Wikipedia:Education program/Ambassadors/Join

The Wikipedia Ambassador roles are indispensable to the Wikipedia Education Program, as these are the people who are advising educators and student editors and support them through the Wikipedia assignment. If you're interested in becoming a Wikipedia Ambassador, please read on about the expectations, commitments, criteria for acceptance, and more.

Expectations

The Wikipedia Ambassador role can be very rewarding for those interested in improving Wikipedia and promoting information literacy, but the Wikipedia Education Program community expects certain characteristics and actions from its volunteers:

• Knowledge and experience editing Wikipedia or the dedication to make some edits and learn about editing
• Genuine interest in teaching and coaching people
• Patience and kindness to educators and student editors who are in a new and unfamiliar environment
• Ability to give positive, encouraging and clear feedback to the people you interact with

Benefits

• Learn more about Wikipedia, free knowledge, and collaborative writing
• Learn and develop communication, teaching, and leadership skills
• Work closely with educators, students, and other volunteers
• Help improve Wikipedia and its sister sites by mentoring new editors

Time commitment

Ambassadors are volunteers who should be available to work with Wikipedia Education Program participants for at least the length of a full semester. The weekly time commitment will fluctuate, with a higher commitment when student editors are working on their assignments. You should expect to spend at least 2—5 hours a week checking in with your professor(s), helping student editors, reviewing new content to offer feedback, and participating in discussions with other Ambassadors.

You can be as involved with the program as you want, and you're encouraged to find a role or two that interests you most. For example, you may enjoy perusing new articles from student editors and helping them wikify them, or you may like advising them on notability or reliable sources. Please feel out the program and see how this role fits in with your interests, as it's important that you have a good experience as a Wikipedia Ambassador!

Application criteria

Online Ambassadors

Applications are reviewed by other Online Ambassadors. Online ambassadors are accepted once their application has at least 2 votes in favor from other editors, and at least 66% of all votes are in favor.

Relevant considerations (an editor need not satisfy all of these criteria, but rather, they are factors to consider holistically):

Content development

• Creation of high-quality content (demonstrating knowledge of what good Wikipedia articles look like and how to achieve them)
• Participation in DYK, Peer review, GAN, and/or FAC (as reviewer and/or nominator)
• Participation in activities which demonstrate an understanding of relevant Wikipedia guidelines, policies, and norms.

User interaction

• No significant concerns about behavior or interaction with other editors (i.e. appropriate responses in disputes), esp. in relation to content development
• History of being helpful with individual newbies
• Experience helping on IRC (with positive reactions from other IRC helpers) or onwiki (WP:FEED, etc.)

Activity level

• Contributes regularly
• Responds quickly to on-wiki discussions

Highly qualified applicants will be immediately admitted as Online Ambassadors. Applicants with less experience or for whom there are areas of specific concern may be admitted as Online Ambassadors-in-training and go through a training program with a mentor, before becoming a full Ambassador.

Campus Ambassadors

• Passion for Wikimedia's values and mission
• Patience with people who have varying levels of computer literacy
• Knowledge about how to edit Wikipedia or the willingness to acquire this knowledge
• Understanding of how teachers/professors design teaching programs, or the willingness to gain this understanding
• Ability to transform complex technical information into actionable steps for beginners
• Ability to give positive, encouraging and clearly targeted feedback to the people you interact with
• Ability to motivate and excite others
• Genuine interest in teaching people and organizing events
• Convenient transportation access to the university campus
• Willingness to be a public figure (for example, to make known the connection between your real name, your Wikipedia username, and your face. Your role is providing face-to-face guidance to professors and students, so comfort with being "public" is very important)