Wiki Expedition Dimitrovgrad - Dragoman 2015/Wrap-up

Notes from the wrap-up session

Things you like
Things you didn't like
What do you want to happen in the future

Impressions

• Spasimir: Similar cooperations are very helpful for all sides and it's great to carry on with such initiatives.
• Plamen: I didn't have problems with internet. This cooperation was a must do, we need to repeat it.
• Maya: Meetings are a matter of time, schedule, money, flexibility

Ideas for improving the expedition next year

Transportation, logistics

• Salle: I didn't like too much crossing the border. Next time we can consider coming by cars, because buses are processed on a more slowly line. In the application we can add the question about being a driver and being able to come with your own car.
• Jovana: agrees with Salle about the border problem. It would be much better to find cities a little bit farther from the border, but with more choices of accommodation (better internet connection, available meeting venue)
• Vassia: To have the whole expedition in just one country at a time, for smoother logistics, not crossing the border too often and not waste time for travelling so much. Two expeditions per year, but each concentrated on one locality.

Larger or smaller groups

• Marija: Pros and cons of getting everywhere together or separating in smaller groups.
• Salle: we can separate in groups, and then meet in a meeting hall in the evenings, to share what each group has covered.
• Marija: To have in the plan one "star" - a place where everybody would like to go, but for other locations to have people separated in groups.

Do more mixing

• Ivana: Do more mixing, to exchange experience, sharing good stories.
• Vassia: We have some cultural differences which we need to better integrate (e.g. smoking on the table :) )

Interaction with local communities

• Ivana: Ask local Wikipedians and local people to provide lectures, guided tours, talk with people from local libraries and museums

Ideas for next locations

• Vidin - Zajchar
• Tran - Bosilegrad

Ideas for new topics of cooperation

Biology

• "Wildlife of Swamps" - Marta from Balkani, cooperations between students in biology

Engaging students

• Maya: engaging students in biology, history, art
• Vassia: and literature (articles about Bulgarian and Serbian writers, about translators from BG to SR and from SR to BG, about notable literary works)

Engaging people who cannot participate

• Engage people who cannot come, at least be assigned to be competition Jury members, to host local workshops, etc.

Cooperation with the national archives

• Wikimedians of Bulgaria UG will share translated version of their Agreement with the Bulgarians Archives State Agency

Channels of communication

• Vassia: Let us keep our Facebook event active a bit more, to keep in contact there, so that we finish our work.
• Vassia: Let us have all participants in the Facebook group of Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe, a lot of important regional announcements are made there.

Reminders, Follow-up

• Ivana: Please, upload all the photos and write the articles related to the event which we couldn't do due to the problems with the internet. When we return to Sofia / Belgrade, we should organize a follow-up meeting with our communities.
• Ivana: Our immediate goals are:
  • Finish our articles: Wiki Expedition Dimitrovgrad - Dragoman 2015/Articles
  • Upload our articles: c:Category:Wiki Expedition Dimitrovgrad - Dragoman 2015
  • Update the Meta page
  • Fill in the evaluation form