On 19 November 2010 15:31, Alex Stinson <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hello Wikimedia UK, > > I am Alex Stinson (User:Sadads), an American student from James Madison > University (JMU) and a Wikipedia Campus Ambassador ( > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Ambassadors). I am also a member of > the Wikipedia Ambassador Steering Committee and soon will be a Wikipedia > Campus Ambassador Trainer. I will be studying abroad in Oxford during the > Spring, and look forward to participating in Wikimedia UK activities. The > organization of Wikipedians in the United States (or at least the greater DC > Area) has been rather slow, so I look forward to bringing back lessons I > learn from you to Wikimedia DC. > > I recently approached the board of Wikimedia UK and asked if they would be > interested in starting an Ambassador program in the UK. Realizing that their > will need to be significant effort on the part of myself and volunteers in > Britain, they have given me the go ahead to begin developing the > infrastructure to create an Ambassador program in the UK and begin engaging > universities. The Steering Committee of the Ambassador program decided very > early that it was best that the ambassador program to be run in a regional > approach so that the program could become international and sustainable, I > hope the UK will become our first extra-US Ambassador region. > > The Campus Ambassador Program in the United States has largely been focused > on the Public Policy Initiative and supporting writing projects and > assignments in university classes. However, even in this first semester of > the program, we have already seen the creation of two student organizations > as well as course work in other disciplines (such as literature and > chemistry). I also have been working closely with the library at JMU to > begin discussion on how we think of Wikipedia in Academia through workshops > on the topic. > > I realize the approach to academic curriculum may be hard to translate to > the UK university system. However, it is activities such as student > organizations and the workshops in addition to the article writing > assignments, which I would like to bring to the United Kingdom. Like GLAM > cooperations, the Wikipedia Ambassador program has the potential to help a > very large community of academics become more engaged with Wikipedia world > wide. > > I have yet to determine the exact schedule of my studies and activities at > Oxford. However, while in the UK I plan to, at the very least, find and > engage members of Wikimedia UK to begin a regional Ambassador program > through Ambassador training and discussions at Wikimedia UK events as well > as through the creation of a student organization at Oxford. If anyone would > be interested in supporting such an Ambassador program, especially if you > are engaged in a University campus, please send me an e-mail and we can > begin figuring out how you can help. This program can only be successful if > local Wikipedians engage and provide creative approaches to the university > environment. > > > Alex Stinson > User:Sadads > Wikipedia Campus Ambassador James Madison University > Wikipedia Ambassador Steering Committee Member > > > I've got nothing specifically constructive to add other than to say - fantastic! I really hope that you can get some on-campus activities happening at Oxford (noting that Cambridge has had a series of meetups and I can't find any at Oxford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Cambridge ). Good luck, -Liam wittylama.com/blog Peace, love & metadata
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