Wikimania 2015/appunti/Main principles of organizing Youth Wiki Camps and their impact on Wiki movement, education and contribution

5.000 article has been wrote during the camp organized in Armenia. Because of the good success, have decided to repeat the experience again in another region of Armenia: Summer Wikicamp 2015

Criteria to choose the best location:

• Far from cities and other large residential areas
• Large halls ....

Write schedule

• Stroing schedule, everyone should copmay the schedule
• Editing and learning every day ~4h
• Time for entertainment and fun
• Time for intellectual and sport games
• Time for breaks and rest
• Time for excursions and parents' meeting
• Tasty, nourishing and diverse food
• Keep balance between editing, learning and fun

Organize editing process

• Editing in Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikisource
• Daily themes and article suggestions for every group and camper
• Encourage editing on themes camper is insterested
• Different workshop rooms for new, experienced and younger editors
• 2-4 trainers (Experienced editors) for every room

Approach individually

• Wiki team helps to edit during workshops
• Evelauate process

Create atmosphere of competition

• Campers compete individually
• Daily best editor and author of best article are announced
• Best group announced at the end

Motivate and share

• Motivate young editors to edit before and after the camp
• Announce next camp by social media and other sites
• Attract pyable participants
• Attract other sponsors
• Attract new volunteers

Wikicamp 2014 (with Armenian folk music)

Questions & Answers

• Q: How much time last the camp?
• A: 14 days. Many days are needed to engage and motivate the students.
• Q: Do you have any teachers involved in the camp?
• A: Yes we have some volunteer teachers. Usually we dedicate to them 5 days because most of the itme they became big editors.
• Q: Which is the average age of the students?
• A: from 9y and above, but the classes are not divided neither by age nor by sex.
• Q: How many times have you organized the camp?
• A: 2 last year, 1 this year another one is coming
• Q: How many students and articles?
• A: 300 and 5000. 80% of them has continued to edit
• Q: How the minor are protected in this environment?
• A: Never the children are left alone, and for all the activity they are "forced" to participate

presentation by Dr. Susanna Mkrtchyan, David Saroyan - Wikimedia Armenia