Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda/Board Elections 2025/Baluku Brian

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Candidate details

Name: BALUKU BRIAN

Username: B722N

Photo:

Baluku Brian at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda

Motivation and Contributions

Why are you running for the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda Governing Board? What unique contributions would you bring to the board? What do you hope to learn through this role?

After attending Wiki Indaba 2024 in South Africa, I realized that contributing to the Wikimedia movement goes beyond uploading images, developing tools, and creating articles. It also involves governance, including participating in policy formulation, onboarding new partners, and taking on other roles within the movement. This inspired me to pursue a role in governance within the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda. I hope to deepen my understanding of effective governance practices and global collaboration within the Wikimedia movement.

I aim to contribute to decision-making that will ensure the community's sustainability and growth for 10+ years, while aligning with the vision and mission of the Wikimedia Foundation.

I am to ensure that the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda’s activities remain focused on and aligned with the Wikimedia Foundation's 2030 strategic direction by fostering community growth and adaptation through collaborative feedback from community members and partners.

Wikimedia Experience

Please describe your involvement with the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda and the wider movement, including: Contributions to Wikimedia projects, Participation in User Group activities..

I have been a member of Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda since 2021 and, over the years, have transitioned from being just a Wiki editor to becoming a mentor, event organizer, jury member, and project lead. I have participated in various campaigns that support human rights, sports, gender equality, environmental preservation, traditions, and culture, among other topics.

I have also contributed to content creation by uploading images, creating and editing articles, conducting training sessions on how to contribute the various Wikimedia projects  to Wikidata, Meta-Wiki, Commons, and Wikipedia through both in-person and online events such as edit-a-thons.

I have served on the core organizing teams for campaigns such as WikiForHumanRights, WikiGap, Wiki Loves Folklore, WPWP, and Wikidata Birthday, where I have been involved in budgeting, coordinating, training editors, and organizing events.

I was honored with two awards: 'Ugandan Wikimedian of the Year 2024' and recognition as the top Wikimedia Commons contributor of 2024.

Strategic Priorities

From your perspective, what should the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda prioritize over the next 3–5 years? Why do you consider these priorities the most important?

• Diversity and Inclusion for People with Disabilities: The community needs to figure out how to welcome, support, and enable people with disabilities to contribute. What tools can be developed or created to facilitate their participation in the Wikimedia movement?

• Language Diversification: Increasing the number of Ugandan languages Wikipedias will not only lead to an increase in individual contributions, but also foster a stronger attachment to culture and traditions. Furthermore, this expansion will attract more professionals in the field of linguistics.

• Growth through Evaluation, Iteration, and Adaptation: Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda should regularly revise the growth strategies in place on how to enhance membership for individual contributors and institutions, develop effective tools, and make informed data-driven decisions.

• Alternative sources of funding: Exploring alternative funding models to reduce reliance on grants thereby enabling our campaigns to become more sustainable and expansive.

• Sustainability and retention of volunteers: Re-evaluating the current methodologies used to retain editors within the community in order to improve them through programs such as mentorship programs,

• Partnerships: Seeking partnerships to support various projects and Wikimedia projects campaigns.

• Leadership: Creating programs to help volunteers to transition from being editors into project leads for the various campaigns and projects.

Community Support and development: Fostering a healthy and diverse contributor community and providing tools for effective collaboration and communication.

Relevant Experience

Please describe any relevant skills and knowledge you have in areas such as, Governance, management, finance, leadership, or similar fields.

As an ICT officer at a financial institution in Uganda, I regularly collaborate with management teams, staff, clients, service providers, and funders. Working with such diverse groups requires a wide range of skills, including customer care, communication, financial reporting, priority management, budgeting and planning, leadership, administration, listening, self-control, and patience. I believe my experience in the ICT sector uniquely positions me to guide the user group in adopting emerging trends, such as Artificial Intelligence.

I have also served in various leadership positions, including: Secretary for the Ministry of Gender and Guidance at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) Guild from 2019 to 2020; Guild Representative Counselor with the MUST Guild from 2019 to 2020; and Speaker for the Kasese Mbarara University Students Association, among other roles.

More on: Baluku Brian's LinkedIn Profile