Hello all,
The *WikidataCon 2021
<https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikidataCon_2021>* team has moved
forward with the conference organization and we are proud to share with the
community many exciting news: the conference theme, its three day program
structure and a special project on diversity taking place before the
conference itself.
For the past nine years, Wikidata has been rapidly growing: more data, more
contributors, more reuse of the data by various stakeholders. Where are we
headed? What is our compass point? Who is doing this journey with us? Who
should be with us and is not yet?
During the WikidataCon 2021, we want to *envision a sustainable future for
Wikidata* and address challenges the Wikidata ecosystem faces while the
project is growing. We are especially interested in tackling four
interrelated points in the conference:
- *technical infrastructure;*
- *data quality;*
- *community health; and*
- *diversity.*
So for 2021, we’ll go with *“WikidataCon 2021: A sustainable future for
Wikidata”*!
We especially want to raise awareness on the issues encountered by
communities in the Global South and marginalized communities in the Global
North, and their hopes on how Wikidata’s structure, content and community
could *represent the diversity of the world in a more inclusive way*.
Before, during and after the conference, we will lead discussions about how
to decenter Wikidata from its current focus on Europe and North America and
how to address the biases that currently exist in the structure of the data
and in the community.
For doing so, we also proudly announce the *“Reimagining Wikidata from the
margins”
<https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Reimagining_Wikidata_from_the_margins>*
project:
starting in June, we will coordinate a series of discussions with
communities in the Global South and other marginalized communities from the
Global North. This is an open invitation to think about how more diverse
people can add their local knowledge to the database while meaningfully
joining our community. It is about connecting with each other's realities
and perspectives, understanding its challenges and expectations, and
working together to foster a plural environment in our ecosystem!
We’ll release at WikidataCon a document/manifesto based on the discussions
with individuals and communities. If you’re interested in participating in
this process, please, *sign up on the project page
<https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Reimagining_Wikidata_from_the_margins/How_to_participate>*
and
I’ll contact you for further details.
Last but not least, we also want to share with you that the conference
taking place at *October 29, 30 and 31* will be structured in the following
way:
- *Day one:* Formal program & networking + Wikidata birthday celebration
- *Day two:* Community sessions
- *Day three:* Hackathon & special events
This will be a distributed event with a full online program that people can
access and participate from anywhere in the world. Although São Paulo will
not host an in person event as initially planned due the hardening of the
pandemic in Brazil, the possibility of connecting local gatherings to the
online program is still valid, if your chapter or group is based somewhere
sanitary safe. Let’s explore how to safely celebrate Wikidata and our
community!
Please, don’t hesitate to reach out to the organizers at *info(a)wikidatacon.org
<info(a)wikidatacon.org>* or by leaving a message on the discussion page
<https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata_talk:WikidataCon_2021>. Hope to see
you all at WikidataCon!
On behalf of the WikidataCon 2021 organization team,
*Érica Azzellini | User:EAzzellini (WMB)*
*Communications Manager | **Wiki Movimento Brasil*
*wmnobrasil.org <http://wmnobrasil.org/>*