Imagine a world in which every woman on the planet finds a representative and diverse sum of all human knowledge about women+* available on Wikipedia and on the internet. This is what the Celebrate Women campaign has been trying to accomplish since 2022. 

Every March, during Women’s History Month and in celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8th), the Wikimedia community gathers both online and in person to edit and improve the content available on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects about women+. The editing happens as part of edit-a-thons, workshops, training sessions, and many other types of gatherings, which are spread around the world, with events on every continent. 

For 2026, we had one of the biggest campaigns so far. Considering all the gatherings globally, we had 112 events listed on the official page, which were divided into these sections: 

• Global: 21 events
• Africa: 20 events
• Asia: 15 events
• Europe: 38 events
• Latin America: 12 events
• Middle East: 1 event
• North America: 3 events
• Oceania: 2 events

These numbers clearly demonstrate the global impact of this campaign, as well as serve as a testimony to Wikimedia’s reach and potential for collaboration, even when the world seems to be divided. In 2026, our communities were able to not only come together, but also edit and collaborate towards that one single goal.

In the last few years, this purpose was also achieved. By checking the pages for the previous campaigns, we had 59 events in 2025, 100 in 2024, and 121 gatherings in 2022. However, when we also consider the Programs & Events Outreach Dashboard campaigns (see more about this topic below), we have another 144 events in 2022; 137 events in 2024; 171 events in 2025; and 155 events in 2026. 

For 2026, we were able to assemble some statistics. In terms of engagement, considering the P&E Outreach Dashboard and gatherings using Event Registration (a new CampaignEvents feature), we were able to identify that this year’s campaign assembled 207 organizers and 2,658 event participants, which can be divided into:

• Beginner (less than 10 lifetime edits when participation begins): 1,388 users
• Junior (>= 10, <100 edits): 435 users
• Experienced (>= 100, <300 edits):  189 users
• Very experienced (>= 300 edits): 647 users

When it comes to content, or knowledge being added or improved through events, we had 238,222 unreverted content edits and 2,499,773,577 bytes added. After a few months from the end of the campaign (March 31, 2026), we have a total of 32,388 undeleted content pages added.

Celebrate Women is also responsible for increasing the number of events held in the Wikimedia community. Considering Event Registration usage only, we can see in the next image a major increase from 2025 to the 2026 campaign, and a peak in February and March compared to last year.

In March 2025, we had 152 events created using Event Registration, while in March 2026, we had 251 events. This is a 65% increase. However, for Celebrate Women, it’s also important to consider February, when a good portion of the events are created for organizers in preparation for the early March events, especially around International Women’s Day. In February 2025, 130 events were created, while in February 2026, 240 events were created. This is an 84.6% increase.

Wikimedia Foundation’s support in 2026

Celebrate Women is a community campaign and the result of volunteers and community members from all over the world. The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) has been helping this campaign by providing support for communities and organizers.

In 2026, we started the support by renovating the Celebrate Women portal. We changed the campaign’s header, reorganized it, and even added a press toolkit tab to help organizers develop a media plan or get media coverage from local journalists and media outlets. This new page includes sections about how to explain Wikipedia and the gender gap, key Wikipedia and gender gap facts and figures, inspiring gender stories, and a list of campaigns and groups dedicated to decreasing the gender gap on the Wikimedia projects. 

We also added resources and guides for how to use the CampaignEvents features, Content Translation Suggestion feature, and Central Notice Banner Editor. Additionally, we collaborated with the WMF Comms team on social media posts, which were shared throughout March on the Foundation’s channels.

We also contacted major gender organizers and community members (via email and talk page) and discussed the idea of adding the Event Registration header to help us understand the campaign’s participation. With Event Registration, the campaign reached 617 registered participants. According to the Connection team, who developed this feature, Celebrate Women 2026 is currently the 3rd biggest event in terms of participation so far, only behind Wikipedia 25 Virtual Celebration, with 3,187 participants, and the Africa Wiki Challenge 2025 with 790 participants.

During the pre-campaign community consultations, we received a request to not only have an Event Registration way to track the campaign, but also an Outreach Dashboard campaign dedicated to 2026. We created the campaign here.

Later, we chose to understand the impact of previous Celebrate Women years using the Outreach Dashboard too. We created campaigns dedicated to 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and decided to search and include all gender events organized during those years using the dashboard. Now, we can better understand the impact of the gender content gap efforts for the past 5 years. 

Finally, by using Event Registration, we were able to communicate with the 617 participants who registered. Once a week, we sent a reminder with the events that were taking place that week, divided into regions, and including day, time, place, and how to register. This established a recurring way to connect with community members and remind them about the campaign as a month-long commitment.

Wikimedia Foundation’s events

The Wikimedia Foundation also organized three events to support the community in organizing their Celebrate Women gatherings. We planned the campaign’s kick-off event and 2 pre-campaign trainings dedicated to Wikimedia organizers.

• On February 25, we had the Content Translation training. This session aimed to empower organizers with the skills to use Content Translation, with a focus on the article suggestion feature. 

• On February 26, we had the Event Registration and Collaborative Contributions session. The training aimed to equip organizers to effectively accomplish event registration, metrics tracking, outreach, and sustained community engagement. 

• On March 5, we held the campaign’s Welcome Session, which covered the 2026 campaign, some of its events, and some of Wikimedia’s Gender Gap milestones presented by Chinmayee Mishra. Participants also learned a bit about Event Registration, Content Translation, and two tools that help organizers with small but powerful edits: Gender Bias Detector and Wikipedia Microtask Generator. 

On the page for the three events, all the resources are available: recordings, slides in different languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French), and other useful information.

WikiWomen+ Summit 2026

In August 2026, the WikiWomen+ Summit 2026 took place during Wikimania’s pre-conference day. At this gathering, we were able to present about the Celebrate Women and the impact of this campaign in the context of Wikipedia’s content gender gap. 

Please find the recording for this presentation on YouTube. The slides are also available on Wikimedia Commons.

To understand more about the campaign or to stay tuned, check out the Celebrate Women portal on Meta-Wiki.

* The usage of the “+” sign after the word “women” means we are including anyone who identifies as a woman in some way, that being a cis woman, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, or any gender identity not listed here.

The #SheSaid campaign 2026 officially launched on 1 September and will run until 31 December 2026. Now in its seventh edition, #SheSaid continues to grow as a global campaign, bringing together participants from around the world to add and improve women’s voices on Wikimedia projects.

As part of Wiki Loves Women, an initiative of Wiki in Africa, #SheSaid works to address the gender gap on Wikiquote by making women’s words, experiences and perspectives more visible and accessible.

This year is particularly special: Wiki Loves Women is celebrating 10 years of making women visible in the world’s largest open knowledge ecosystem. #SheSaid is part of this decade-long journey, building on the contributions of thousands of participants who have helped bring women’s voices into the Wikimedia movement and beyond.

More than numbers, SheSaid is a story of collaboration

Six editions. More than 42k contributions. 22 languages from English to Assamese. More than 25 communities from Indonesia to Italy, Ghana and beyond. . 

#SheSaid is more than just the numbers. It is a story of people coming together across languages, countries and cultures, united by one purpose: to make women’s voices more visible.

That spirit of collaboration has taken #SheSaid beyond Wikimedia. FrancAutrices, a card game created through a collaboration between Les sans pagEs, Wiki in Africa and French Wikiquote editors, brings the words of Francophone women writers to new audiences. The game features quotes from Wikiquote, alongside portraits of the authors by French illustrator Claire Gaudriot and a design by South African designer Theresa Shaw.

FrancAutrices is one example of how a contribution to an open platform can become the starting point for something new, connecting communities, cultures and audiences around women’s voices.

A community favourite

The Wikimedia community has celebrated the story of # SheSaid. At Wikimania 2026, the campaign was selected as one of “Wikimedia’s Coolest Projects”.

For this award, in-person and online attendees were invited to vote for the projects that best represented the creativity, diversity and collaborative spirit of the Wikimedia movement. The contest was revived in memory of its founder, Deror Lin, as part of the celebration of 25 years of Wikimedia.

Being chosen among the three coolest Wikimedia projects is a meaningful recognition of what the #SheSaid community has built together.

A campaign for everyone

As this year’s campaign begins, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to #SheSaid over the years; every quote, edit, translation, event and conversation has helped shape this global campaign and made a significant impact on Wikiquote. SheSaid belongs to everyone who takes part in it, and through this collective effort, women’s voices continue to find their place in open knowledge.

The story continues, and everyone can be part of it. Whether you contribute a quote, improve Wikiquote, organise an activity, translate content, or encourage someone else to participate – join us!

Be part of #SheSaid 2026 and help write the next chapter of this global story.
#SheSaid … Give Her A Voice!

Don’t forget to follow us on social media:

• Website: www.wikiloveswomen.org
• Twitter/X: @Wikiloveswomen
• Instagram: @WikiLovesWomen
• Facebook Page: @WikiLovesWomen
• Telegram Group: WikiGenderGap

After 21 years as a Wikimedia contributor, I consider myself a veteran Wikimedian. I have attended many Wikimedia conferences around the world, but Wikimania always feels special. They create incredible opportunities to meet fellow Wikimedians, listen, and learn. However, the highlight of the event for me this year was not the main conference itself, but a pre-conference event: the WikiWomen+ Summit, where I was also honored to give a talk.

During the icebreaker, we shared stories about the first articles we ever wrote and whether we had ever experienced the deletion of a biography about a woman we created. When the talks began, I learned more about the Celebrate Women Campaign and fell in love with its vision, which is deeply inspired by Wikimedia’s overall mission: “Imagine a world in which every single woman can freely share in the sum of all knowledge, and where representative information about all women and non-binary individuals is accessible to everyone, everywhere.”

Sukkoria’s presentations gave us a lot to think about in a short time, from what could potentially go wrong from a WikiWomen+ perspective to how we can responsibly integrate generative AI into wiki workflows.

Leila Zia from the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) gave a presentation about Wikipedia readers, revealing that women are underrepresented not only as editors but also as regular readers. I was surprised by this statistic: roughly 65% of readers are reported to be men. This was the first time I had seriously considered what we can do to encourage more women to become frequent Wikipedia readers. 

Among the many great tools and projects introduced at the summit, we were also introduced to a new Wiki Gender Stats tool. I was delighted by Natacha’s roleplay, which brilliantly illustrated what features were needed and why male editors with technical skills often struggle to understand and prioritize those needs. Her roleplay perfectly captured the moment when women decided to take charge:

“Now I want to be a woman in progress! I will design our own tool according to our own needs, doing it ourselves.”

In my presentation, I addressed how governance and editorial decisions on Wikimedia projects can have consequences far beyond individual content disputes. I shared my concerns about contributors, particularly women+, being blocked or banned because of off-wiki disputes rather than their actual editorial work, and discussed how this can affect both content neutrality and the health of our communities. I explored these questions further in my presentation, “How Editorial Decisions Reach Beyond Wikipedia”, which you can watch here.

This blog post is an interview with Sana Sabir (User:CosmicCodex) reflecting on how WikiWomen+ Summit 2026 influenced her perspective on community, technology, AI, and women’s participation in Wikimedia. She highlights the importance of women supporting one another, the value of human-curated knowledge in the age of AI, and the many ways women can contribute to technical spaces without being programmers. Most importantly, Sana shares concrete plans to take her learnings back to her community through workshops, translation, documentation, and efforts to address knowledge gaps. 

For young Wikimedians, in-person events offer something that online collaboration often cannot – the chance to build genuine relationships, find mentors and peers, exchange ideas across communities, and return home with the confidence to turn inspiration into action. Over the years, the WikiWomen+ Summit has been one such space where women and allies from across the Wikimedia movement come together to share experiences, learn from one another, and explore how they can shape a more inclusive and sustainable future for free knowledge. 

As part of the WikiWomen+ Summit Core Organizing Team, I spoke with Sana about her experience at the Summit, the sessions that influenced her thinking, and the actions she plans to take after returning to her community.

Finding strength in community

When asked about the most valuable part of the Summit, Sana’s answer was not about a particular session or speaker. It was about the women she met.

“The women themselves. Being surrounded by resilient, welcoming leaders who uplifted and encouraged each other without judgment was transformative.”

For Sana, one of the most powerful aspects of the Summit was the openness between participants. Whether someone was an experienced Wikimedian or relatively new to the movement, people were willing to share, discuss, care and support one another.

That experience gave her a stronger sense of belonging within the global Wikimedia community.

“Realizing I’m part of a global network of women actively shaping the future of knowledge gave me renewed energy and solidarity,” Sana said.

Rethinking Wikimedia’s role in the age of AI

One session that particularly changed Sana’s perspective was Christophe’s talk on the next 25 years of Wikimedia.

The discussion about artificial intelligence made her reconsider how she viewed the relationship between AI and Wikimedia. Rather than seeing AI only as a challenge, she came away thinking about the unique value of human-curated and contextual knowledge.

As AI becomes increasingly widespread, Sana believes that Wikimedians have an increasingly important role to play in safeguarding & preserving knowledge that is grounded in human experience and context.

The idea of Wikimedians as “spearheads of knowledge” particularly stayed with her.

It shifted her perspective from asking how Wikimedia might simply respond to AI to thinking about what human contributors can uniquely provide in an increasingly automated information environment.

Looking for what is missing

Another important takeaway for Sana was the need to focus not only on what exists in Wikimedia projects, but also on what is still missing.

Inspired by the discussion around Women in Red, she wants to bring this approach into her own community by organising workshops that help contributors identify gaps in local knowledge.

For Sana, this means looking for overlooked subjects, stories, and perspectives that may not yet be adequately represented.

“We must preserve human context and ensure overlooked stories are documented before they’re erased by generic data models.”

This idea connects the work of individual contributors with a much larger question: whose knowledge gets documented, and whose stories remain invisible?

Making technology more accessible

Experience and insights from this year’s Summit also prompted Sana to think about the challenges women continue to face in Wikimedia’s technical ecosystem.

She highlighted issues including translation gaps, AI-related bias, copyright transparency, declining readership, and the need for more women to participate in technical contribution.

But one of her strongest takeaways was that technical contribution does not have to mean becoming an expert programmer.

Bee Piovesan’s session particularly influenced this perspective.

Sana realised that women can contribute to Wikimedia’s technical ecosystem in many ways: by usage of translating tools, documenting them, improving accessibility, and helping communities build or use technology that responds to their actual needs.

“I don’t need to be an expert coder; I can contribute by translating tools, documenting them, and making them accessible to other communities.”

For someone who wants to see more women participate in the Wikimedia technical ecosystem, this can be an important shift in thinking. Technical spaces can become more inclusive when contribution is understood beyond writing codes.

An unexpected lesson about editing

Not every takeaway from the Summit was technical.

One moment that surprised Sana was hearing contributors describe editing Wikipedia as something that could be personally meaningful and even therapeutic.

Some contributors shared how focusing on one edit at a time could provide attention, purpose, and a sense of visible progress.For Sana, this offered a different perspective on editing. Contributions are not only about adding knowledge to Wikimedia projects; they can also be personally fulfilling.

It was an unexpected reminder that community participation can affect contributors in ways that go beyond the measurable output of edits or uploads- Satisfaction is a success too 🙂

What should come next?

When asked what she would like to see at a future WikiWomen+ Summit, Sana had a practical suggestion: more hands-on workshops for non-technical participants.

She would like women to have more opportunities to learn how to translate, document, and work with Wikimedia tools, rather than feeling that technical contribution is reserved for experienced developers.She also suggested exploring ways to make Wikipedia more reader-friendly for women, particularly in conversations around gender gaps in readership.

For Sana, inclusion is not only about bringing more women into existing spaces. It is also about making those spaces easier to understand, participate in, and shape.

“You don’t need to code”

Sana’s message to women who are interested in Wikimedia but have not started contributing is simple:

“You don’t need to code.”

There are many ways to begin: editing an article, translating a tool, documenting technical resources, or helping others use Wikimedia projects.

She encourages women to start small and find a form of contribution that feels meaningful to them.

“The community is welcoming, and your perspective matters. Just start small; your voice is essential.”

It is a message that reflects one of the central themes of her Summit experience: there is no single correct way to become a Wikimedia contributor.

Turning a Summit into action

Perhaps the clearest indication of what the Summit meant to Sana is what she plans to do next.

Her first step is to share her learnings with the women of Wiki Club AMU and discuss what their community could address together.

She also plans to document and translate a Wikimedia tool for her community, simplify complex articles to make them more accessible, and continue exploring editing as a personally meaningful practice.

These are concrete actions that connect the Summit to community work beyond the event itself.

When asked to describe her WikiWomen+ Summit 2026 experience in one sentence, Sana called it:

“An empowering revelation that women can code, translate, document, heal, and lead in shaping the future of knowledge, addressing AI bias, simplifying language, and building tools we actually need.”

Her answer brings together the different ways she now sees participation in Wikimedia: through technology, documentation, translation, community building, and leadership.

The Summit gave her new perspectives, but the next step is turning those perspectives into action.

And perhaps that is one of the most valuable outcomes of a community event—not simply leaving with new ideas, but returning home with the confidence and motivation to do something with them.

About the interview

This interview was conducted by Gauri Gupta on behalf of the WikiWomen+ Summit Core Organizing Team.

Sana Sabir (CosmicCodex) is a Wikimedia contributor and member of the Wiki Club AMU community.

The responses have been lightly edited for clarity and flow while retaining the substance of Sana’s reflections.

Before joining the On‑Wiki Skills mentorship program, my engagement with Wikimedia projects was mostly as a reader. I was curious about open knowledge but unfamiliar with how data works or how contributors actively build and maintain Wikimedia projects.

Through the mentorship, I was introduced to Wikimedia as a collaborative ecosystem that offers structured ways of organizing and connecting knowledge. The learning curve was initially challenging especially understanding items, properties, statements, and references but with guidance from mentors and hands‑on practice, these concepts gradually became clearer.

Skill Acquired

During the training, I developed skills in sourcing and referencing information and understanding structured data. These experiences changed how I view knowledge creation and reinforced the idea that learning continues beyond formal lessons.

Some of my image uploads

Participating in practical exercises and guided contributions helped build my confidence and showed me that I could engage meaningfully with a global open‑knowledge communication.

My Gratitude

I am grateful to the Wikimedia community, mentors, and program organizers for their support and encouragement. Completing the mentorship marked a new beginning for me, and I look forward to continuing to explore and contribute to open knowledge

The second cohort of the Africa Wiki Women (AWW) On-Wiki Skills Mentorship Program successfully concluded with a vibrant graduation ceremony celebrating the achievements, growth, and resilience of participants from across Africa. The event marked another major milestone in Africa Wiki Women’s ongoing commitment to empowering women and underrepresented communities through digital literacy, Wikimedia editing skills, mentorship, and leadership development.

About the On-Wiki Skills Mentorship Program

The On-Wiki Skills a 3 month mentorship program designed to equip emerging Wikimedians with practical knowledge and hands-on experience in navigating Wikimedia projects effectively. The program is facilitated through structured mentorship sessions, peer learning sessions , practical exercises, and community engagement activities. Additionally, the mentorship offers a safe learning space for women across the African region to collaborate, learn from each other and strengthen their bond in the wikimedia space creating a rich environment for peer learning, collaboration, and cross-cultural exchange. The second cohort graduated 20 women from 5 African countries, including: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Republic of Congo,Tanzania and Togo.

To ensure effective mentoring, mentees were organized into Anglophone and Francophone cohorts, each supported by mentors who delivered sessions in their respective languages.

Throughout the program, participants received intensive training on key Wikimedia projects including Wikidata, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia Commons. The sessions covered topics such as:

• Wikidata principles, policies, item creation, and item improvement
• Wikipedia’s Five Pillars, article creation, and notability guidelines
• Wikimedia Commons policies, copyright and free licenses, media preparation and uploads, captions, descriptions, metadata, and responsible reuse of Commons content

A Journey of Learning and Transformation

Over the course of the mentorship cycle, participants showed strong commitment throughout the mentorship, consistently attending sessions, completing assignments, and contributing to Wikimedia projects growing from beginners into confident, independent editors.

Mentees contributed in various ways;including:

• Creating and improving 316 Wikipedia articles
• Uploading 50 media files to Wikimedia Commons
• Created 287 Wikidata items
• Participating in campaigns and edit-a-thons
• Learning effective research and sourcing techniques
• Becoming active contributors within Wikimedia communities

These accomplishments reflect the growing impact of mentorship-driven capacity building within the Wikimedia movement, and the Wikimedia Outreach Dashboard created for the mentorship program also provides a detailed record of mentees’ contributions and activities throughout the program.

Highlights from the Graduation Ceremony

The graduation ceremony served as both a celebration and a reflection on the achievements of the cohort. The event featured welcome remarks, mentor appreciations, mentee testimonials, presentations of achievements, and inspiring words from special guest Amanda Jurno.

Speakers commended participants for their resilience, commitment to learning, and willingness to contribute to open knowledge initiatives. Mentors were also recognized for dedicating their time, expertise, and encouragement toward nurturing the next generation of Wikimedians.

Some of the most memorable moments of the ceremony came from mentees sharing personal stories about how the program transformed their confidence, expanded their digital skills, and introduced them to global collaborative communities

Recognizing the Mentors and Organizing Team

The success of the second cohort would not have been possible without the dedication of the guidance of mentors, facilitators, and the organizing team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a smooth and impactful learning experience.

Anglophone Mentors

• Chidi Chinonso – Wikidata Mentor
• Muib Shefiu – Wikipedia Mentor
• Baluku Brian – Wikimedia Commons Mentor

Francophone Mentors

• Konan N’Da N’Dri – French Wikipedia Mentor
• Alexandra Tchuileu – French Wikidata Mentor
• Abdel KARIM – French Wikimedia Commons Mentor

In the last month of the program, participants were introduced to Wikimedia Diff, with the session facilitated by Andikan Eduok.

The organizing team and AWW management played a vital role in ensuring the success of the program. Special appreciation goes to:

• Ruby D-Brown , Bukola James, Pellagia Njau
• Coordinating team: Blessing Ojewuyi Timothy, Andikan Eduok, Adel Bigata, Mammysou17, and the AWW Communications department headed by Pascaline and Adeyinka. Their commitment to mentorship, knowledge sharing helped mentees remain motivated and supported throughout the program.

Looking Ahead

As the second cohort has graduated, the On-Wiki Skills Mentorship Programme continues to empower participants as active contributors and future leaders in the Wikimedia movement. Africa Wiki Women remains committed to creating inclusive spaces where women and marginalized communities can build digital skills and contribute to free knowledge. Congratulations to all graduates for their growth and impact. Follow us on all social media handles at Africa wiki women and stay tuned for the announcement of the next cohort. Be a registered member today and be part of the vibrant community.

From mentee to trainer — how mentorship transformed my Wikimedia journey

From Silence to Curiosity

When I joined the Wikimedia community in 2025, I was excited but unsure of where to begin. The platform felt vast and intimidating, and for a long time I remained passive, watching others contribute while I struggled to find my own entry point.

That uncertainty began to shift when I discovered a community ready to support me. I realized that even small steps — reading articles, observing edits, and asking questions — could open the door to something bigger.

The Turning Point – Africa Wiki Women Mentorship

Everything changed when I was selected as a participant in the On WikiSkills Mentorship Program organized by Africa Wiki Women. Over three months, I received structured, hands‑on training across Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons.

I learned how to create and edit articles, add structured data, and contribute images. More importantly, I discovered how mentorship can transform hesitation into confidence.

Growth – From Mentee to Trainer

This mentorship gave me more than technical skills — it gave me courage. I moved from being an inactive member to someone who contributes meaningfully to open knowledge.

A major milestone was writing and publishing a Wikipedia article about Samuel Gbadebo Odewumi, a respected Nigerian academic and transport expert. Contributing that article gave me a sense of pride and responsibility, as it ensured that his work and impact are documented for a global audience. It also reminded me that mentorship is not only about learning but about creating knowledge that others can build upon.

The highlight of my journey was becoming a Wikidata trainer, guiding Africa Wiki Women newbies during the April EditHer Africa Contest. In that session, I introduced participants to Wikidata, helping them navigate the same learning curve I once faced. Each edit and training moment became a symbol of empowerment, showing that knowledge grows stronger when shared.

Gratitude and Reflection

I am deeply grateful to the organizers and mentors of Africa Wiki Women for their guidance. Their support helped me find my voice and leadership within the Wikimedia movement.

The testimonial poster created for the program captures this transformation — from mentee to confident contributor — and stands as a reminder of how mentorship can change lives. It is more than an image; it is a symbol of growth, courage, and community.

Looking Ahead

As I continue my journey, I look forward to expanding my contributions and mentoring others. The Program taught me that belonging comes not from knowing everything, but from being willing to learn, share, and grow together.

I now see myself not just as a participant, but as a builder of community — someone who can help others find their own voice in the Wikimedia movement. In particular, I want to encourage more women to come on board, to see themselves as knowledge creators and leaders. Their voices and perspectives are vital, and through initiatives like On WikiSkills Mentorship Program organized by Africa Wiki Women, we can ensure that the Wikimedia projects reflect the richness and diversity of our world.

If you are a woman curious about contributing, now is the time to join us. Your story, your knowledge, and your perspective matter — and together, we can make Wikimedia stronger and more inclusive.

There was a time when Wikipedia was the go-to source for information and one of the most trusted tools for research across the world. From students and journalists to researchers and everyday internet users, millions relied on the platform for quick and accessible knowledge. However, as technology continues to evolve, the way people consume information has also changed.

Today, Wikipedia faces growing competition from emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and social media platforms, which now shape how many people search for and engage with information online. As a result, the platform has experienced a decline in page views over the years, raising important questions about its future relevance and visibility in the digital age.

To address these concerns, about 100 Wikimedian affiliates, volunteers, and external experts gathered in Frankfurt am Main from 30 January to 1 February 2026, for the Wikimedia Futures Lab event organised by the Wikimedia movement. The Futures Lab serves as a space for research, experimentation, and forward-thinking conversations on the future of free knowledge.

At a time when technology is rapidly transforming the internet and information-sharing, the event provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on how Wikipedia can continue to remain relevant, visible, and trusted in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.

From the attendees

The conversations and ideas shared during the event formed the AWW Voices Podcast episode “Can Wikipedia Evolve with the Digital Age?”. In this episode, host Oluwapelumi Aina joined by Ruby D Brown, Co-Founder of African Wiki Women, Tochi Precious, Language Advocate and Co-Founder of the Igbo User Group, and Olubusola Afolabi, Community Engagement Lead at Free Knowledge Africa. 

Having attended the Wikimedia Futures Lab event, the guests shared their experiences, reflections, and key takeaways from the discussions held in Frankfurt. 

“The world around us is changing really fast. When you think about how people trust information online, AI-generated media, new laws, and shifting technologies, it becomes important to understand how these trends affect us as the Wikimedia community,” says Tochi.

Wikipedia vs Digital Age

Despite technological advancement, Wikipedia, once regarded as one of the most trusted digital information platforms, has seen a decline in page views since 2016 as more people turn to AI tools for information. However, it is important to recognise that many AI systems are trained using content from platforms like Wikipedia.

“For example, when you search for something on Google, the AI overview provides a summary alongside references. Very few people actually click on the Wikipedia link for the longer version. This shows that people are still consuming Wikipedia content, but AI tools now act as middlemen,” explains Olubusola.

According to her, this shift means Wikipedia can no longer rely solely on users visiting the platform directly. Instead, it must adapt to changing online habits and find ways to bring information closer to the spaces where audiences already spend their time.

She adds that Wikipedia must adapt by meeting audiences where they already are, bringing information directly to the platforms people use instead of expecting them to always visit the main website.

The solution

The rise of AI and social media has also changed how people consume information. Many users now prefer short-form content over long-form reading because of shrinking attention spans. Since Wikipedia is traditionally a long-form platform, there is growing pressure for it to evolve alongside these changing habits.

For many younger internet users, information is no longer consumed through lengthy articles alone. Videos, creators, podcasts, and short-form explainers are increasingly becoming the preferred way to learn and engage online.

“People are moving away from institution-based information and increasingly relying on personalities. They want direct interaction, and video content makes information easier to consume. As Wikimedia, we need to pay attention to these shifts so we can meet people where they are,” says Ruby.

The Dilemma

Wikimedia exists because of the volunteers who edit and write the content on the platform. While keeping up with technological change is necessary, the movement also faces the challenge of ensuring that technology does not overshadow the human element that has always been at the centre of Wikimedia projects.

As conversations around AI continue to grow, many community members believe the focus should remain on supporting contributors rather than replacing them.

Last year, the Wikimedian community launched its AI Strategy, which clearly showed that AI should not replace the human writers and editors but rather support their work.

For close to two years, my involvement in the Wikimedia ecosystem was mostly technical. I contributed through code during hackathons as a member of Wiki Mentor Africa. I understood the connections among platforms such as Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons. I knew their importance, but I also felt there was more I could do. Something was missing in how I was contributing.

That changed when I joined Africa Wiki Women and was introduced to the On-Wiki Skills Mentorship Program.

Entering Wikimedia Beyond the Technical Layer

I came into the program with one clear goal: to gain a deeper, practical understanding of how to contribute beyond the technical side of Wikimedia. I wanted to move from simply supporting the ecosystem to actively building knowledge within it.

The training opened my eyes to the structure and responsibility behind Wikimedia contributions. I learned that every Wikimedia project is guided by strong principles that protect the quality and reliability of information.

On Wikipedia, content must be notable, verifiable, and supported by reliable sources. On Wikidata, data must be structured, accurate, and referenced. On Wikimedia Commons, files must follow copyright and licensing policies.

These are not just guidelines; they are what make Wikimedia a trusted global knowledge resource.

Learning Through Practice

One of the strongest aspects of the mentorship program was its practical training. The program did not simply explain policies and standards; it required us to apply them through real contributions.

I learned how to properly reference articles, structure content, improve neutrality, and contribute according to Wikimedia standards. At first, this process was challenging. Finding reliable sources, understanding notability requirements, and writing neutrally required patience and attention to detail.

However, through continuous practice and guidance from the trainers, these concepts gradually became clearer and easier to apply.

The trainers also played a major role in making the experience impactful. Complex policies and technical concepts were broken down into simple, understandable steps, making the learning process accessible and encouraging.

Milestones That Changed My Confidence

One major milestone for me during the program was creating two articles and receiving a barnstar in recognition of my contributions.

That moment shifted my confidence completely.

For the first time, I felt that I was no longer just observing how open knowledge is built behind the scenes. I was actively contributing to the preservation and sharing of knowledge myself.

The experience helped me see Wikimedia differently. It became more than a technical ecosystem I contributed to during hackathons. It became a collaborative space where I could directly improve content, document knowledge, and support representation online.

Growing Beyond the Program

Beyond technical editing skills, the mentorship program also changed my perspective on community contribution and leadership.

Looking ahead, I plan to share what I have learned with my community and support the onboarding of new contributors. I am also stepping into a new role as a trainer for an April editathon, which reflects how much this experience has shaped my growth within the Wikimedia movement.

This journey has been both challenging and rewarding. It pushed me to learn, adapt, and contribute more meaningfully.

Wikimedia is more than a platform. It is a collective effort to make knowledge accessible to everyone.

And now, I am fully part of that effort.

Happy editing.