First-ever Wiki Leaders Training in Bangladesh

The first-ever Wiki Leaders Training 2025 brought together emerging Wikimedia leaders from across Bangladesh for a two-day intensive learning experience on 24–25 October 2025 in Cox’s Bazar. Organized by Wikimedia Bangladesh, the initiative brought together promising contributors from across the country for a journey that blended leadership development, technical learning, and community-building. More than just another training event, WLT 2025 signaled the beginning of a long-term effort to nurture future leaders and strengthen the foundation of regional Wikimedia communities.

A New Beginning: From Learners to Leaders

The theme, Learners to Leaders, captured the spirit that guided every session and conversation throughout the event. Participants arrived with different experiences and backgrounds: some were deeply involved in local communities, others had been running small activities with limited resources, and a few were still discovering new aspects of the movement. Yet they all shared one goal: to grow as leaders within the Wikimedia movement and to foster stronger, healthier, and more collaborative communities.

The program design reflected this aspiration. WLT 2025 emphasized: 

• Developing leadership capacity
• Strengthening a culture of mentorship
• Ensuring safe and inclusive communities
• Expanding outreach and GLAM partnerships
• Encouraging long-term planning and sustainability

Rather than a lecture-heavy format, the training embraced interactive sessions, group discussions, hands-on technical sessions, and collaborative problem-solving—making the experience both practical and inspiring the full spectrum of leadership responsibilities within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

What the Training Focused On

The two-day schedule was crafted to support emerging leaders who are ready to take the next step in supporting their local communities. The curriculum covered foundational leadership skills, technical expertise, and strategic thinking relevant to Wikimedia work in Bangladesh.

Community Leadership

Sessions on leadership encouraged participants to think beyond their individual contributions and consider how they could shape healthier, more inclusive communities. They explored conflict resolution, collaborative decision-making, mentorship strategies, and ways to create space for new editors—especially in regional groups where resources are limited.

Technical Skills for Community Work

Several hands-on sessions focused on Wikimedia tools, policies, and workflows that leaders frequently use while guiding community projects. Whether it was understanding global policies, conducting large-scale campaigns, or addressing copyright issues on Wikimedia Commons, participants received practical training aimed at strengthening future program execution.

Outreach and Community Growth

One of the main goals of WLT is to help communities grow sustainably. Sessions covered how to design engaging outreach events, measure impact, communicate effectively with institutions, and represent Wikimedia confidently in academic, cultural, and educational spaces.

GLAM Engagement

A dedicated portion of the training introduced the Group to the fundamentals of GLAM collaboration. Participants explored how to initiate conversations with museums, libraries, archives, and cultural organizations, how to design meaningful content partnerships, and how to document work for future learning and replication.

Sustainability and Long-term Impact

WLT also emphasised the responsibilities that come with leadership, documenting work, maintaining community health, ensuring continuity when leaders step away, and building partnerships that can sustain local activities for years. Discussions encouraged participants to look beyond short-term projects and think about their long-term vision for their communities.

Objectives: Building Confident Future Leaders

Throughout the event, the facilitators centered the training around these key objectives:

• Building a strong, meaningful network among contributors across regions
• Encouraging increased participation in nationwide and thematic Wikimedia initiatives
• Strengthening leadership and teamwork skills
• Promoting community health, safety, and inclusivity
• Enhancing capacity for GLAM and outreach activities
• Improving long-term planning and documentation for community-led work

By the end of the program, participants were left with not just new knowledge but also a clearer sense of purpose, direction, and responsibility as future leaders.

Who Participated

Fifteen active Wikimedia contributors were selected for the inaugural training based on recommendations from regional leaders and on their community involvement. The group represented a wide range of regions and affiliations, including:

• Rajshahi Wikimedia Community
• Dhaka Wikimedia Community
• Chandpur Wikimedia Community
• Mymensingh Wikimedia Community
• Campus Ambassadors

This diversity enriched the conversations, allowing participants to learn from the challenges, innovations, and experiences of different regions. Strengthening cross-regional relationships was one of the strongest outcomes of WLT 2025.

The People Behind the Event

The successful execution of WLT 2025 was the result of careful planning and committed leadership from the Core Organising Team:

• Shabab Mustafa — President, Wikimedia Bangladesh
• Masum-al-Hasan Rocky — Wikimedia Bangladesh
• Moheen Reeyad — Wikimedia Bangladesh
• Muhammad Yahya — Wikimedia Bangladesh

Their combined experience—from community leadership to program management—shaped a training environment that was constructive, welcoming, and impactful for all participants.

Highlights from WLT 2025

Over the two days, participants engaged in a wide array of activities designed to challenge, motivate, and inspire new thinking:

• Interactive leadership workshops that explored real-world challenges faced by community organisers
• Collaborative group planning sessions, where regional groups drafted action plans for future activities
• Technical learning labs covering Wikimedia tools, content workflows, and policy navigation
• Discussions on community health, focusing on inclusivity, safety, and preventing burnout
• Reflection circles, where participants shared their personal journeys, motivations, and future goals

Beyond the formal sessions, the training also offered moments of connection—group photos, evening conversations, and informal networking by the beach. These interactions built trust and strengthened the sense of belonging among participants, which is essential for movement leadership.

Conclusion

As the inaugural edition, the Wiki Leaders Training 2025 successfully established a long-term vision for leadership development within Wikimedia Bangladesh. Participants returned home with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose. Many expressed that the experience helped them see their role in the movement differently—not just as contributors, but as facilitators, mentors, and community-builders.

The enthusiasm and commitment shared by the group suggest that WLT will continue to grow as an annual platform for learning, connection, and leadership development.

Special thanks go to all participants and resource persons who dedicated their time, experience, and energy to make Bangladesh’s first Wiki Leaders Training a meaningful and memorable event.

A full list of participants and facilitators is available on the Meta-Wiki page.

WLT 2025 may have been the first, but it is clearly only the beginning of something much larger for Wikimedia communities in Bangladesh.