Wikimedia Georgia/Annual Plan/2025
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Wikimedia Georgia's Annual Plan
2025
About
Wikimedia Community User Group Georgia (WMGE; Wikimedia UG Georgia) is a non-profit organization representing the Wikimedia Foundation User Group, created by active members of Wikimedia contributors living in Georgia who are interested in organizing and participating in outreach activities on a national level. The organization aims to promote and develop the Wikimedia Foundation's projects (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Commons, Wikisource, etc.) and the Wikimedia movement locally. One of its core missions is to aid and encourage people to collect, develop, and disseminate knowledge and other educational, cultural, and historical content in the public domain or other licenses that allow everyone to use the knowledge freely and distribute and modify it for free.
Programs
Bridging Gaps
Wikimedia Georgia will actively continue to support bridging knowledge gaps by developing existing content in Wikimedia projects and creating new content in projects. We aim to increase the number of active editors in online projects in the Georgian language. We will also improve the retention rate of new editors by conducting new projects for editors' Wikimedia projects.
Wikimedia Georgia will also actively continue to support new Wikimedia projects in the Georgian language, one of which is currently the Georgian Wikisource. The project was realized from the Incubator in May 2024 after the active work of Wikimedia Georgia with volunteers.
Wikimedia Georgia is on the way to filling the content gap in Wikimedia projects by carrying out the following activities:
- Article Contests: The organization will continue to hold thematic and international contests (CEE Spring, Wikipedia Asian Month, etc.), which already have a traditional character, but the main focus will be encouraging editors to participate less materially.
- Media Contests: Organizing photographic contests, such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth for Wikimedia Commons. Also, organizing photo walks in different parts of Georgia.
- Workshops and Training: Conduct training and workshops for staff working on Wikimedia projects at different institutions. These should include training on Wikipedia editing, Wikimedia Commons contributions, and Wikidata use and editing.
- Edit-a-thons: A series of edit-a-thones will be organized on various topics, including WikiGap.
- Recruitment and Retention: Organizing retention activities such as in-person meetups with editors and contributor recognition awards.
Community Development
Wikimedia Georgia prioritizes community development, support, and sustainability as key objectives. To achieve these goals, the organization aims to engage new volunteers, editors, and supporters in advancing the Wikimedia movement and enhancing its projects. This effort aligns with the strategic plan and fosters the long-term growth of the Wikimedia community in Georgia.
Wikimedia Georgia will continue to support existing projects and programs, including WikiCamps and WikiClubs, which exist in different parts of Georgia. All these projects have proven their effectiveness in developing the Wikimedia movement in Georgia.
The Wikimedia Georgia has planned the following activities for 2025:
- WikiClubs: Currently, 8 WikiClubs nationwide provide courses on editing Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects based on educational institutions. In 2025, we will expand the Clubs network and open 2-3 new WikiClubs in different regions of Georgia.
- WikiCamps: Over the past years, WikiCamps has proven effective in attracting new contributors to Wikimedia projects and refining existing contributors' skills. WikiCamp participants gain enough knowledge, which they then share with other contributors and effectively use in their daily work on projects. Since 2023, Wikimedia Georgia will hold two camps a year, one designed for teachers who subsequently pass their knowledge about Wikimedia projects to students. Students are potential members of our WikiClubs. Wikimedia Georgia has held two camps each year for two years. WMGE will host two camps in 2025 for teachers and young people.
- Workshops: Wikimedia Georgia will conduct workshops for all interested parties who want to contribute to developing Wikimedia projects. These workshops are intended for newcomers who will be learning wiki technologies and existing editors who will improve their skills on Wikimedia projects.
- Edit-a-thons: Throughout the year, Wikimedia Georgia will hold a series of thematic edit-a-thons, including one closing the gender gap in Wikimedia projects.
- Meetups: The organization will hold various meetings with members of the Wikimedia community in different locations. The annual Wikimedia Conference will take place in Tbilisi. This will bring volunteers and all interested parties closer to Wikimedia projects.
- Scholarships: Wikimedia Georgia will provide scholarships to active members of the Wikimedia community in Georgia to participate in Wikimania and regional meetings (Wikimedia CEE Meeting, etc).
Advocacy
In 2024, Wikimedia Georgia successfully researched Georgian copyright legislation and other Georgian laws that regulate the work of various GLAM institutions with which WMGE cooperates in developing Wikimedia projects. The final goal of this work is to understand the issues that exist in the laws that limit the integration of GLAM and other institutions' resources into Wikimedia projects. Based on these studies and findings, Wikimedia Georgia will develop an advocacy strategy to amend these laws in collaboration with various stakeholders. Wikimedia Georgia will actively collaborate with the Wikimedia Foundation's Global Advocacy team and Wikimedia Europe in the design and advocacy process.
The organization will also continue advocating for Freedom of Panorama and its partners in Georgia. In this matter, the organization will also actively cooperate with the Legal Department of the Wikimedia Foundation to eliminate the issues in Wikimedia projects. The Advocacy Strategy will be developed based on an assessment of the situation around the new Georgian government law on "foreign agents," which also affects Wikimedia Georgia, which receives funding from outside sources. The organization will assess all risks and act and implement the strategy accordingly.
Partnership
Wikimedia Georgia will continue to build on its existing partnerships with government bodies, educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations while also seeking to expand its network with new collaborators. Cooperation with state institutions will be carried out while analyzing current processes, which should not threaten Wikimedia Georgia.
Our active partnership with the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia remains a priority. We already have a Wikipedian in residence at the library and are working to integrate its resources into Georgian Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Looking ahead, Wikimedia Georgia aims to establish new partnerships with public and private schools in Tbilisi and other regions. This initiative will enable us to launch new WikiClubs within these schools and engage more teachers in Wikimedia projects.
Organizational Development
Wikimedia Georgia is still being recognized as a chapter by the Affiliations Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation, which should be completed by the end of 2024. In early 2024, the organization amended its charter based on the AffCom recommendations, elected a new Board of Trustees, and changed the governance structure.
Wikimedia Georgia will continue to hold meetings with organization members to better plan the organization's members' involvement in working in the chapter, planning future activities, and attracting new members.
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