Dear Wikimedia Community, We are pleased to announce that Wikimedia User Group Nigeria has onboarded 12 fellows for the inaugural edition of the WikiHeritage Fellowship in Lagos State.
The WikiHeritage Initiative is a 12-week hybrid fellowship program designed to empower Nigerian youth and transform public archival materials into freely accessible digital content. This first edition is organized by Wikimedia UG Nigeria in strategic partnership with the Young Innovation Leaders (YIL) Institution and the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB). Out of over 500 applicants, 12 fellows were selected across diverse disciplines and will officially commence their fellowship on July 21, 2025. The initiative is envisioned to expand across Nigeria, in collaboration with mission-aligned archival institutions. *See our fellows here <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WikiHeritage_2025_Fellows.png>* The WikiHeritage Fellowship aims to: 1. Equip participants with hands-on experience in digitisation, archival documentation, and open knowledge sharing. 2. Make pre-Internet public materials—such as handwritten letters, typewritten reports, historical maps, and government records—digitally accessible. 3. Democratize access to Nigeria's historical records for educational and research purposes, correcting underrepresented or misrepresented narratives. *Fellowship Highlights* - Training in leadership values, mentoring, archival ethics, and digitisation standards - Cross-functional teams of curators, archivists, and Wikimedia contributors - Institutional partnerships with LASRAB and YIL for technical and leadership development - Open licensing (CC BY-SA 4.0) to ensure free public and academic use - Publishing across Wikimedia platforms: Wikipedia, Commons, Wikidata, and Wikisource *Timeline of Activities* Pre-Fellowship Activities: - Public Call for Applications: July 1–11 - Screening & Selection: July 12–15 - Confirmation & Onboarding: July 15–21 *Fellowship Phases:* - Phase 1: Leadership & Innovation Training (July 22 – August 6) - Phase 2: Archival & Digitisation Workshops (August 7 – 21) - Phase 3: Wikimedia Contribution Training (August 22 – September 6) - Phase 4: Reporting & Documentation (September 10 – 24) Showcase & Close-Out: - Final presentations and exhibitions: September 26 – October 13 - Fellows inducted into the WikiHeritage Alumni Network - The project will be executed by multidisciplinary teams, mentored by experienced Wikimedians and supported by institutional partners. 🔗 Learn More: Meta Page – https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiHeritage_Fellowship Follow Us On Social Media X (Twitter) & Facebook: @WikimediaNG Instagram: @officialwikimediang TikTok: @wikimediang LinkedIn: Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Warm regards, Rhoda James On behalf of the WikiHeritage Fellowship Team Wikimedia User Group Nigeria
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