2024:Program/Curadorias Convidadas (guest curatorships): filling equity gaps on the Wikimedia Movement
Session title: Curadorias Convidadas [guest curatorships]: filling equity gaps on the Wikimedia Movement
- Session type: Lightning talk
- Track: Partnerships
- Language: en
The free knowledge community faces several challenges to achieve Knowledge equity - it became part of the strategic direction of the Wikimedia Movement, and is one the Movement Charter's values. Wiki Editoras LX is a feminist user group that works on Portuguese wikimedia projects, founded in 2019. In 2020, the group started a program “Curadorias Convidadas”, where off-wiki guest curators from underrepresented communities are invited to co-create topics lists for editathons. These events have captured the interest of more editors and increased representativity. This session will showcase the events and present some of its learnings and impact.
Description
This session aims to briefly present a successful model of collaboration with external partners to advance equity in the Wikimedia Movement. Wiki Editoras LX (WELx) is a feminist group of wikimedians, dedicated to fighting disparities in visibility and representation in the Wikimedia Movement. Our action is supported by anti-colonial, decolonial, anti-racist, anti-capacity and LGBTQIAP+ anti-discrimination values and principles, to promote knowledge equity. At the same time, we contribute so that more people underrepresented in the Wikimedia Movement can edit and increase their representation on this digital platform, reducing biases and promoting a more plural community. In 2020, the group was still fairly homogeneous - mainly cis white women - which compromised our commitment to representatives and equity. We realized quickly that we had to reach out to where this underrepresented knowledge was, and find ways to bring this people to the Movement. The strategy was to invite individuals, collectives and associations from underrepresented groups to curate events/editathons, assuring articles listings that go beyond WELx blindspots, mobilizing their communities, making underrepresented groups feel more motivated to contribute to their representation on the Wikimedia Movement, and mobilizing their community members. As Joyell Arvella explained at the Equity Workshop promoted by Art+Feminism in 2020, equity can only be achieved through “the elimination and complete transformation of all social, political, economic and systemic barriers that reinforce the disadvantage and oppression of people who do not fit into the dominant categories that hold power”. The Curadorias Convidadas [Guest Curators] program is about bringing less people that have less representativeness on mainstream arenas to a position of power. It is designed to be an horizontal partnership - the curators have the opportunity to make visible their work and knowledge of their interest, getting to know the possibilities of free and open knowledge, and the Wikimedia Movement reduces their knowledge gaps and gains allies that support the visibility of their projects and communities. So far, seven editathons have been organized under the umbrella of the Curadorias Convidadas [Guest Curators] programme, and two more will happen this year. Two of the partners have become regulars and we're already into the second and third editions of their editathons, respectively. In this brief session, we will explain the process of outreach and selecting the partners, of co-creating the topics and tasks lists for the editathons and the follow-up. And we will also present the learnings and adaptations, as well as the impact of this program so far. We believe this session can be useful for other wikimedians that are looking to work for equity in the Movement, and it could also be a great opportunity for us to get to know and exchange about similar initiatives.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Collaboration of the Open?
The guest curator program has proved to be a powerful collaboration tool with off-wiki partnerships with specialists in topics underrepresented on Wikimedia. This collaboration between the group and the curators operates in a non-institutional way, open to the interests and availability of both parties, but with a much more engaging nature of these partnerships. Regardless of the partner’s experience in the Wiki movement, they become are aware of the spirit of the Movement, its potential and opportunities. It's a great example of how to engage partners who don't necessarily want to become wikimedians, but that can become allies who are aware of how the Movement operates. We are familiar with the challenges encountered by other partnership models, which often fail to retain off-wiki partners or which create a dependency of these partners on the Wiki community. We hope that this model will inspire new forms of collaboration with other communities.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Ana Bragança (user:Anita Braga) and Flavia Doria (user:XenoF)
- Ana Bragança (user:Anita Braga) is a co-founder and co-coordinator of Wiki Editoras LX lusophone user group, a 5 year a community that aims to bridge the gender gap, as well as other gaps (ethnic, racial, geographic) in Wikimedia projects. Wikimedian since 2019, has also been part of the WikiForHumanRights Lusophone Community Regional Coordination team since 2023.
- Flavia Doria (user:XenoF) is a co-coordinator of Wiki Editoras LX lusophone user group, a 5 year a community that aims to bridge the gender gap, as well as other gaps (ethnic, racial, geographic) in Wikimedia projects. Wikimedian since 2020, is a former Community Ambassador at WMF and Member at the Leadership Development Working Group (LDWG). Also a certified trainer for Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom. And currently the Regional Ambassador for Europe at Art+Feminism.