Training

Looking for Wikimedia training?

All the Wikimedia projects are based on Mediawiki technology, so once you learn the basics of one, you can contribute to the others as well.

Anyone is welcome to contribute to Wikipedia or its sister projects straight away, and there are resources to help you start. However, it can be helpful and fun to make your first edits in a workshop alongside other people and guided by experienced contributors.

If you are interested in a training session, please contact the office, saying where in the UK you are based and what kinds of article you want to improve. Keep an eye on the events calendar and Wikimedia UK's Twitter feed; there may already be a training event in your area that you can ask to join.

Wikimedia UK currently has a small number of trainers and a long list of requests, so it is giving priority to requests from groups rather than individuals, especially

• scholarly charities and funding bodies
• the education sector, including student societies
• groups in geographical areas which have had fewer events so far, such as Wales, the North of England, and the South West
• community groups including local history groups, conservation groups or "silver surfers"

So if you are an individual interested in a training event, talk to friends, colleagues or students as well as registering your own interest.

We are currently working with Girl Geek Dinner groups to run events in cities around the UK for predominantly (but not exclusively) female audiences.

Being a charity supported by donations, we are usually dependent on partner organisations or groups to find a suitable training room with wireless internet. This can be a room in a university or other workplace, a local library or sometimes even a cafe.

Looking to be a Wikimedia trainer?

The for trainers section of this site includes lesson plans, links to suitable resources, advice on training methods and sample evaluation forms. It is a good idea to attend a training workshop and help out by assisting learners one-to-one. This shows how the training works in practice, and builds confidence. If you see an event in the calendar that you'd like to help with, get in touch with Wikimedia UK's contact person for the event. Register your interest with the office or a Board member if you have not already done so, telling us your username on the Wikimedia projects, which projects you are active on, where in the country you are based and any background in teaching or training.

The next Training the Trainers workshop will take place at Wikimedia UK Office, London EC2A 4LT, on the weekend of 27-28 October 2012. More details at Training the Trainers/October event.