Central Bicol State University of Agriculture’s Hiraya: Pitch. Present. Inspire conference featured “WIKI 101: Introduction to the Wikimedia Projects and Effective Wikipedianship,” produced by Wikipedian-educator Jerome Hipolito.
In his speech, he reflected, “If our literature is going to last, it has to be findable.”
The event highlighted newly published books, instructional materials, research outputs, and scholarly works authored by CBSUA’s dedicated faculty members.
“This reading and activity package grew out of CBSUA’s Wiki Education program since October 25, 2023. In its pilot at the Calabanga campus alone, 209 students took part in Wikipedia campaigns. My coming up with this book is my way to celebrate the 3rd year of CBSUA Wiki Education,” he continued, giving context on the Wiki Education program.
As a recipient of a Wiki project microgrant from the PhilWiki Community, Hipolito produced an activity package to help university students understand standards for collaborative editing, sourcing, copyright, media, and translation, ultimately contributing substantially to free knowledge in and about the Bikol languages.
“A language survives when people write in it (therefore let us write in our local language), when people learn to write well, and when what they write is kept where the world can reach it. We need to train writers and translators to make local knowledge accessible elsewhere,” in conclusion.
The package, available under a Creative Commons license, aligns with the Wikimedia movement’s global teaching resources.
Alongside the Wikipedia digital-literacy manual, Hipolito also presented his other publications, including two poetry collections, a novel, and a guide in creative writing.
