Iranian Wikimedians User Group/Strategic Plan/2025-2026

About Us

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group is a user group affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that operates and manages Wikimedia projects. The group was established on July 18, 2015, by active contributors from Iran who are passionate about organizing and engaging in outreach activities at a national and international level. Its mission is to support Wikimedia projects and advance the collection, development, and distribution of educational, cultural, and historical content under free licenses. Since its inception, the group has been committed to expanding knowledge available to everyone.

Vision

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group aligns with the vision of the Wikimedia Foundation: “Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.”

Mission

The mission of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group is to support and inspire Iranians to collect, develop, and share knowledge and other educational, cultural, and historical content under public domain or open licenses, allowing everyone to freely access, use, and modify this content. We are dedicated to promoting public interest in knowledge, enhancing access to education for all individuals regardless of their social or economic status, and advocating for laws and policies that support the creation, accumulation, development, and dissemination of knowledge. Our mission and objectives align with the organization’s Bylaws.

Values

Accessibility
Collaboration
Community
Diversity
Education
Gender equality
Independence
Transparency
Sharing
Volunteerism

Strategic Plan

This Strategic Plan outlines the initiatives of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group, categorized into five key goals: 1) Content Development, 2) Increasing Participation, 3) Community Support and Development, 4) Partnerships, and 5) Promoting Wikimedia. Each program is designed to advance Wikimedia projects in Persian and other Wikimedia languages in Iran.

Content Development

One of the main goals of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group is to increase the content of Wikimedia projects in Persian and other languages in Iran. To achieve this goal, the Iranian Wikimedians User Group will hold various contests (Article Contests, Photography Contests, Wikimarathons, and edit-a-thons) and projects on the Persian Wikipedia, Persian Wikisource, and other Wikimedia projects. Contests will be both international and local.

To achieve this goal, we will:

Conduct and facilitate edit-a-thons and other types of contribution workshops for Wikimedia projects.
Host local, regional, and international contests.
Participate in international contests such as Wikimedia CEE Spring.
Emphasize events aimed at closing the gender gap on Wikimedia projects, both in terms of contributors and content.
Support educational projects in universities and schools that integrate contributions to Wikimedia projects into their curriculum.
Offer resources to help contributors develop and improve content, such as access to references.
Conduct and facilitate thematic contribution workshops for Wikimedia projects.
Organize photographic events, such as photographic walks, in Iran for Wikimedia Commons.
Host photographic contests, such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth, for Wikimedia Commons.

Article Contests

The main goal of this program is to increase the quality and relevance of content and media files in Wikimedia projects (primarily in Wikipedia, Wikisource, Commons, and Wikidata). Supporting initiatives and projects aimed at enriching the content of Wikimedia projects aligns with our mission to promote free knowledge.

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will continue to pursue this goal thoughtfully and strategically. We will maintain our tradition of holding local and international contests while focusing on encouraging editor participation in non-material ways.

Examples of article contests include:

Collaborating with other communities to create a mutual exchange of articles. For example, the Iranian Wikimedians User Group could organize a contest with another country’s Wikimedia community where participants in each group write about the other’s culture, history, and notable figures on Wikipedia. Iranian contributors would write about the partner country in Persian Wikipedia, while the partner community would write about Iran in their language.

Enhancing Quality of Content

Improving the quality of content in Wikimedia projects is essential. We aim to enhance the quality of targeted articles, particularly on Wikipedia, and improve the arrangement, structuring, and categorization of information on projects such as Wikidata and Commons.

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will concentrate on training editors to develop and refine the content of Wikimedia projects. Enhancing the skills of editors is crucial for the advancement and improvement of our content.

Media Contests

Increasing the amount of freely licensed Iran-related content on Wikimedia Commons is a key objective. We will work to attract more volunteers and contributors with new ideas and approaches. We will continue organizing photographic contests, such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth, in Iran in the coming years.

Increasing Participation

A key activity of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group is to attract new volunteers, editors, and people to the initiative of the Wikimedia movement, to develop and improve Wikimedia projects. Increasing the number of participants in Wikimedia projects, primarily in the Persian language, as well as in other languages, is strategic for us since the growth and quality of Wikimedia content depend on the number of participants.

We seek to reach different groups and individuals, including those under-represented in our community, by supporting and organizing trainings aimed at increasing participation in the Wikimedia movement. When the community grows, it's essential to focus on community diversity. Therefore, the Iranian Wikimedians User Group will pursue a special policy to increase diversity within the community. The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will also look for opportunities to improve the climate for newcomers in Wikimedia projects.

To achieve this goal, the Iranian Wikimedians User Group will carry out various projects using its experience and the experience of other Wikimedia affiliates in this area.

To achieve this goal, we will:

Organize offline and online training sessions to attract new editors to Wikipedia and its sister projects.
Use contemporary online technologies to teach the general public how to edit Wikipedia.
Integrate Wikipedia editing in education.
Cooperate with state, scientific, cultural, and educational institutions to increase the number of people involved in editing Wikipedia.
Identify under-represented groups of users and hold targeted events aimed at engaging them in Wikimedia projects.

Training sessions

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will conduct open training courses and workshops for all interested parties who want to contribute to the development of Wikimedia projects in Persian. Trainings and workshops will be held both online (using remote channels) and in person.

Over the past years, it has become clear that such sessions attract people's interest, which helps us bring new contributors to Wikimedia projects. This, in turn, helps increase and improve the quality of content in our projects.

The Iranian diaspora, with around 7 million people mainly in Europe, plays a vital role in Persian Wikipedia’s growth, as many active editors now reside outside Iran. Especially among students, there’s enthusiasm to contribute.

We plan to harness this diaspora’s potential by hosting workshops and edit-a-thons in European cities, offering training on Wikipedia editing and Wikimedia projects. By engaging the multilingual diaspora, we aim to expand Persian Wikipedia with diverse perspectives, reflecting Iranian culture both within and beyond Iran. This approach builds a robust, inclusive community of editors who bring global perspectives to Persian-language content.

Community Support and Development

Community development, support, and sustainability are key goals for the Iranian Wikimedians User Group. The self-organized Wikimedia community in Iran continues to grow, and the Iranian Wikimedians User Group helps foster this development and ensure long-term sustainability. This focus has been a central part of our programmatic activities, and we will continue to use proven methods for working with the WikiCommunity.

Promoting and raising awareness of Wikimedia projects is crucial, as they are not widely known in Iran, and many people are unfamiliar with them.

To achieve this goal, the Iranian Wikimedians User Group will carry out various projects, leveraging both its own experience and that of other Wikimedia affiliates.

To achieve this goal, we will:

Hold open meetings with the public to introduce them to the Wikimedia movement.
Support the participation of community members in international Wikimedia events to share experiences and acquire new skills.
Organize regional and local meetups to bring together contributors and volunteers and promote the growth of local community groups.
Help members secure individual grants from the Wikimedia Foundation to execute their projects (Onlu for individuals who live outside of Iran).
Highlight the high-quality work of Iranian contributors on the UG website, blog, and social media.
Raise awareness of Wikimedia projects in educational institutions in Iran.
Hold events for experience-sharing among editors.
Organize hackathons and other events to develop technical skills for Wikimedia projects.

Iranian WikiConference

The Iranian WikiConference and the Annual General Meeting are the main annual community events. The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will hold annual General Meetings with the participation of all members to discuss important organizational issues.

Community Events

Organizing in-person meetups is crucial for both Iranian Wikimedians and the broader Wikimedia community in Iran. These events foster online cooperation, boost networking, and facilitate knowledge sharing through presentations, discussions, and personal interactions. Bringing volunteers together is particularly important due to Iran’s geographical size. Conferences and regional events also help to strengthen local communities.

Persian Wikipedia birthday

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will celebrate the birthday of Persian Wikipedia every year, starting from its launch in 2014. This annual event will commemorate the growth and achievements of the Persian Wikipedia, while reflecting on the progress made in content development, community involvement, and the impact of free knowledge in Iran and the broader Persian-speaking world.

Scholarships

Providing scholarships for international events plays a key role in community and organizational development, as well as in promoting knowledge sharing. These events offer participants the chance to build connections, gain new knowledge, and share it via reports, articles, photos, and social media posts. Given the financial challenges faced by many in Iran, scholarships for international events are especially valuable for our community.

Partnerships

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group began to actively cooperate with GLAM institutions, universities, and various educational organizations and will continue to develop these ties and its network of cooperation. We cooperate with leading universities, museums, and libraries. Our efforts are focused on attracting new volunteers to Wikimedia projects and creating new content, primarily on Wikipedia, Commons, and Wikidata.

Educational institutions are a key source of volunteers for Wikimedia projects in Iran, making cooperation with them a strategic priority. However, there are challenges in these institutions, particularly at universities, where there is a stereotype that Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information. We will work to address this misconception by educating them on how Wikimedia projects function and the benefits they offer.

Our organization conducts, and will continue to conduct, training sessions and workshops for employees and stakeholders from GLAM, universities, and educational institutions, enabling them to contribute to Wikimedia projects independently.

To achieve this goal, we will:

Develop relationships with GLAM institutions in Iran.
Assist libraries and archives in integrating Wikimedia projects into their operations.
Conduct training sessions (both physical and online) to contribute to Wikimedia projects.
Strengthen the organization’s communication strategy.

Partnership with Wikimedia and Non-Wikimedia Organizations

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will continue to affiliate with the Wikimedia Foundation and be part of the global Wikimedia movement. We aim to strengthen relationships with other regional Wikimedia organisations and build new partnerships with other chapters and thematic organizations. This collaboration will help us share resources and lessons and conduct joint projects.

In addition, The Iranian Wikimedians User Group will collaborate with non-Wikimedia organizations to attract new volunteers and editors to Wikimedia projects and to integrate various ethnic and cultural groups into the Iranian Wikicommunity. Diversity in the movement and in Wikimedia projects in the Persian language is essential to us.

To achieve these goals, we will:

Collaborate with other Wikimedia affiliations and non-Wikimedia organizations.
Carry out joint projects with other Wikimedia affiliations and non-Wikimedia organizations.
Organize meetings, training sessions, and workshops with both Wikimedia and non-Wikimedia organizations.

Outreach

A key part of our work will involve promoting Wikimedia projects through media channels, including social media, online platforms, and blogs. We are also actively working with various organizations and government bodies to pass laws supporting freedom of panorama and will continue advocating for these changes in the coming years.

Promoting Wikimedia

An important part of our work will be the promotion of Wikimedia projects using media (Social, Online media and etc.). To achieve this, we will use social media.

We are actively working with various organizations and government agencies to pass the appropriate laws for freedom of panorama and in the coming years we will continue to work in this direction.