At Wiki Education, we believe education is a fundamental right, that knowledge should be freely available for all, and that diverse voices must be involved in the creation and curation of that knowledge. These values are at the basis of our strategy and guide all the work that we do. If they are values that also resonate with you, consider supporting Wiki Education this year on Giving Tuesday. Here’s how we’re making progress towards these ideals.
Education is a fundamental right
We have a track record for systematically improving one of the top resources for public knowledge. Students in our Wikipedia Student Program have added more than 47 million words to Wikipedia since 2010. That’s 68,000 Wikipedia articles created or expanded and a significant percentage of new and improved Wikipedia content. Each year we are able to support thousands more instructors and students in this mission to improve Wikipedia’s information. Your donation will help us expand our impact even further and bring more information to learners around the world.
Knowledge must be freely available for the benefit of all
Students, researchers, and professionals are uniquely positioned to add content to Wikipedia because they have access to institutional sources often restricted behind paywalls. For students in our Wikipedia Student Program, summarizing this paywalled information in relevant Wikipedia articles inspires increased motivation and a sense of digital citizenship. For scholars who take our professional development courses, adding this content awards an opportunity for public scholarship and the dissemination of the latest research in one’s field. Your donation will support greater equality of access to information.
Diverse participation and representation are essential
It matters who writes history. Currently, 80-90% of volunteers who curate information on Wikipedia identify as men. And much of the information on Wikipedia about women and marginalized groups is underdeveloped, or simply doesn’t exist at all. Through our programs, we are not only attempting to close these gaps in content, but also to engage more diverse voices in the production of knowledge on the world’s favorite online reference source. 60% of student editors in our program identify as women, for instance. And our professional development courses equip academics, researchers, and professionals with tools to impact public knowledge on a large scale in specialized areas that are underdeveloped on Wikipedia. Your donation will help us bring more diversity to and create more equitable opportunities for engagement on Wikipedia.
You can donate online at wikiedu.org/donate. If you do, we encourage you to let your friends know on social media know by posting “Join me in supporting @WikiEducation on #GivingTuesday. https://wikiedu.org/donate”
Wiki Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization who publishes our financials online to demonstrate our commitment to strong fiscal practices and transparency. Please make your gift today.
