved with Wikimedia UK, as well as other volunteers in the academic space. Notable collaborators included the previous project supervisor Sophie Whitfield, and Lucy Moore who helped run the Wikidata and WikiCommons workshop. The support from the academic staff at Durham University was invaluable.
We learnt through trial and error how to explain the importance of Wikimedia to others and gained a deeper understanding of the broader Wikimedia ecosystem beyond just Wikipedia. We were eager to contribute our knowledge and time through research and editing. We also gained valuable experience organising workshops through the WMUK Train the Trainer course and promoting events through social media platforms
Despite the successes, the project faced significant challenges. It was difficult to find someone to pass the project on to, and attracting more volunteers and students was a constant struggle. The team found it challenging to identify the best way to promote Wiki events and the best way to ‘sell’ the Wikimedia Project to potential volunteers. Despite the challenges, the journey has been rewarding, and the project continues to grow, with another student taking over the project, offering valuable opportunities for those who wish to contribute.
For those interested in getting involved with the Wikimedia Project at Durham, the team can be contacted at wikimedia.dusvo@durham.ac.uk. The project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to open knowledge, develop valuable skills, and be part of a vibrant community dedicated to improving the quality of Wikimedia content.