Wikimedia Training Workshop 2025
The Wikimedia Training Workshop 2025 was a two-day learning and community-building programme jointly organised by Wikimedia Bangladesh and Ashru Archive at the Ashru Archive in Kushtia. The workshop brought together emerging contributors, researchers, students, artists, and cultural enthusiasts from different parts of Bangladesh to explore the role of open knowledge, collaborative documentation, and digital cultural preservation through Wikimedia platforms. Designed as both a technical and community-focused initiative, the programme introduced participants to the wider Wikimedia ecosystem while encouraging thoughtful engagement with local history, literature, photography, and archival practices.
About the Workshop
Over two days, participants took part in practical training sessions, collaborative discussions, and hands-on editing activities focused on Wikimedia projects including Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Wikimedia Commons.
The workshop aimed to:
- Introduce new contributors to Wikimedia platforms
- Promote responsible and well-sourced knowledge sharing
- Encourage documentation of local culture and heritage
- Build research and digital archiving skills
- Strengthen Bangladesh’s open knowledge community
The programme combined lectures, demonstrations, live editing practice, review sessions, and open discussions to create an accessible and engaging learning environment for both beginners and experienced participants.
Participants
Around 25 participants joined the workshop from different districts across Bangladesh, including: Kushtia, Natore, Pabna, Faridpur, Satkhira, Tangail and Dhaka. The participant group reflected diverse academic and creative backgrounds, including: Students, Teachers, Artists, Writers, Researchers, and Independent cultural contributors. Women represented 28% of total participants, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse learning environment. This range of perspectives enriched conversations around cultural preservation, documentation practices, and community-driven research.
Workshop Sessions
Wikipedia: The Wikipedia sessions introduced participants to the basics of creating and editing articles, adding citations, and maintaining reliable and neutral content. Participants also explored how local history, culture, and literature can be better represented through well-sourced contributions to Bangla Wikipedia.
Wikisource: The Wikisource sessions focused on the digitisation and preservation of books, manuscripts, and historical texts. Participants learned about OCR workflows, proofreading, and text correction while gaining practical experience in publishing verified texts on Bangla Wikisource.
Wikimedia Commons: Participants were introduced to Wikimedia Commons through hands-on demonstrations on uploading photographs, audio, and video. The sessions also covered copyright, Creative Commons licensing, and the importance of responsibly sharing freely licensed media for educational and cultural documentation.
Research and Documentation Skills: Research sessions led by Shawon Akand introduced participants to the fundamentals of documentation and research practices. Discussions focused on identifying research topics, developing research questions, and understanding how strong research contributes to preserving local knowledge and improving Wikimedia content.
Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants gained practical skills and a clearer understanding of how to contribute to open knowledge platforms responsibly and effectively.
Participants were able to:
- Edit and improve Wikipedia articles
- Contribute texts to Bangla Wikisource
- Upload properly licensed media to Wikimedia Commons
- Understand copyright and open licensing principles
- Engage with Wikimedia communities and collaborative initiatives
To support continued learning and collaboration, a Telegram group was created for participants, and a follow-up online meetup is planned to review progress and encourage ongoing engagement.