Identify, Learn, Think, and Mentor - Learnings and Takeaways from DCW’s first Train-a-Wikipedian Program

Learning is a lifelong process that teaches us at every step, age and language, beyond books, blackboards and classrooms.

28 May 2025, Khadeeja, Member, Wiki Club AMU COT. Keywords: Train a Wikipedian

This post is a draft and is subject to change without notice.

Deoband Community Wikimedia (DCW) has been continuously contributing to open knowledge spaces since its inception in 2021. In early 2025, DCW reconstructed “Train a Wikipedian” (TaW), once a simple training program conducted by the Centre for Internet and Society - Access to Knowledge (CIS-A2K), and gave it a different outlook, transcending beyond training about the basics of Wiki editing - to develop a sense of criticality within the community of students and scholars associated with it.

We want to contribute to the development of sustainable leadership of our community in the open knowledge ecosystem, particularly in the Wikimedia world and move a step further than addressing content and knowledge gaps on the Wikimedia projects. This helps in strengthen under-represented communities and emerging changemakers to actively participate in open spaces. Through leadership training, practical guidance, and exposure to the ecosystem, we see TaW as a holistic program, which effectively engages its participants in a critical and collaborative environment, make informed decisions, and drive positive change within their communities.

Exploring TaW’s first Edition

The first edition of TaW took place in New Delhi on 22 and 23 February 2025, engaging over 18 Wikimedians. Structured around the lifecycle of Identify, Learn, Think, and Mentor, it featured enlightening sessions centered, which aimed to inculcate criticality and develop academic rigor alongside equipping participants with the skills, confidence and conceptual understanding required to contribute meaningfully in the larger open ecosystem. DCW brought the best of its volunteers from Wiki Club AMU, Wiki Club Jamia, along with other generic contributors, to engage in some critical questions.

Knowledge in itself does not work, unless it has a "voice attached". TaW was initiated as a pilot initiative to further the DCW’s Leadership Development and Skills Infrastructure Program, as a result of several surveys that many community members often struggle with engaging and navigating these open spaces. Generally, two significant challenges have been identified in open knowledge ecosystems. There are extensive knowledge gaps related to Muslims and topics concerning them, and apparently their participation within these ecosystems remains notably low. TaW addresses these challenges by mentoring community members in open ecosystems.

Scholars, Speakers, and Subjects!

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  Aafi
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  Manavpreet Kaur
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  Chitraparna Sinha
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  LiAnna Davis
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  Tanveer Hasan

DCW invited a selective group of participants with a keen interest in the organizational and encyclopedic aspects of the Wikimedia movement for this residential program. The event featured insightful sessions featuring — Manavpreet Kaur, Lianna Davis, and Tanveer Hasan, who joined virtually and Chitraparnaa Sinha in-person.

The program was a blend of wiki and academia, and acted as a bridge, fostering a sense of thinking and criticality. The first day commenced with an interesting ice breaking activity, "Crazy Kitchen", where participants split into two teams. Each team wrote random ingredients of food on slips and swapped them with the other. The challenge was to identify and use whatever ingredients they got in a judicious way to prepare the best recipe. The teams made praiseworthy dishes - Passion Fruit Delight and Rosemary Salad. The activity was refreshing, spirited with teamwork, creativity, conflicts with a sprinkle of smiles. The aim of this activity was to help participants identify and think of making ways when it apparently seems difficult.

The first session was led by Manavpreet Kaur, a long-time Wikimedian, who has significant contributions in enriching Punjabi Wikipedia, including a series on forensic sciences to make learning accessible in the local language. The session was virtual and initiated conversations on Digital Public Goods. Since Wikipedia is recently recognised as a DPG, she elaborated its meaning and why it matters. The discussion also touched on addressing biases and improving these gaps. This was followed by a session titled "All About DCW - What do we do?”, addressed by Aafi, the founder of the DCW, who currently chairs its Executive Board. He shared DCW's vision, achievements and impact in disseminating knowledge and supporting communities since its inception in 2021. This was subsequently followed by stories about DCW Conversation Hour, exploring its past, present and future. In this session, Ariba Shoaib, a member of the DCW Executive Board, who oversees the Conversation Hour initiative, discussed how these open conversation hours are shaped, and how they help sustain knowledge sharing.

After lunch, Faiz Anjum's session on Cognitive Skills was informative and engaging, coupled with an entertaining Kahoot quiz that tested critical thinking, participation and foundational knowledge about Wikimedia projects. This session demonstrated how being a Wikipedian sharpens essential skills such as active listening, public speaking and effective communication. The last session of the day was "Getting Started with Wikimedia Projects", presented by Aafi, in which he shared his journey of establishing the DCW. He suggested participants start with a clear vision, take slow but significant steps as a Wikimedian to bring their vision to life. Based on capacity, it should begin outreach on the same lines, one step at a time. The session simplified the process through making edits, translations and even uploading photos, making it easy and accessible for a novice to get started and contribute. Wrapping the first day, participants took a wiki walk around Jamia's campus, in the pleasant evening, navigating through wildflowers and greenery.

The second day started with fresh energy as new members joined the table, spirited to dive into the world of Wikimedia. The first session was led virtually by LiAnna Davis, Chief Programs Officer at the Wiki Education Foundation. She shared insights about students worldwide who are shaping Wikimedia from translating articles to creating diagrams and writing research summaries. She distinguished between being Digital savvy and digitally literate. To contribute meaningfully, students must engage as literate users. She suggested practical steps to start as a beginner, through writeups, translations, summary of research articles, book reviews, or even uploading photos to Wikimedia Commons. These simple but powerful efforts help shift Wikipedia’s perception from "unreliable" to collaborative and trustworthy.

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Next, Chitraparna Sinha's session titled "Systemic Biases and Communication in Open Knowledge Spaces" sparked a nostalgic fragrance of school days with pen-and-paper brainstorming tasks. She asserted that Systemic biases are deeply rooted and often inevitable until they distort knowledge on the world's largest repository, Wikipedia. Cohort members interacted to understand these institutional biases, their impact on communication patterns and strategic solutions to eradicate these biases. Through complex case studies, members discussed policy changes, cultural and language differences, and resource distribution to create a level playing field for knowledge documentation.

The next session, led by Aafi, dove into "Academic Rigor and Wikipedia," focusing on Good and Featured articles. First, he told interesting facts then elaborated the differentiation between Good and Featured articles as well as their standards - Verifiable, Coverage, Content, Citations and Media. Maintaining authenticity and trustworthiness is crucial including tackling challenges like Vandalism, biased edits, and misinformation. He also talked about Academic loneliness and how Wikipedia’s talk pages, peer reviews and community support can turn isolation into impactful collaboration.

Tanveer Hasan wrapped up the day with a Concluding session where he shared a powerful message that Change starts with curiosity, patience, and a willingness to devote time to what matters without having imposter syndrome. He encouraged students to engage with the University system with criticality. You can do it! He made learners ponder over knowledge activism.

The systematic gap exists because voices are missing. Ask tough questions. Challenge the status quo.

TaW concluded with exploring Delhi through a wiki-walk to India Gate, led by Monib Ahmad where snapshots and conversations flowed as freely as the evening soft breeze.

Is DCW’s TaW a Success?

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The resounding success of the pilot program was a collective effort of everyone who was a part of it, most importantly, its organising team who put their heart and soul to ensure a smooth and welcoming experience for all attendees. Thus, it was not just an event but an amalgamation of learning, experiences and memories created with passionate individuals who selflessly united by a shared purpose. TaW is not just training volunteers but also nurturing leaders who can reclaim their representations in open knowledge with empathy and rigor.

With such initiatives, workshops, and conversation hours, DCW continues to empower Wikimedia communities, inspiring individuals to lead and make a meaningful impact. The initiative strengthens Wikimedia communities, empowering volunteers to learn and lead effectively in open spaces and inspiring others to join the free knowledge movement. It helped in deepening their understanding of representational gaps in open platforms that perpetuates systemic biases and devised ideas to tackle biases and community challenges. Besides having a hectic schedule, the team also bonded over informal interactions and spent quality time getting to know each other beyond conference tables and presentations. The most memorable parts of the program are Wiki Walks through the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia and India Gate creating a fun learning space filled with cookies and canvas of laughter.