HerStory Campaign
Knowledge is both a resource and an investment, and like all other forms of wealth, it is often deferentially distributed throughout a social system. In many areas, information simply does not exist, and where it does exist, it is often sexist. Gender knowledge gaps and biases reinforce the harmful stereotypes and practices, and often misrepresent women and girls, and undercut or undervalue their contributions locally and globally. It is 2016, and we cannot tolerate leaving women and girls behind anymore.
Why does closing the gender knowledge gap and Wikipedia matter?
With a better understanding of the way women and girls live their lives, and the specific inequalities and injustices that hold them back every day, communities can identify the challenges and fix them. Recognizing the contribution of women through history can defy the current stereotypes about women and provide positive models for girls and the world. Gathering and analyzing data makes the invisible women more visible.
Wikipedia editors have real implications on millions of users daily as it the sixth-most-visited website on the Internet and over 1,796,235 sites share links to Wikipedia pages. The emergence of interactive crowdsourced information may help in closing the knowledge gap as essential knowledge and information is now accessible to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and in all corners of the globe. The current content on the Internet is created by everyday people, for everyday people. Closing the gender gap requires first closing the data gap as a foundational step.
HerStory Edit-a-Thon
As Wikipedia compiles what represents close to the sum of all human knowledge, women should be recognized as part of that sum. . Empower Women by UN Women, Wikimedia Foundation, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, the UN Inter-agency Network on Youth Development's Working Group on Youth and Gender Equality, and a group of volunteer champions are working on enhancing and increasing the content on Wikipedia related to women and gender equality to raise awareness, close the gender knowledge gap, and start changing and editing the future. The initiative aligns with UN Women’s youth strategy that focuses on strengthening the leadership of young women in all spheres, economic empowerment and skills development of young women and promoting action on ending violence against young women and girls. It calls for investing in young women’s knowledge development and young women led knowledge creation.
If you believe in the notion of online collaboration for the greater good and gender equality and have been impacted by an inspiring woman in your lifetime, join our campaign and make them more visible to inspire millions. Help us celebrate HerStory edit-a-thons to close the gender knowledge gap on International Youth Day on 12 August. Our HerStory Group of Champions have already started to compile profiles of women who have made a difference in our history and this work will be highlighted on Wikipedia as well. Join HerStory edit-a-thons to contribute, promote, and celebrate women of the world. Make sure you going to be an agent of this herstorical change.
International Youth Day Event
A series of HerStory edit-a-thons will be held on August 12th, which is International Youth Day in many cities around the globe and online. At the UN Headquarters in New York, the HerStory edit-a-thon will be convening 600 participants to edit and write for Wikipedia. The day-long event will include an opening, a Wikipedia 101 brief tutorial, a full day of writing and editing, featured speakers from our partners, breaks for coffee and networking, and a closing speech.
Edit-a-thons dedicated to this campaign have been organized all over the world to increase the coverage of women's topics on Wikipedia and to encourage more women to edit Wikipedia. These event are supported by Empower Women, the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, the UN Inter-agency Network on Youth Development's Working Group on s Youth and Gender Equality, the Wikipedia volunteer community, and thousands of volunteers and initiatives from all over the world. Partner organizations and professional volunteers will provide resources, mentors, and technology to help guide newer editors through the process. The knowledge produced will be focusing on recognizing the contribution of female leaders and especially young women, produce articles about the concepts of gender equality and its champions, and offer a youth friendly content about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Reserve a spot and make a difference in NYC and globally.
Locations:
NY Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 9:30 am - 5 pm NYC Time
Address: 46th Street and 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Trusteeship Council Conference Room
Registration here. Contact: Emad Karim
Cairo Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 9:30 am - 5 pm Cairo Time
Address: Gallery Room, the Greek Campus. 28 Falaki St., Bab El Louk, Downtown. Cairo. Egypt.
Register here. Contact: May Hashem
London Edit-a-thon
Date: 11 August 2016
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm London Time
Address: 4189 Shaftsbury Avenue, London. United Kingdom.
Organizer: ONE
Register here. Contact: Billy Hill
Chennai, India Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 02:00 pm - 5:00 pm Chennai Time
Address: The Red Elephant Foundation, Chennai, Chennail. India
Organizer: The Red Elephant Foundation
Register here. Contact: Kirthi Jayakumar
Hyderabad, India Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Hyderabad Time
Address: 6-3-249/3a, Saaz Apartments, 2nd floor, Road No.1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500034
Organizer: Sayfty
Register here. Contact: Sammy Sahni
Delhi, India Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 11:00 am - 02:00 pm Hyderabad Time
Address: Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi 110091
Organizer: Sayfty
Register here. Contact: Chetna Sabharwal
México City, Mexico Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 03:00 pm - 07:30 pm Mexico City Time
Address: HomeWork Coworking Space. Plaza de la República #9, Piso 1 Col. Tabacalera Del. Cuahutémoc. C.P. 06030 Ciudad de México
Organizer: HomeWork Coworking Space
Register here. Contact: Nelly Andrade
Monterrey, Mexico Edit-a-thon
Date: 12 August 2016
Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Monterrey Time
Address: Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey
Register here. Contact: Monica Lerith Melendez
Dubai, U.A.E Edit-a-thon
Date: 18 August 2016
Time: 06:00 pm - 9:00 pm Dubai Time
Address:In5 Centre, Boutique Villa #7, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Registration: RSVP
Contact: Daria Solovieva
