Wikiscout: Empowering young people in Tunisia through scouting and Wikimedia

In Tunisia, an innovative partnership is bringing together two dynamic communities with a shared vision: empowering young people through knowledge, skills, and civic engagement. WikiScout is a collaborative project between the Tunisian Scouts and the Wikimedia Tunisia User Group, designed to introduce young scouts to Wikimedia projects while reinforcing their connection to their local environments.

The initiative builds on the strengths of both movements. Scouting has long been rooted in community service, teamwork, and personal development, while Wikimedia projects offer an open platform for sharing knowledge with the world. By combining these approaches, WikiScout creates a meaningful learning experience that is both practical and impactful.

The project began with a series of workshops organized in different cities across Tunisia, including Sfax, Gafsa, and Sbeitla. These initial activities serve as pilot experiences to test methodologies, build local capacity, and engage young participants in contributing to Wikimedia platforms. Over the next two years, WikiScout aims to expand progressively to reach scout groups across the entire country.

The scale of this collaboration is significant. The Tunisian Scout movement includes more than 40,000 active members nationwide, offering a strong network for outreach and long-term sustainability. By integrating Wikimedia activities into scouting programs, WikiScout has the potential to reach a large and diverse group of young contributors, including those in regions that are often underrepresented online.

At the core of the project are training workshops that introduce participants to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. During these sessions, scouts learn how to create and improve articles, verify information using reliable sources, and upload media files under free licenses. The focus is not only on technical skills, but also on critical thinking, digital literacy, and responsible knowledge sharing.

One of the key objectives of WikiScout is to encourage participants to document their local contexts. Each scout is invited to contribute content related to their region, such as local history, cultural heritage, landmarks, and community life. In addition, special attention is given to topics related to the scouting movement itself, helping to enrich available content about scouting activities, values, and history in Tunisia.

Beyond workshops, the project includes a variety of complementary activities designed to make learning engaging and experiential. Photowalks are organized to allow participants to explore their surroundings and capture images of notable places, natural landscapes, and cultural sites. These images are then uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, where they can be used to illustrate Wikipedia articles and support the visibility of local heritage.