We are excited to announce the Learning Days experience will be back at Wikimania 2019! This year’s program will build on previous years but with one new and exciting change; program design and facilitation of the two-day experience will be led by the WMF’s new Community Development team.

The Community Development team will pilot a new model for how learning experiences are structured at large movement convenings. The new model to be piloted will continue to foster network building, showcase skills and knowledge from the community and encourage and strengthen skills and project knowledge necessary for successful engagement with the movement, mirroring previous iterations of Learning Days.

The program at Wikimania 2019 will employ a 3-track framework with the introduction of lightning panels as a platform to showcase volunteer work and experiences. Programming will be geared towards three general movement populations which will utilize a cohort model to build connection, networking and collaboration among participants.

The 3 tracks at Wikimania 2019 will be:

1. Fundamental organizing track: Programming will be geared towards newcomers to the movement and volunteers beginning their organizing journey. Programming will be tailored to provide in-depth training and development focused around skills necessary for movement growth.
2. Skill building for experienced organizers track: This track will provide programming for volunteers in the movement who are interested in developing leadership skills that will help support increased activity in their communities.
3. Meta Organizers Track: This will be an advanced track geared towards very experienced organizers in the movement. The focus of this track will pilot new frameworks, provide opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration, and develop future leaders in the movement.

The clearest shift from the previous learning day model is the introduction of “lightning panels”, a conversation which focuses on bringing together cohorts of subject experts from the community who will deliver a short presentation on their area of interest related to the subject of the panel.

Each speaker will have 4 minutes to present, in total each panel should have no more than 3 speakers. After all speakers have presented, a moderator will provide the audience with 8 minutes to ask questions to the panel. In total, one lightning panel will be about 20 minutes from start to finish with 3 running each day of programming.

Example Topic: GLAM

Moderator: Person A

Speaker 1: What is GLAM (4 minutes)

Speaker 2: How to Build a GLAM Partnership? (4 minutes)

Speaker 3: GLAM in Emerging Communities? (4 minutes)

Moderator: Audience Q and A (8 minutes)

We’ll be piloting the use ofWikimedia Space to centralize communications about Wikimania’s Learning Days 2019, share active discussions, and announce updates. We will be using apublic discussion category just for Learning Days, where anyone can participate. Additionally, we will be adding participants of each cohort to a closed group where they can meet and communicate with members of their cohort before, during and after the two day workshop.Joining Wikimedia Space using your Wikimedia username is straightforward. As participants join, Learning Days facilitators will be adding them to their closed cohort groups.

As in previous years, expressing interest in attending Learning Days and/or participating on a lightning panel does not mean automatic enrollment. All successful applicants to Learning Days will be notified by August 2, 2019. Participation in this year’s Learning Days will seek to give opportunities to community members who are eager to learn and participate fully, those who have never participated in Learning days before, those who are active organizers in their community, and those who align with the five core principles on which the curriculum has been built; collaboration, equity, contextual awareness and sensitivity, openness, and knowledge sharing.

If you are selected and agree to participate in Learning Days 2019 you agree to:

1. Embrace the five principles of Learning Days: collaboration, equity, contextual awareness and sensitivity, openness, and knowledge sharing
2. Attend all modules within your track. Skipping sessions or only attending one day will not be tolerated and may impact future movement opportunities.
3. Positive engagement with all members of your cohort. There will be opportunities to connect before and after learning days.
4. Full participation. Show up, speak up, and contribute to the experience.
5. Abide by the Wikimediafriendly space policy

July 23 -  Participants will be notified of acceptance to Learning Days

July 28 -  Learning Days pre-survey due

July 29 - Participants are notified of track selection

July 30 and August 1 - Welcome calls - Meet & FAQ with track facilitators

August 2 - Lightning panel presenters selected

August 5–9: Speaker on-boarding for lightning panel presenters

August 14–15: Learning Days @ Wikimania

September 15–16: 30 day check in call

Program Schedule

Outcomes