WikiWomen (Women in Wikipedia)
The Erasmus+ funded project Women in Wikipedia (WikiWomen) will bring together schools, Wikipedia foundations and language organisations in minority language regions of Europe to use Wikipedia as a tool to teach digital literacy, social engagement and language skills. There are too few Wikipedia articles on women, and too few in minority languages. Pupils will be guided through the process of researching women who are not yet featured on Wikipedia and writing articles on them in their national and minority languages to redress this balance. In the process they’ll gain vital digital and research skills plus added confidence in using their minority language, as well as contributing to the online presence of their language. WikiWomen therefore addresses some truly European and global challenges for the coming years: the need for digital skills and literacy, the position of Europe’s smaller and minority languages, the need for multilingualism to be mainstreamed across school curricula, and the importance of gender equality, not only in society but also in the information we access.
Research theme: Multilingualism and Language learning
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2025
Coordinating partner: Afûk, Learning Hub Friesland
Mercator Staff: Helga Kuipers-Zandberg, Cor van der Meer
Funding: Erasmus+ Programme KA220-SCH - Cooperation partnerships in school education - Call 2021, context Field School Education
Collaboration with: Mercator European Research Centre / Fryske Akademy, Algemiene Fryske Ûnderrjocht Kommisje (AFÛK) (NL), Learning Hub Friesland (NL), Wikimedia Ireland (IE), Coláiste Oiriall (IE), Euskal Wikilarien Kultura (ES), Antigua-Luberri institute/ Gobierno Vasco (ES).
The project aims to:
- Use Wikipedia to equip pupils with the digital and research skills they need to navigate a world with vast amounts of information at their fingertips and empower them to actively use their minority language and see its relevance to their lives and societies, having themselves contributed to its online presence.
- Ensure that secondary schools and their teaching staff have the skills and resources they need to teach minority language skills, digital skills and research skills in a comprehensive approach using Wikipedia and in collaboration with regional GLAMs and language institutions.
- Make GLAMs and language institutions aware of the opportunities that Wikipedia can offer them in their work, in particular their educational outreach work with schools, by equipping them with the practical skills and inspiration they need to achieve this. - Create a greater and broader online presence of minority languages and strengthen the use of the language to discuss contemporary social issues.
- Strengthen the collaboration between schools and other organisations such as GLAMs and Wikipedia foundations, as well as the international links with other likeminded regions. By using Wikipedia to bring together digital skills, other school subjects, social engagement through a focus on gender equality AND their minority language, pupils will develop their language and digital skills as part of a joined-up, multidisciplinary programme.
The core of our project is developing professional, transferable and relevant results which will ensure we have a lasting impact long after the project funding. Each of our results corresponds to our core objectives: the pupil materials, the schools toolkit and the GLAM toolkit.
- The pupil materials are aimed at equipping pupils with the digital literacy and research skills they need, as well as empowering them to actively use their minority language.
- The schools toolkit will be produced to ensure that school organisations and teachers in minority language regions have the knowledge and confidence to use Wikipedia in a broader approach to language teaching as well as intensified collaboration with regional GLAMs, creating a more sustainable programme.
- The GLAM toolkit offers GLAMs and language institutions practical knowledge and an action plan for working with Wikipedia, minority language and schools in their educational outreach programmes and beyond.
The project has just started.
As soon as the online media channels are ready, we will mention it here.
In the mean time, keep an eye on the partner's pages: