Title: Sharing Insights From the UK's First Residency For Climate
Speaker: LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK)
Abstract: Last year, Wikimedia UK launched a new partnership with the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute with the appointment of a full time Wikimedia Visiting Fellow. By August 2023, this year-long post will be coming to an end and we are excited to share the insights from this work with the wider Wikimedia community. The resident, Tatjana Baleta, was recruited through an open process and is a South African conservationist and science communicator. Tatjana is working with researchers and the Wikimedia community to make climate change knowledge more accessible, expand and strengthen the quality of climate change information available on open knowledge platforms and combat misinformation. My own role in this project has been working with the editing community, Wikimedia Foundation and the Global Systems Institute to make the case for this work and secure external funding, and to shape the overall aims and objectives of the project.

If this submission is successful, Tatjana and I plan to deliver a joint lecture, ideally with time for a short Q&A. Tatjana would focus on the project’s successes and challenges, and share reflections on best practice for leveraging academic audiences to contribute to Wikipedia. I will put this work into the broader context of Wikimedia UK’s strategic theme of Climate and Environment. I will also share insights about the collaborative approach that led to and has underpinned this residency, and highlight the extraordinary work of volunteer contributors who are passionate about ensuring that Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects have up-to-date, reliable information about the climate crisis that can drive action.