As PhilWiki Community turns 9 years old on June 1st, we would like to extend our heartfelt message of solidarity to all the participants, volunteers and supporters for your commitment in making information accessible. Thank you for all that you do!
To the esteemed members of PhilWiki Community, your unwavering dedication, relentless pursuit of knowledge, and collaborative spirit have collectively laid the foundation for an inspiring community that continues to flourish. Your tireless efforts to cultivate a culture of shared learning is truly commendable.
Wishing you all continued success, growth, and collaboration in the years ahead. Cheers to the amazing community!
We have accomplished so much since the organizing of the Philippine user group for unaffiliated Wikipedians on June 1, 2015.
Through the Wikimedia Foundation, we received our first Wikimedia Community Fund grant supporting our operation as a non-profit organization last year.
Among the highlights of our activities in the past years is the formation of various communities which support the aims of PhilWiki Community, namely the WikiWomen Filipinas, and our three pilot Wiki Clubs at the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture-Calabanga, DepEd Naga City, and DepEd Camarines Sur.
We launched the WikiWomen Filipinas to foster a more inclusive and diverse community. Likewise, we also embarked on an exciting collaboration with the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture becoming the first university in the country to support a Wiki Education program. Cararayan National High School Wiki Club is the first high school in the Division of Naga City to organize an extra-curricular organization to educate the learners and raise awareness about contributing media content on Wikipedia and its sister projects. As free, open and vibrant organization of Filipino volunteers and content editors, we also helped the establishment of Wiki Club Minalabac, a professional club of educators and individuals supporting the promotion of open educational resources in the academe and beyond.
Through the city government of Naga headed by city mayor Nelson Legacion, the PhilWiki Community was given an office space at the Raul S. Roco-Naga Public Library. The public library have served as a venue for our editing activities including the Bikol WikiConference 2023 attended by educators, language enthusiasts and editors.
In partnership with the Commons Photographers User Group and various institutions including the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges Center for Rinconada Studies, Ateneo de Naga University Social Sciences Department, and the University of Nueva Caceres Museum, we successfully organized the first WikiCommons Conference 2023 in the country that brought participants from different Wiki Loves photography contests, photography enthusiasts and heritage advocates together to strengthen collaboration.
We have maintained and reestablished partnership with Ateneo de Naga University through James J. O’Brien Library S.J. and with University of Nueva Caceres through the UNC Museum, the second oldest university museum in the country. Cultural organizations namely Sumaro Bikolnon (SB) and the Nueva Caceres Heritage Movement remain our allies in the promotion and preservation of our heritage.
Our community have sent delegates at various international and regional conferences at the Wikimedia Conference/Wikimedia Summit held in Berlin in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022, and at the ESEAP Conference/Summit held in various locations in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Several members have also represented our user group in international thematic conferences namely Wiki Education Conference 2019 held in Basque Country and WikiWomen Camp 2023 held in New Delhi. Five members officially represented PhilWiki Community at Wikimania Singapore in 2023.
There have been several informal collaborations between PhilWiki Community and members of various communities including the Hablon User Group of Wikimedians in the Philippines whose co-founders served as speakers in our activities during Bikol Wikipedia day celebrations. Butch Bustria of ESEAP Hub supported the user group through donation of reference materials for our outreach activities. Founding members of Wikimedians of Nepal and Maithili Wikimedians User Group have served as consultants during Wiki Earth Philippines, Wiki Loves Monuments Philippines and other Wiki Loves competitions. Krishna Chaitanya Velaga of Wikipedia & Education User Group served as consultant in our 1Lib1Ref Philippines Campaign 2019. Likewise, the community members extended support in solidarity to communities like the Sinirangan Bisaya Wikimedia Community in 2015, Wikimedians of Nepal and Maithili Wikimedians User Group, organizers of Wikicamp Nepal 2018; to Viresh Raj Sah of Hindi Wikimedians User Group, organizer of WikiSammelan 2019. Recently, we collaborated with the Commons Photographers User Group along with different Wikimedians from Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, New Zealand, to name a few.
Since the recognition of the Philippine Wikimedia Community as an affiliate user group of the Wikimedia movement, it has grown from strength to strength to further its aim of promoting the nation’s many languages and cultures, as well as the growth of the various Wikimedia projects. As part of its inclusive and pluralistic focus, the organization welcomes and encourages everyone with an interest to take part in the promotion of free knowledge.
Spreading the Spirit of Free Knowledge 