Punjabi Wikimedians Capacity Building Workshop 2026
| Punjabi Wikimedians Capacity Building Workshop 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18-19 April 2026 |
| Location(s) | Chandigarh |
| Country | India |
The Punjabi Wikimedians user group, in collaboration with the Open Knowledge Initiatives (OKI) team at IIIT-Hyderabad, is organizing a Capacity Building Workshop in Chandigarh. This event is designed to empower our existing community members by bridging the gap between local editing and the broader global movement.
Objectives
[edit]The workshop serves as a collaborative space focused on four key pillars of development:
- Strategic Alignment: Understanding the Wikimedia Foundation's Annual Plans and how local efforts contribute to global goals.
- Operational Growth: Gaining insights into Partnerships, Communication strategies, and Funding opportunities to sustain local projects.
- Knowledge Expansion: Exploring diverse Free and Open Knowledge projects beyond Wikipedia.
- Research & Innovation: Learning about ongoing and past research initiatives within the open knowledge ecosystem.
Workshop Focus Areas
[edit]| Focus Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Upskilling | Enhancing technical and administrative skills of active contributors. |
| Movement Strategy | Deep dive into WMF grants, annual goals, and community health. |
| Networking | Strengthening ties between volunteers to foster future collaborations. |
| Open Knowledge | Introducing participants to sister projects and external open-data researches. |
Target Audience
[edit]This workshop is specifically tailored for existing Wikimedians who are looking to transition from individual contributors to community leaders and organizers. It aims to provide the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate the Wikimedia ecosystem effectively.
Program
[edit]| Date | Time | Session Name | Speaker | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 April | — | Tea & Coffee | — | — |
| — | Introductions Ice Breaker Activity | — | Initial fun activities to help participants get to know each other. | |
| 18 April | 09:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Buffer Time | — | Preparation time and settling in for the day's agenda. |
| 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Volunteerism & Wikimedia Movement | Tanveer | An interactive session exploring the core values of the Wikimedia movement. | |
| 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM | State of Indian Communities | Sneha & Nitesh | Research-based insights into the current landscape of Indian Wikimedia initiatives (organised and volunteer driven). | |
| 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Tea Break | — | — | |
| 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | Group Activity | Rachit | Activity related to annual planning | |
| 12:30 PM – 01:15 PM | WMF Annual Planning and Global Trends | Rachit | Interactive session on WMF Annual Plans and Priorities in line with Global Trends impact communities. | |
| 01:15 PM – 01:30 PM | Group Photo | — | — | |
| 01:30 PM – 02:30 PM | Lunch Break | — | — | |
| 02:30 PM – 03:00 PM | Previous session recap | Volunteers | Review of previous sessions to maintain energy. | |
| 03:00 PM – 03:45 PM | Strategic Planning & Funding Process | Praveen | Discussion on long-term strategy and navigating the funding process. | |
| 03:45 PM – 04:15 PM | Activity | Praveen | Short breakout session or practical exercise to plan, build ideas around new projects. | |
| 04:15 PM – 05:00 PM | Communication Techniques | Rachit | Strategies for visibility, community promotion, and using comms tools. | |
| 19 April | 09:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Understanding and Applying the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC): Building Safer Wikimedia Communities | Manavpreet kaur | Deep dive into the UCoC guidelines for a safe and inclusive community. And structure of Affiliates on a global level to local ones to make the community understand about it. |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Community engagement and Partnership | Medhavi Gandhi | talk on heritage, culture, or community engagement. | |
| 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM | Tea Break | — | — | |
| 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Activity | Praveen | Continuation of first day conversation | |
| 12:30 PM – 01:45 PM | Public Speaking | Tanveer | Training session on effective presentation and speaking skills. | |
| 01:45 PM – 02:30 PM | Lunch | — | — | |
| 02:30 PM – 02:40 PM | Group Photo | — | — | |
| 02:45 PM – 03:30 PM | Organiser’s tools | Satdeep Gill | What Tools to use before, during and after to track the progress of your projects. | |
| 03:30 PM – 04:30 PM | Closing and Feedback |
Report
[edit]Day 0: Networking and Informal Engagement
[edit]Day 0 focused on creating a welcoming and collaborative environment where participants could connect, build relationships, and establish trust before the formal sessions began. Through informal interactions, icebreakers, and open conversations, participants explored shared interests, discussed community challenges, and identified opportunities for collaboration, setting a positive and engaging tone for the workshop.
- Interactive icebreaker sessions to foster familiarity among participants
- Informal discussions over tea and dinner
- Conversations around funding, community challenges, and collaboration opportunities
- Helped establish trust and a collaborative atmosphere
Day 1: Strategy, Research, and Communication
[edit]Session 1: Volunteerism & Wikimedia Movement – Tanveer Hasan
[edit]This session introduced participants to the philosophy of the Wikimedia movement and the concept of digital commons, emphasizing how open knowledge functions as a shared resource sustained by volunteers. It highlighted the importance of equity, access, and participation while encouraging participants to reflect on their roles in contributing to a global knowledge ecosystem.
- Understanding open knowledge as a shared resource
- Role of volunteerism in sustaining Wikimedia platforms
- Importance of equity, access, and participation
Session 2: State of Indian Communities – Sneha PP & Nitesh
[edit]This session presented research-based insights into Indian Wikimedia communities, focusing on participation trends and content gaps. It encouraged participants to think critically about challenges within communities and highlighted the importance of using data-driven approaches for planning and evaluation.
- Identification of gaps in participation and content
- Discussion on challenges faced by communities
- Emphasis on data-driven planning and evaluation
Session 3: WMF Annual Planning & Global Trends – Rachit Sharma
[edit]Participants were introduced to global trends affecting Wikimedia projects, including shifts in user behavior and engagement patterns. The session highlighted the need for adaptive strategies to address declining readership and participation while aligning with broader Wikimedia priorities.
- Declining human readership and increasing AI-based consumption
- Reduction in new account registrations
- Need for adapting strategies to engage users
- Increasing reach
- Enhancing mobile editing
- Improving contributor engagement
Session 4: Strategic Planning & Funding – Praveen Das
[edit]This session focused on designing sustainable Wikimedia projects and understanding funding processes. Participants learned how to structure projects effectively and explored Wikimedia funding mechanisms, followed by a hands-on group activity to apply these concepts.
- Structuring projects with clear goals, outcomes, and actions
- Navigating Wikimedia funding mechanisms
- Importance of long-term planning
- Group activity: developing project proposals for rapid funding
Session 5: Communication Techniques – Rachit Sharma
[edit]This session emphasized the importance of communication in increasing the visibility and impact of Wikimedia initiatives. Participants explored structured frameworks and practiced pitching their project ideas to improve clarity, storytelling, and outreach effectiveness.
- Strategies for visibility and outreach
- Importance of communicating impact effectively
- Frameworks: SMART, AIDA, QUEST
- Practice: project pitch presentations
Day 2: Governance, Partnerships, and Tools
[edit]Session 1: Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) – Manavpreet Kaur
[edit]This session highlighted the importance of maintaining safe, inclusive, and respectful Wikimedia communities through governance frameworks. It covered acceptable behaviors, ways to address challenges like vandalism, and introduced participants to Wikimedia organizational structures.
- Understanding acceptable and unacceptable behaviors
- Addressing challenges such as content vandalism
- Overview of Wikimedia structures including affiliates and user groups
Session 2: Community Engagement & Partnerships – Medhavi Gandhi
[edit]This session explored how partnerships and community engagement strategies can strengthen Wikimedia initiatives. It focused on collaboration with institutions and addressed practical challenges that affect outreach and impact.
- Collaborations with cultural and heritage institutions
- Role of storytelling in community engagement
- Challenges: digital literacy gaps, resource limitations, alignment issues
- Session 3: Public Speaking – Tanveer Hasan
This session trained participants in effective communication and presentation skills, helping them build confidence and deliver ideas clearly while engaging their audience.
- Structuring ideas clearly
- Building confidence in public speaking
- Engaging audiences effectively
Session 4: Organiser’s Tools – Satdeep Gill
[edit]This session introduced participants to a range of Wikimedia organiser tools through live demonstrations, focusing on how these tools support efficient planning, coordination, contribution tracking, and evaluation of Wikimedia activities. The session helped participants understand how structured digital tools can simplify community organizing, improve transparency, and enhance impact measurement across projects and events.
- Demonstration of Toolhub: a community-authored catalog of Wikimedia tools
- Overview of Wikimedia statistics tools: Wikimedia Stats, Wikiscan, Pageviews Analysis
- Introduction to task management and on-wiki utilities: Special:SpecialPages, Microtask generator, WikiShootMe
- Organizing and event support tools: Event Registration, Outreach Dashboard
- Contribution tools demonstrated: Fountain tool, Wikisource contest tool
- Emphasis on how these tools support planning, participation tracking, and evaluation of Wikimedia initiatives
Hands-on Activity: Project Development and Presentations
[edit]Participants applied their learnings by developing and presenting project ideas aimed at strengthening Wikimedia initiatives, particularly focusing on Punjabi language and community outreach.
- Punjabi Science Knowledge Initiative: Improve and expand science content on Punjabi Wikipedia
- Rural Knowledge and Financial Awareness: Promote financial literacy and general knowledge in rural communities
- Wikipedia Education Program: Introduce Wikipedia editing in educational institutions
- Visual Revolutionaries (Wikipedia Interface Project): Improve interface and user experience
- Revitalizing Punjabi Wikipedia: Enhance content quality and accessibility
- Increasing Readership (Outreach through Screens): Expand awareness and readership
Key Learnings
[edit]The workshop highlighted the importance of strategic thinking, collaboration, and effective communication in building sustainable Wikimedia communities, while also emphasizing the role of partnerships, governance, and structured tools in achieving long-term impact.
- Strategic planning is essential for sustainable community growth
- Data and research should guide decision-making
- Communication and storytelling are critical for visibility and impact
- Partnerships strengthen outreach and resource availability
- Governance frameworks ensure safe and inclusive collaboration
- Tools and structured approaches improve execution and evaluation
Closing Reflections – Nitesh
[edit]The closing reflections brought together key insights from the workshop, encouraging participants to apply their learnings in real-world contexts and continue contributing actively to Wikimedia communities.
- Reflection on key takeaways
- Encouragement for continued engagement
- Focus on applying workshop learnings