Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2020: Celebrate Women's Day at VCC

Join Us for VCC's Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Celebrating International Women's Day!

Wikipedia is the 10^th most visited website in the world, and the only non-profit on that list. The majority of this content is created and edited by men. Reported numbers vary but the consensus is that less than 18% of editors are female. Every March, to celebrate International Women’s Day, individuals gather at community events around the world to correct Wikipedia’s gendered biases and improve the content of under-represented persons.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The International Women's Day 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual:

Join us at the VCC Downtown Library, and help balance the gender imbalance by editing Wikipedia articles about women, non-binary, people of colour, and Indigenous artists, as well as feminist and activist art movements. We will introduce you to the basics of editing Wikipedia, and encourage you to follow your own interests in editing, or to work with us to improve content on a few targeted pages.This is an inclusive event, and everyone is welcome. No previous editing skills or Wikipedia knowledge required!

What it is:

A Wikipedia Edit-a-thon is an organized event where a group of people come together to edit and improve a specific topic or type of content, typically including basic editing training for new Wikipedia editors. All you need is a Wikipedia account to get started.

Students attending Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon can come prepared with a subject they would like to research or can choose from a list of subjects that will be provided at the event. At Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, students can do something as small as adding a single citation to adding a new article on a female subject of historical significance.

Why do it?

• You’ll learn how to edit a Wikipedia article and will help improve it for everyone
• You’ll contribute to making Wikipedia a more robust and inclusive place
• You’ll hone your writing and research skills for a resource that is one of the most popular websites in the world
• You’ll collaborate with other like-minded people and enjoy free refreshments

Who is doing it:

Our inspiration for this event comes from, Art + Feminism a global do-it-yourself campaign to combat gender bias and improve the coverage of cis and transgender women, feminism, and the arts on Wikipedia. Under the umbrella of this campaign, institutions around the world are hosting Wikipedia-edit-a-thons. Read more here. Locally, this year UBC and Vancouver Island University are also hosting Wikipedia Edit-a-thons, supporting the Art + Feminism campaign.  

Location: Vancouver Community College Downtown Library Computer Lab
When: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 from 9:00-1:00
Email to register: acopp@vcc.ca and please take a moment to create a Wikipedia account here.