Wikipedia Peace Sprints
Open Knowledge literacy training A 'Wikipedia sprint' or 'wikisprint' format introduces participants to the many resources that comprise Wikipedia, the world's largest collaborative knowledge base. Running the sprint as a literacy and internet training project addresses a number of key skills including researching, writing, editing - and doing this together as team work.
What is a Wiki-Sprint?
A Wiki-Sprint is an international established and successful format for the collaborative production of Wikipedia content that is done intensively in a short period of time. The sprint format introduces participants to the many resources, tools and structures that comprise the ‘internet’ using the vehicle of Wikipedia, the world’s largest collaborative open knowledge base. Running the sprint as a literacy, community peacebuilding, ICT development and training project addresses a number of key skills:
- reading, writing, researching and editing,
- doing this together as team work, a collaborative effort
- basic IT and internet user skills, information about online knowledge resources
- engaging with one’s own history, future and ‘image’ in the world
- enabling different cultural, historical and political points of view to be expressed simultaneously
The results of the wiki-sprint are then published as a Wikipedia entry or article clearly visible on the internet which would then be presented publicly as an evening cultural event. Performances featuring local artists and musicians that are included in the Wikipedia entry, as well as video(s) about the sprint create a live feedback loop to the creation of the entry itself.
Producing the entry also serves to illustrate that the “Internet” is not just a tool of consumption but also a forum that anybody anywhere can participate in and contribute to. Knowing that ‘your story’ is published for the world to see can help instill a sense of pride and empowerment in a local community and help strengthen peacebuilding efforts.
As a forum which can be used to develop multiple narratives the act of the sprint can also be used as a form of ‘soft mediation’, providing an outlet to express divergent - perhaps conflicting - views in a peaceful manner.
Juba Wiki Sprint
Wikipedia Peace Sprint Within the #defyhatenow initiative we were training students from the University of Juba on writing and editing information about South Sudan on Wikipedia, the online global encyclopedia from 6-9 November 2017. Read the #defyhatenow press release (PDF) Objectives Empowering South Sudanese to have a global voice in national narratives and knowledge in…
Wikipedia for Peace Berlin
Originally published at meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_for_Peace_Berlin_2017 A peace project in Berlin from July 4th to July 18th 2017! […] We think that Wikipedia needs more and better content on social movements, justice and peace in general. So we started up Wikipedia for Peace, which is a community project organized by Wikimedia and Service Civil International. The project is organized as a “workcamp”, where people…
Wau Wikipedia Peace Agents
Using Wikipedia to #defyhatenow in Wau, South Sudan. The #defyhatenow team held a Wikipedia peace agents workshop in Wau. Wau Wikipedia Peace Agents #defyhatenow 15-16th December Wikipedia was searched to get an initial overview of information about South Sudan, what languages are being used and for things that are particularly interesting to promote peace, unity…
Wiki Sprint at #PeaceHackCamp
The #PeaceHackCamp was held in Juba from 30 November to 2 December 2015 with an amazing line-up of South Sudanese and international peace builders. One of the programme activities during the #PeaceHackCamp was the South Sudan Wikipedia Peace Agents Workshop. The workshop aims to introduce Wikipedia, the world’s biggest free and open knowledge resource, to South Sudanese.…
Warrap Wikipedia Sprint
Open Knowledge literacy training A ‘Wikipedia sprint’ or ‘wikisprint’ for Kuajok, the capital of Warrap Sate, in collaboration with local students and the Kuajok Youth Organisation aims to draft the first comprehensive and community created Wikipedia entry in Warrap State … and perhaps South Sudan by local experts and residents. The sprint format introduces…