During 2025, as the Valparaíso User Group, we participated in and contributed to a range of Wikimedia-related activities aimed at strengthening connections between Wikipedia, academic institutions, media spaces, and public actors in Chile. Beyond content creation, these efforts focused on expanding outreach, fostering a deeper understanding of Wikimedia projects, and encouraging dialogue around open knowledge, verifiability, and public trust.

Academic and Institutional Engagement

A central component of these activities was in-person academic engagement within university settings. One of the year’s key milestones was the successful contribution to the creation and implementation of a university course titled “Digital Humanities: the case of Wikipedia” at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV).

The course approached Wikipedia as a case study for digital humanities, open knowledge, and public scholarship, highlighting its relevance for higher education, research practices, and critical engagement with sources. As part of this academic initiative, Senator Kenneth Pugh participated as a guest speaker, offering an institutional and public-policy perspective on digital culture and contemporary information ecosystems.

Through this experience, Wikimedia projects were framed not only as collaborative editing platforms, but also as pedagogical tools that promote critical thinking, digital literacy, and responsible participation in public knowledge production.

Media and Public Communication

Over the course of the year, engagement extended into media and public communication spaces, including participation in public broadcasting outlets such as Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN), as well as appearances in current-affairs programs within private media environments.

These interventions provided opportunities to situate Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects within broader discussions on information quality, media responsibility, and public debate. By reaching diverse audiences, these activities helped reinforce Wikimedia principles—such as neutrality, verifiability, and transparency—and underscored the importance of reliable open information in today’s media landscape.

Dialogue with Public Figures and Civic Actors

In parallel, dialogue took place with public figures and civic actors on the challenges posed by digital communication and misinformation. Conversations with Senator Kenneth Pugh, journalist Davor Gjuranovic, and civic leader Harold Mayne-Nicholls focused on issues of public trust, information circulation, and the growing risks associated with disinformation in contemporary societies.

These exchanges highlighted the transversal nature of these challenges and pointed to the potential role of platforms such as Wikipedia in supporting informed public discourse, media literacy, and institutional credibility across different social and professional contexts.

Reflections and Looking Ahead

Overall, these experiences reaffirmed the importance of face-to-face engagement for Wikimedia outreach. While online collaboration remains central to the movement, in-person academic, media, and civic activities play a significant role in building trust, visibility, and long-term collaboration. Looking ahead, as the Valparaíso User Group, we aim to continue strengthening these connections, contributing to knowledge sharing and resilience within the Wikimedia movement.

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