Wikimedia Armenia/Reports/2015-08

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2015
August

WikiCamp Beirut

Summer Wikicamp 2015 Beirut preparations

The main project for this quarter is the Summer wikicamp, which is going to be held in 3-12 August 2015, in Zmmar, Beirut.

WikiCamps are scientific-educational camps, whose main goal is the education of participants through Wikipedia, Wiktionary and other Wikimedia Projects. During Wikicamps participants contribute and enrich one or more of Wikimedia Projects with the help of more experienced Wikipedians, improve their editing, writing, speaking, translation, communication, cultural, computer skills. Along with editing, campers also visit cultural heritage sights, make expeditions, play intellectual and sport games, sing, dance etc. Wikicamps balance between contribution, education and fun.

46 students from from 11 Lebanese-Armenian secondary schools were chosen to participate in WikiCamp 2015 Beirut. 4 high school students from Armenia will join the camp as a present for their active editing and contribution in wiki movement.

The main goal of this wikicamp is to train Western Armenian speaker students to edit Wikipedia in Western Armenian and to encourage them join global wiki movement, thus preserving Western Armenian among youth.

Wiki Camp preparations

Wiki Camp organization team forming and meetings each week․ The organization team was divided into 4 groups:

Financial team - Susanna Mkrtchyan who was responsible for finding sponsors for the camp․
Wiki team - Azniv Stepanian, David Saroyan. They are responsible for sources, lists and the themes based on which articles will be created in Western Armenian Wikipedia, workshops during the camp, summarizing daily relults, etc.
Technical team - Raffi Demirdjian, Armen Urneshlian, Mher Bekaryan. Raffi Demirdjian and Armen Urneshlian are responsible for arrival and departure to the camp (buses, tours), uninterrupted work of the connection. Mher Bekaryan is responsible for wiki camp mug, polo shirts, certificates, bags design and print in Armenia.
Team leaders group is responsible for the division of the campers into groups, their accommodation in rooms, intellectual, sport and leisure games, various contests organization, campers healthcare, etc.
Wikicamp Lebanon leader - Raffi Demirdjian.

Wikicamp main page was created in Armenian Wikipedia, which includes info, work spaces, schedule of the camp. Daily topics were chosen and arranged. There will be 10 working days in total, 4 will be concentrated on translation. Camp schedule was also created.

Sources for articles

Digitization

In order to provide Western Armenian resources for WikiCamp, ten Western Armenian books were digitized and then OCR of digitized books were made. On the base of these books we chose camp day themes and created the list of proposed articles, which later will be written by campers. These books contain biographies of famous Armenians - authors, writers, politicians, priests etc. Digitized books are listed below.

"Literature of Armenian Diaspora", ed. Seda Tsaghikyan-Demirchyan, Michigan, Royal Oak, vol. 1 and 2
"Armenians in Lebanon: Encyclopedia of Lebanese-Armenian community", Sisak Varjapetyan, Beirut, vol. 1, 2 and 3
"Contemporary Armenian writers of Istanbul", Karo abrahamyan, Anthyllis, Lebanon, vol. 1
"Life of Priests", Husik A. Sedrakyan, Stephen Daye press, Boston, vol. 1 and 2
"A century of literature", Telolyan Minas, Aleppo, vol. 1 and 2

Translation lists

Besides creation of articles using sources in Western Armenian, campers will also translate articles from English, French, Eastern Armenian into Western Armenian. Therefore lists of suggested articles were created - 300 in Eastern Armenian, 300 in English. These lists cover topics on Armenian culture, history etc., as well as on different other themes - science, geography, culture, arts etc.

Printing materials

In the end of wikicamp as presents all campers will get wiki-mugs and certificates, design and printing of certificates, wiki-mugs were made in Armenia.

In Beirut

46 students were chosen from 11 schools to participate in Wikicamp.
Negotiations have been conducted to find a suitable place for the camp.
As a suitable location for camp was chosen «Zmmar village, Zmmar Monastery, Beirut».
On 17th July, 2015 a meeting took place with camp participants to answer their questions, explain camp schedule and their needs.
The schedule of the camp was formed.

For the organization of cultural events of the camp Raffi Demirdjian met a number of people who agreed to help during the camp.

Vazgen Moughalian, pantomime teacher (director of 2 theatre troupes, teacher in 3 schools in Lebanon)
Ani Gosdanian, dance teacher (dance teacher who has graduated in Armenia)
Karmen Ajemian, ashugh songs teacher (singer, who has got a diploma from Armenian Ashugh school after Jivani)
The priest Sarkis Sarkissian who is the Religious Assembly Chairman, will have religious talks with the campers.