PROGRAMS THAT CONNECT COMMUNITIES
Wikimedia NYC's programs bring people together to document history, share knowledge, and strengthen communities through collaborative learning. From public editing events and educational partnerships to national initiatives and institutional collaborations, each program is designed to make free knowledge more accessible, representative, and impactful.
Explore the programs that power our work, including Public Events, Community Gatherings, Wikicurious, Wikimedian in Residence Program, North American Hub and more!
PUBLIC EVENTS
Wikimedia NYC's public events invite people of all experience levels to learn, collaborate, and contribute to Wikipedia. Through edit-a-thons, workshops, trainings, and annual celebrations, we create welcoming spaces where communities can preserve local history, amplify underrepresented voices, and build digital literacy together.
1. EDIT-A-THONS
An edit-a-thon (sometimes written editathon) is an event where some editors of online communities such as Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap (also known as a "mapathon"), and LocalWiki edit and improve a specific topic or type of content. The events typically include basic editing training for new editors and may be combined with a more general social meetup. The word is a portmanteau of "edit" and "marathon". An edit-a-thon can either be "in-person" or online or a blended version of both. If it is not in-person, it is usually called a "virtual edit-a-thon" or "online edit-a-thon".
Hands-on learning experiences that teach participants how to edit Wikipedia, contribute to Wikimedia Commons, and confidently participate in the Wikimedia ecosystem. Sessions are designed for beginners as well as experienced editors looking to expand their skills.
2. WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
3. WIKIPEDIA DAY
An annual celebration of Wikipedia's founding that brings together volunteers, educators, cultural organizations, and the public through presentations, workshops, community discussions, and special programming centered around free knowledge.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS
Wikimedia NYC hosts recurring gatherings that give our community opportunities to connect beyond formal programs and special events. These informal meetups create space for Wikimedians, newcomers, partners, and friends to exchange ideas, work together, and stay connected to the local free knowledge movement.
Photo by ZhaoFJx, CC BY 4.0
1. WIKIWEDNESDAY
A recurring community gathering for Wikimedia contributors, friends, and newcomers to meet, share projects, discuss ideas, and connect with the Wikimedia NYC community.
Photo by Jdforrester, CC BY 4.0
A social gathering and coworking space between Wikimedia Foundation staff, Wikimedia NYC community members, and aligned free knowledge movement organizations. This gathering is centered around free culture, open knowledge, and the people building and supporting these movements in New York City.
2. FREE CULTURE FRIDAY
WIKICURIOUS
Exploring local history through community storytelling.
Wikicurious is a national initiative founded by Wikimedia NYC that invites communities to discover, document, and celebrate the stories that shape their cities. Through themed edit-a-thons, cultural partnerships, and public programs, each event explores a unique region's history while empowering participants to contribute their knowledge to Wikipedia.
By bringing together local residents, historians, educators, artists, nonprofits, educational and cultural institutions, Wikicurious helps preserve underrepresented stories, strengthen community connections, and ensure that local history is represented within the world's largest free knowledge resource.
WIKIMEDIAN IN RESIDENCE
WiR Richard Knipel running a training course at City Tech - Photo by Profhotchkiss - Own work, CC BY 4.0
Bringing Wikimedia expertise into cultural and educational institutions.
A Wikipedian in residence or Wikimedian in residence (WiR) is a Wikipedia editor, a Wikipedian (or Wikimedian), who accepts a placement with an institution, typically an art gallery, library, archive, museum, cultural institution, learned society, or institute of higher education (such as a university). In 2025, Wikimedia NYC in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) launched a Wikimedian in Residence program to facilitate Wikipedia entries related to CUNY’s mission, encourage and assist CUNY students and faculty to release material under open licenses, and to develop the relationship between CUNY and the Wikimedia community. The CUNY Wikimedian in residence also helps to coordinate Wikipedia and Wikimedia related outreach events such as edit-a-thons between GLAM ("galleries, libraries, archives, and museums") institutions and the general public.
NORTH AMERICAN HUB
The North American Hub is a regional support and coordination structure serving Wikimedia communities, affiliates, user groups, organizers, and contributors across North America, including Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and the United States.
The Hub works to strengthen collaboration across the region, support emerging and established Wikimedia communities, and make administrative resources, training, knowledge, and expertise more accessible. Its goal is to help build an inclusive and sustainable regional Wikimedia ecosystem in which contributors and organizations can develop, collaborate, and thrive.
WikiConference North America, Toronto 2023, North American Hub workshop