This year marked an exciting milestone for our region with the launch of the CEE Wiki Peer Learning Exchange Program across the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia communities. Designed to move beyond traditional workshops, this program creates opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration, bringing newer or developing communities side-by-side with experienced ones to collaborate on real-world projects.
The exchange kicked off with a warm introduction by the Executive Director of Wikimedia Czech Republic, Klára Joklová, who introduced me to their office, culture, and team. From day one, the atmosphere was genuinely friendly and welcoming. Right off the bat, I had the unique opportunity to attend a collaborative meeting between WMCZ and representatives from the Czech Academy of Sciences. Watching them discuss their upcoming challenge, the “Science Month on Wikipedia” edit-a-thon, was a eye-opening moment for me. In our local Uzbek community, we haven’t yet established formal partnerships with scientific academies, so seeing this synergy in action planted a powerful seed for future goals back home. As the exchange progressed, I had the opportunity to explore WMCZ’s internal processes, organizational documentation, and even their dedicated website, a resource structure I was fascinated to learn about.
The WMCZ team took great care to guide me through their core focus areas: Pavel Bednařík and Lucie Schubert introduced me to their framework for Programs for Partnerships, Educational Programs, and Programs for Community. Tadeáš Bednář shared detailed insights into the “Science Month on Wikipedia” campaign, equipping me with practical methodologies and fresh perspectives on running specialized edit-a-thons. One of the most rewarding parts of the exchange emerged from my discussions with Pavel Bednařík. While learning about their “Wiki Loves Film 2026” initiative, I was inspired to bring a similar contest to the Uzbek Wikipedia. Pavel offered fantastic guidance, which led us to organize a dedicated edit-a-thon: “Wiki Loves Uzbek Cinema”, launched on July 14.
The Wikimedia Czech Republic team spared no effort in sharing their knowledge, tools, and experience with complete openness. Words can hardly express how grateful I am for their generosity and willingness to help our community grow. A special debt of gratitude goes to Klára Joklová, whose leadership and coordination were essential in making this virtual exchange such a meaningful success. This exchange proved that physical boundaries don’t limit shared learning. Armed with new methodologies, big ideas, and strong international connections, I’m excited to bring these insights back to help shape the future of Uzbek Wikipedia!
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