So glad to be participating in Chevening’s Wikithon event today, learning how to create and edit Wikipedia pages and contributing to the free encyclopedia, one of the most visited websites in the world.

The event occurred at the Wellcome Collections, a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we all think and feel about health. As we arrived at the event centre, we had the opportunity to get to know ourselves as scholars and an introduction about our study areas and why we are attending the event and what we hope to achieve with the skills from the event towards been able to contribute to Wikipedia, edit and create pages, articles.

The session was facilitated by Dr Alice White, the Wellcome Collections’ Wikimedian and seasoned digital editor. We learned what it takes to create or edit a Wikipedia page, the benefits of contributing to Wikipedia, and its diversity gaps. Wikipedia today remains one of the largest online, open-knowledge, multilingual encyclopaedia.

This was a great opportunity for me, and at the end of the session, I gained hands-on skills in creating and editing a Wikipedia page.

Knowing how to edit or create articles on Wikipedia is important because it allows individuals to contribute to creating and disseminating knowledge or information. By adding new information or correcting inaccuracies, people can help to ensure that Wikipedia remains a reliable and up-to-date source of information. Contributing to Wikipedia can also be valuable for people who want to participate in collaborative knowledge-building and gain experience in writing, researching, and working with others.

During the session, it was so interactive as scholars could ask several questions at any time and the questions we answered with practical illustrations. Some questions included areas some scholars faced in the past while attempting to contribute or create content for Wikipedia, and other questions were asked following the presentation generally.

We moved downstairs to the museum centre at the end of the session. We had the opportunity to tour and go around the museum, seeing exhibitions in several domains, science, medicine, life and art.

Thanks to #Chevening for this opportunity! It has been a great day of learning new skills and something new!

#MyCheveningJourney #CheveningSMA #Wikithon #Wikipedia

-Felix Fomengia
Chevening Social Media Ambassador