ESEAP Conference 2022/Report/venuslui

ESEAP Conference 2022 report from venuslui

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Scholarship Committee for this opportunity to attend this conference. It was terrific to meet so many participants from the region and to learn from others.

Things I learned at the conference

• The Language Barrier we have in the region - Many participants from the region do not speak English as their native language, but we are using English as our working language. As a matter of fact, it is difficult for some people to handle all the documents and conversations in English. This conference reminds me of the diversity of the Wikimedia Movement and we have to be open to all the languages we are using.

• The GLAM development in the region - I have to say I am very surprised about the GLAM development in the region, and some participants shared their stories with GLAM at the conference. In the last few years, the region has developed different GLAM projects, and it is very impressive.

Things I contributed or participated in or since the conference

I had a presentation at the conference, focusing on the language barrier we have as a community. As an experienced Wikimedian, I am familiar with the terminology we use in the Movement, but it is difficult for someone new to understand all those jargon. For example, we use the word 'Scholarship' for the financial support which covers the basic expenses for the participants to attend conferences or events, but people who are not familiar with Wikimedia Movement might think it is a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded based on academic or other achievements. We have to figure out how we can communicate with everyone by using words that can be understood easily.

Plans after the conference (from what I learned or contributed in the conference)

I believe that the ESEAP Hub will continue to develop and I will be working with the ESEAP Wikimania Core Organizing Team together, to organize Wikimania 2023, which will run from 16-19 August in Singapore. In the Wikimedia ESEAP Conference 2022, we confirmed that the theme would be Diversity. Collaboration. Future. We hope that Wikimania will be an opportunity to showcase ESEAP as an example of diversity and inclusion.