Wikipedia Awareness in Ilesa

Ilesa is one of the metropolises in Osun State, a significant urban center renowned for its cultural and educational heritage in Nigeria, home to a thriving community of about a million residents, and one of the largest cities in Osun State. The city is home to a number of institutions of higher learning, including the University of Ilesa and the Osun State College of Health Technology, among others.

The city is equally at an advantage, with several educational clubs hosted by the city, such as writers clubs, readers associations, and student associations, contributing their essence to its intellectual and cultural vibrancy. In spite of all these great strides, Wikimedia's growth awareness is lacking in the Ilesa community, leading to a lack or shortage of editors and initiatives in the city.

Wikipedia, being widely respected as a trusted information source, can bolster the city's recognition both domestically and internationally by furnishing precise, updated information about its environs and endeavors. This proposed Wikimedia Awareness Program will equally amplify the city's global visibility and the credibility of information about the ancient city when residents of the community are trained on how to contribute to Wikipedia and her sister's project.

This proposed project will address the gaps that currently exist in various articles across different topics; these include elevating the coverage of notable local and international scholars, organizations, tourist attractions, and historical sites in Ilesa and Osun State at large on Wikipedia. This project will establish a community of Wikipedia editors in the city to keep participants engaged with ongoing and future Wikimedia-related activities.

Facilitators

Ogundele1 (Project lead)

Tesleemah

RukayatAjeigbe

OTim75

Goals

Create awareness about Wikipedia and its sister projects in Ilesa
Train and recruit new editors for the Wikimedia Community in Ilesa
Increase skills for existing editors, if any
Add or improve local content about Ilesa on Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikicommons.

Project Timeline

Start for entries: 1st of April, 2024
Deadline for entries: 30th May, 2024

Activity Timeline

1st Online Training : 5th of April, 2024 via Google Meet (4pm–6pm)

1st Physical event: 19th of April, 2024, at Ayeni Foundation Hotel (9 a.m.–3 p.m.)

2nd Online Training: 26th of April, 2024 via Google Meet (4pm–6pm)

2nd Physical event: 10th of May, 2024, at SUB Building, University of Ilesa (10 a.m.–3 p.m.)

Action Points

Create awareness on Social media.
Collection of participant's data.
Taking participants through Wikipedia account creation
Introduction to Wikipedia and it's sister projects.
Introduction to Wikicommons.
Practical hands-on and edit-a-thon on how to edit articles on English Wikipedia.
Practical hands-on and edit-a-thon on how to upload images to Wikicommons.
Discussions about the specific challenges of editing on Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikicommons.
Practical hands-on and edit-a-thon on how to edit and create items on Wikidata.