Did you know that you can help close the gender gap on Wikipedia? Want to learn more - in a fun, stimulating and informative setting? Then join us for the 2023 International Women’s Day edit-a-thon on March 8th from 17h30 to 21h00 at Kunstinsituut Melly in Witte de Withstraat, Rotterdam.
The event features a short talk by Prof. Hanneke Takkenberg, ECWO’s Executive Director, on why it’s vital to increase the visibility of women on Wikipedia, as well as an introduction to contributing and editing Wikipedia entries by Dr Laura Braden. Important insights from the Wikimedia Nederland team will also be shared.
Providing a powerful context for the edit-a-thon is Still Shifting, Mother Field, an exhibition by artist Jennifer Tee that includes newly commissioned ceramic sculptures, textile installations, performances, and collages.
The edit-a-thon takes place against a background of data from Humaniki which shows that just over 19% of English Wikipedia's biographies are about women. The edit-a-thon is an opportunity to add to women's biographies, women's works, and women's issues on the platform and reduce systemic bias on Wikipedia as a whole (you can read more about the challenges facing Wikipedia biography entries here).
Wikimedia Nederland is the Dutch branch of the organisation behind Wikipedia which is committed to a world in which everyone can share free knowledge with others. Wikimedia Nederland will be present and will show participants how Wikipedia works and how to write a good encyclopedia article.
On the day itself there will be a list of topics and sources which you can use to write an article or add to one. You can also help by translating articles to or from your native language. Your own input or ideas on inclusiveness are also welcome. It is important to note that no prior knowledge is required to be part of this important event. All you need to bring along is your laptopo.
- Dr Laura Braden (ESHCC) will give a workshop on editing, translating, and creating pages, while Wikimedia Netherlands volunteers will walk around to assist. In this session you will learn what makes the Open-Source principle of the online encyclopedia so special and what requirements a good page must meet.
- Prof Hanneke Takkenberg (ECWO) will talk about the importance of increasing the visibility of women on, among others, Wikipedia but also in business and society as a whole.
- Risa Togo spoke to students who enthusiastically wrote a Wikipedia page and created a vlog about it. Risa will share what drove them to create a page and what their findings were during the writing process.
- Je-Anne Dirksz created the visual for the International Women's Day event and for this she researched non-binarity and self-reflection. You
- You are welcome to visit the Jennifer Tee exhibition during the Edit-a-Thon.
This annual Edit-a-thon is made possible by Studium Generale, ECWO (Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations), Dr Laura Braden (Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication), Wikimedia Netherlands and Kunstinsituut Melly.
You can register your attendance here.
