From August 12 to 16, Mingachevir hosted Wikimedians from across the Turkic world. The five-day Wiki Loves Mingachevir camp brought together members of the Azerbaijani Wikimedia community and international participants to share their experiences, learn from each other, and work on Wikimedia projects together.
The camp was organized by the Azerbaijani Wikimedians User Group with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan and sponsored by Azersun Holding. The event was held as part of the celebrations for Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary.
I was part of the organizing team together with A.Aida88 and NurAy. One of our main goals was to create an environment where participants could learn from one another and spend time together beyond their usual online interactions.
Throughout the camp, participants took part in workshops, community presentations, edit-a-thons, team activities, and discussions about the future of Wikimedia. With contributors from five countries working and spending time together, Mingachevir became a place for Wikimedia communities to connect beyond their usual online collaboration.
Bringing Wikimedia communities together
Wiki Loves Mingachevir brought together Wikimedians from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. For many participants, it was a chance to meet contributors from other communities, exchange experiences, and learn how Wikimedia projects are developing in different parts of the region.
The program gave participants the opportunity to present the work of their communities. There were presentations about the Uzbek, Kazakh, Karakalpak, and Kyrgyz Wikipedias, as well as projects and initiatives from Azerbaijan and other communities. Other sessions covered Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource, new gadgets and tools developed by participants, academic information platforms, artificial intelligence, education, and fact-checking.
To encourage collaboration throughout the camp, participants were divided into 13 mixed teams. Working together during the edit-a-thons and other activities gave people from different communities an opportunity to work side by side.
One of the most rewarding parts of organizing the camp was seeing participants quickly begin exchanging ideas and helping each other, even when they had only recently met.
From conversations to contributions
The discussions quickly moved from presentations and workshops to editing. During several edit-a-thons, participants worked on topics connected with youth, sports, and Mingachevir.
Over the course of the camp, participants created more than 500 new articles and made more than 4,000 edits. Contributors also worked across several language editions, bringing their local knowledge and experience into a shared editing environment.
The mixed teams made the edit-a-thons more collaborative. Participants could compare approaches, help each other with editing questions, and work on topics they might not otherwise have encountered.
Exploring Mingachevir together
The camp also gave participants an opportunity to experience Mingachevir beyond the conference room. Located on the Kura River, the city has a strong connection with water sports. We visited the city’s canoeing and rowing facilities and took part in practical canoeing activities.
We also went on a photowalk through the city, focusing on places that had little or no photographic coverage on Wikimedia Commons. Among the places photographed were the city theatre and the German prisoners of war cemetery. The new photographs added valuable documentation of Mingachevir to Wikimedia Commons.
Evenings brought a different kind of activity. Participants formed teams for intellectual games such as What? Where? When? and Brain Ring, alongside other informal activities during the camp.
Spending time together outside the editing sessions gave participants the chance to get to know each other in a more relaxed setting. It also gave people from different communities more opportunities to talk, exchange ideas, and build friendships.
Beyond the program
Some of the most memorable moments of the camp happened outside the scheduled sessions. Shared meals, evening games, team competitions, and conversations between activities gave participants time to relax and get to know one another.
The camp also had its small moments of celebration. For the organizing team, cutting the camp cake together was one of them. These informal moments helped make the five days feel more like a shared experience than a series of workshops and edit-a-thons.
For many participants, these conversations were a chance to talk about their communities, discuss projects, and exchange ideas in a more relaxed setting.
Looking ahead
For me, one of the most rewarding parts of Wiki Loves Mingachevir was seeing people who had mostly known each other online spend five days together, exchange ideas, help each other, and simply enjoy each other’s company.
As an organizer, it was especially meaningful to see the plans we had been working on turn into real conversations and collaborations between people from different Wikimedia communities. There were plenty of busy moments behind the scenes, but seeing participants become comfortable with each other and start sharing ideas on their own made it worthwhile.
Wiki Loves Mingachevir was our effort to bring the Turkic Wikimedia community closer together. I hope that the friendships, ideas, and collaborations that started in Mingachevir will continue long after we left the city.
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