As we continue celebrating 10 years of Wiki Loves Women, we are looking not only at what has been achieved, but also at how the initiative continues to grow and create new opportunities for communities. After celebrating a decade of making women more visible through initiatives such as SheSaid, ISA Campaign, Wiki OTO, we are turning the spotlight to another part of the initiative: building skills through learning and doing.
In 2026, Wiki Loves Women launched the Skills Focus Programme, a practical, group based online training programme designed to help Wikimedia and Open movement community members develop specific skills through hands-on learning and creation. Each cohort explores one theme, bringing together participants from all the genders to learn, practise, and work towards a tangible final output.
The programme builds on the experience of the Wiki Loves Women Focus Group, which ran from 2021 to 2025, creating a space for community members to exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and strengthen their skills. In 2026, this approach evolved into a focused cohort model, where each group explores one specific skill within a defined timeframe and puts that learning directly into practice.
For its first 2026 edition, the Skills Focus Programme focuses on audio storytelling and podcast production. Participants are guided through the process of creating a podcast episode, from finding a story and choosing a guest to designing the conversation, recording, editing, and sharing the final story.
The first call for the programme attracted 29 applications, reflecting interest from a diverse range of Wikimedia and Open movement community members. From these applications, 15 participants were selected, bringing together participants from across Africa, India, and Italy.
The 2026 edition covers four main areas: finding a story and choosing a guest, designing the conversation, recording and audio production, and editing, branding and communication. Between sessions, participants work on their podcast and put the skills they have learned into practice.
The output: a podcast episode
Each participant will produce a podcast episode exploring a story, person, experience, or issue related to women and gender.
The episodes may highlight a woman who inspires them, explore a gender gap or challenge, or bring attention to a topic that deserves more visibility. Together, they will showcase different stories, experiences, and perspectives from across the participating communities, while giving participants a practical piece of work and skills they can continue using beyond the programme.
Stay tuned as our participants turn their ideas into stories, conversations, and podcast episodes.
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