GLAM/Newsletter/December 2018/Contents/Macedonia report

This Month in GLAM – Volume VIII, Issue XII, December 2018

Macedonia report

Exhibition:"Poland through photographs" & Wikipedia lectures with children in social risk

Exhibition:"Poland through photographs"

On 7^th of December 2018, as a result of the cooperation between "Shared Knowledge" - Wikimedia Macedonia and "Wikimedia Poland" and after a months of preparations and establishing contacts with the embassy of Poland, was opened the exhibition of photographs titled "Poland through photographs - in front of the eyes of the Macedonian public ". The celebration of the 100 years anniversary of the re-establishment of Polish independent statehood was another reason for organizing this photographic exhibition in late autumn in 2018. Over 30 visitors who attended the opening ceremony were briefly introduced about the Wikipedia its significance and meaning, the photographic and the general project collaboration between Wikimedia Macedonia and Wikimedia Poland and there was an opening address given by Mrs. Weronika Staniec-Porczyk deputy chief of the diplomatic mission of Poland in Macedonia, after which the audience had the opportunity to see the 20 images of nature landscapes and buildings of the cultural and historical heritage in Poland, which have been chosen as the best qualified pictures on the contest "Wiki Loves Earth" and "Wiki Loves Monument" held in Poland. All of the images have been printed with QR-codes of links of the articles on Macedonian Wikipedia, which have previously created by the Shared Knowledge employees and members of the Macedonian Wikipedia community. The next day, on 8^th of December, in the morning the exhibition was attended by 10 students of Polish language on the Faculty of philology in Skopje who have afterwards participated on the edit-a-thon which was organized on the topics related with Poland. Exhibition of the images lasted for a week in the center for culture "Kočo Racin" in Skopje.

Wikipedia lectures with children in social risk

After a month of negotiations and talks with the Macedonian minister of Labor and Social Work Mrs. Mila Carovska, the director of the Institution of children at social risk "25 of May" Violeta Masevska and the chief tutor and teacher of the house in Vlae neighborhood of Skopje, Gabriela Jovanovska, on 7^th of December we have started with the first Wikipedia lecture with the children in social risk who are living in groups of 5 children in six private houses in Skopje since September 2018 as a new reform in the child care system for this category of children. The first activity included one and a half hour of basic instruction and working on computer where the 5 children have created 6 new articles about items of school kit such as eraser, pencil sharpener, paperclips etc. This activity fit in the regular daily activities program of the houses which have computer with internet used by the children who are doing homework, reading books, doing sports, play games and learn handcrafts under surveillance and with help of 5 tutors in the house. At the end of the activity which was really enthusiastically accepted by the children all of them were given gifts consisted of the items of school kit. This successfully conducted pilot activity will be used as a pattern for the broader project of Wikipedia lectures intended for the children in social living in the other houses which will be implemented throughout the next year. The partnership with the ministry of labor in this activity will have a multiple benefit not just in expanding the knowledge of Wikipedia and enlarging the community but also providing help to many categories of people in the society who can be provided with help, support and benefit by having been introduced to this kind of knowledge and skill which is very useful in the modern information society. Moreover, this would be of benefit towards the trustworthiness of Wikipedia as a socially aware, caring and contributing brand in the society.