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Wikimedia UK
We are the UK charity for the global Wikimedia movement. At Wikimedia UK we are passionate and committed to open knowledge and free access, not just in the UK but on a global scale. Our vision is of a more tolerant, informed and democratic society through open knowledge.We are working towards the following long-term outcomes:
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Description

Would you like your knowledge to be potentially read by millions of people? Would you like to be part of a global movement who are passionate about free and open knowledge?

Wikipedia is the world’s largest online, free encyclopaedia. It has a huge global reach with its articles being read over 20 billion times each month. Wikipedia is written and edited by a global community of 200,000+ volunteers, sharing their knowledge on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a work in progress, continually changing and evolving and we have a vision that this vast body of work is representative of all of humanity. Our vision is a world in which everyone can share, use and add to all of humanity’s knowledge. And this knowledge is available, editable and reusable free of charge for everyone at any time. 

  • Wikipedia has more than 55 million articles across over 300 languages, with English being the largest encyclopaedia.
  • Wikipedia is edited by more than 280,000 volunteer editors every month around the world.
  • Wikipedia is edited 350 times per minute and read more than 8000 times a second.
  • Wikipedia is the largest and most popular general reference work on the World Wide Web and is one of the most popular websites ranked by Alexa as of October 2019. 

And the beauty is that anyone can edit / contribute to Wikipedia, Yes anyone! And it is available in over 300 languages. 

However, like the world around us Wikipedia reflects and amplifies some long-standing inequalities and biases, and one of Wikimedia UK’s strategic priorities is to increase engagement and representation of marginalised people and subjects. You can help to redress information inequality by becoming a Wikipedia Editor. We are particularly keen to engage people from minoritised communities and we are keen to learn more about what you would like to do on Wikipedia. 

As the charity which supports the Wikimedia Community in the UK, we can help you in your journey to share your knowledge and information. No previous experience is needed. We hold regular information sessions, provide training on using Wikipedia and we hold regular events where you can learn about editing (Edit-a-thons).

This is an opportunity that can be done anywhere at any time and there is no minimum commitment. It can fit in around your life and responsibilities. Wikimedia UK is here to support you in your journey as a Wikipedia Editor.

 

Duties

You will be editing / adding articles on Wikipedia based on your own interests / knowledge in English or another language of your choice. If you are unsure of where to start we can support you to find ways to get involved or what to focus on if that helps.

Things you will learn

  • Adding and editing on wikipedia
  • How to reference work 
  • Writing skills
  • Research skills and adding citations
  • How to write unbiased articles
  • How knowledge is created and the issues that we face when trying to produce accurate and impartial information.
Who will the volunteers be working with?
Volunteers will be working remotely, generally on their own. However, they will have the support of other editors online and the Wikipedia community in the UK.
Training
Volunteers are given full information and training to be able to begin their journey. We hold regular editathons where you can learn about editing Wikipedia and you can come to as many as you need to learn about editing.

Time commitment

This is a flexible volunteering opportunity that can be done when you can fit it in amongst your studies. A minimum time commitment of 1-3 hours per week or more if you can.

UCL Departments

This organisation is one of our community partner organisations.

Like all volunteer recruiters we work with, they have signed up to our service standards, agreeing to abide by our policy on partnership working to keep you safe and supported whilst you volunteer.

You’ll never be out of pocket for volunteering through us – with in-London travel expenses to and from your volunteering guaranteed.

In addition, the team here at Students’ Union UCL Volunteering Service is here to support you throughout your volunteering journey – you can get in touch with us at any time.