User:Juliakalei/sandbox

Reflective Essay:

I believe that this Wikipedia project taught me a lot about how information can be portrayed in different ways and the importance of writing and researching those from underrepresented communities. During my article evaluation, I learned that Wikipedia is quite user friendly, and just how easy it is to change an article. Contrary to this, I also learned that Wikipedia has a lot of rules and regulations that must be followed. Previously, I expected that Wikipedia was a “free-for-all”, where anyone could add any false information at any time. This opened my eyes to the fact that Wikipedia was a more reputable source of information than I previously thought.

For critiquing the article that I selected for this assignment, I looked first at the general structure of the article. I scanned the article for sections that may be weak or for un-cited facts. Once I had done that, I researched the person and took notes from many different sources. I took these notes in my sandbox. Next, I went through my notes and compared them to the article to see if I had come up with any information that was not originally incorporated. I tried my best to seamlessly incorporate these new facts, and made sure to cite them.

My edits mainly consisted of adding what Mathai’s broad goals were to the article. I noticed in the previous versions of the article that the organizations Wanjira Mathai was involved in were mentioned, but the reason for her being a part of these organizations was widely missing. I added her own words about why teaching leadership to youth was so important to Mathai, as well as more background about why she got involved in her many organizations. This background is essential to giving the big picture of Mathai’s work; why she got involved in these organizations gives a larger framework for the culture she was raised in which could be more informative for the reader than just her life in snapshots. Finally, I also added small bits of information to the article’s background, enriching the original information further.

The peer review process did not happen exactly as was written on the Wiki Dashboard. This was because when I went through the process of peer review, many of my fellow students did not have their work in the sandbox. Therefore, instead of critiquing their work thus far in the sandbox, I went straight to the articles that they were revising. I essentially looked at it like these chosen articles were the drafts of my peers, and added advice to their talk pages. I added ideas about where more information could be added to the article, as well as the weak parts of the article. I made sure all of the citations were reputable and up-to-date, as well as reading the drafts to make sure they were cohesive. I tried to give my peers informative feedback. My peers gave me great advice such as adding to the organizations that Wanjira was a part og or adding more images of Mathai that the reader could follow. I did my best to follow this advice. At this point, I have not received any feedback from other Wikipedians.

Contributing to Wikipedia has taught me how important it is to have a voice. Not everyone has access to websites like Wikipedia, which means that the type of information that is presented there could be biased (in the sense that only certain cultures/ethnicities are represented). Therefore, it is important to use your voice when you are lucky enough to have one. I loved being able to research powerful women from underrepresented backgrounds, and giving them just a small sliver more of representation. I hope that someone stumbles upon the article I edited and is as enthralled by Mathai’s work as I was.

This project has differed from projects I have done in the past in the way that it was so collaborative. Although no Wikipedians have commented on my work thus far, I know that they eventually will and that the article will only keep improving. Another aspect of this project that was so unique was the fact that it will not become buried after this assignment is over. Usually when you hand in your essay, the professor and yourself are the only ones who ever see your writing. A grade gets stamped on your essay and it never sees the light of day again. Wikipedia allows these “essays” to be seen by thousands of people, and to keep getting better and better. Essentially, your project can live on.

Writing about a woman from an underrepresented background on Wikipedia, in a way, allows her to live on. I hope that this article will inform and inspire people if they come across it. Because Wanjira Mathai is likely not known by the prime audience of Wikipedia, it will help to bring light to some of the struggles in Africa that these people may not know about. Understanding other cultures is imperative. Ignorance can cause nations to interfere (or not interfere) in issues they misunderstand. This is why using Wikipedia to give a voice to underrepresented communities is so important.

She is from Kenya.

* add pictures * better representation --> use the wikipedia site to do this actually, otherwise copyright infringement may occur.

possible topics: things to focus on

How can empowered women empower other women? How does growing up with an empowered figure influence you?

How can environmental recuperation lead to peace within an individual/community?

How can environmental peace help an individual heal from trauma?

Possible sources:

Source 1:

https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/p/wanjira-mathai/

- methai is involved in training programs for children

- these trainings help to instill creativity and courage at a young age (biased, but maybe good for actual essay)

Notes:

- she is the chair of the Wangiri Maathai Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to continue her mother's legacy. Her mother, Wangara Maathai, won the nobel peace prize in 2004.

- she leads training programs for children and youth. The goals of this project are to develop valuable skills such as leadership and integrity (that children may not have the opportunity to develop otherwise, especially if children have undergone trauma).

- senior advisor at the world resources institute and wPower

- she sits on the boards of the green belt movement, and the world agroforestry center

Source 2:

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/sites/greenbeltmovement.org/files/View%20Bio.pdf

- about the green belt movement and her work with it

Notes:

- she is the director of wPower

- project leader of the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental studies, abbreviated WMI

- Before becoming a chair for this program, she directed international affairs at the green belt movement since 2002; here she had monitored international outreach as well as resource mobilization ** think of a way to reword this unless already part of the article as is. This organization was founded by her mother.

- worked for Carter Presidential for 6 years in Atlanta, Georgia. Here she closely watched for and then assessed disease eradication methods (we could have used more of this apparently).

- she is a world future councilor, advisory council member (global alliance for clean cookstoves), AND member of earth chapter international council.

- she is a kenyan

- graduate of hobart and william smith colleges

- earned graduate degree in Public Health from the school Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health

- earned business degree from Goizueta School of Business (USA).

Source 3:

https://blog.ted.com/we-the-future-2019-talks-from-ted-skoll-foundation-and-united-nations-foundation/

- there is more about this in her ted talk itself

- her main goals

Notes:

- power through the individual is quite important in Kenya. Youth must learn to harness this power to avoid corruption.

- education is so important for this movement

- why?

---> her mother saved the Koruru forest in 1989 from deforestation. This was a public green Oasis that existed in Nairobi, Kenya.

- "Human beings are not born corrupt. At some point these behaviors are fostered by a culture that promotes individual gain over collective progress.” - Wanjira Mathai

- she seeks to foster selflessness, leadership, and integrity among youth in Kenya in order to promote peace-building and decrease corruption, especially in terms of the environment, in Kenya.

- 1 third of Kenya's state budget is lost to corruption every year

Source 4:

https://metiscollective.org/2019-fellows/wanjira-mathai

- other organizations she has been a part of

Notes:

- she is part of the Wanjara Maathai foundation (WMF)

- over 20 years experience on local and international platforms

- nurturing a culture of sorts --> this could change the world and how Kenyans grow up

- courageous and responsible leadership is so important in Kenya

- steered the green belt movement which underwent and unstable time during which her mother, the group's founder, passed away (2011)

- issues of importance to her include: climate change, environmental issues, leadership, and sustainable energy.

- young people will someday grow up and become leaders, so how they are brought up/ the skills and morals they are taught is extremely important (what core values they begin to embody)

- some of the things that Wanjira would like to remedy in these young people are youth apathy, powerlessness, and disillusionment.

- she is also a motivational speaker on environment, climate change, and youth leadership (she seeks to inspire)

Currently:

- she sits on board of world agroforestry centre, is senior advisor at world resources institute, and advisory council member for global alliance for clean cookstove.

- co-chair of global restoration council

- is a 6 second EQ practititioner in Kenya (what does this entail?)

- one of 100 most influential africans in 2018

twitter = @MathaiWanjira

'''Source 5: Use this for your own essay, not wikipedia, as it is somewhat tangential. Could be a bit biased as it is my own opinion that the unrest in Kenya when she was growing up contributed to Wanjira's passion.'''

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13682176

- what is happening in Kenya when Wanjira was born and grew up in; what is the framework in which she is working, what is the important context?

- kenya gained independence 8 years before she was born.

- much unrest and change that went on in kenya during this time, check link for specifics.

10 minute free write: How can environmental recuperation lead to peace within an individual/community?

Mathai seems to focus on corruption, and how it has had a hold on her current community in Kenya. When children grow up in a corrupt environment, they are more likely to become corrupt and live a life of corruption. That is why Mathai is so invested in teaching youth leadership skills at a young age. This helps to fold in her ideas of environmental justice along with stopping the corruption in Kenya. For example, change, such as fighting the battle against global warming, cannot happen without people who have strong beliefs in their cause, as well as a strong moral compass. Who will be the leaders of the world someday? The youth now. That is why Mathai finds it so important to inspire children and teach them leadership skills now, so they may learn to become strong leaders with a moral compass later on in life. She hopes that this could stop the cycle of corruption in Kenya, and also promote care for the environment that she has had. Perhaps this has to do with her own moral compass that she was gifted by her own mother, Mangari Maathai. It seems that, in Mathai's case, growing up with a strong female leader as a role model has shaped her life; it has strongly bled into the work she does now. It has become her livelihood. I wonder if this is Mathai wanting to give back in some ways; her gratitude for what her mother has taught her

Wanjira Mathai editing article:

From article:

Wanjira Mathai (born December 1971) is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist. She is Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In this role, she takes on global issues including deforestation and energy access. She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine in 2018 for her role serving as the senior advisor at the World Resources Institute and her recent campaign to plant over 30 million trees through her work in the Green Belt Movement.

- what can I add to this?

Early life and education[ edit]
Mathai was born and raised in Kenya. Her mother, Wangari Maathai, is a social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004.

Mathai was a student at State House Girls' High School in Nairobi, and after she completed high school she moved to New York City to attend Hobart and William Smith College. Here she majored in biology and graduated in 1994. She received a Masters in Public Health and in Business Administration from Emory University. After graduating Mathai joined the Carter Center where she worked on disease control. Here she learned about diseases that impacted African communities such as dracunculiasis, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.

Source: https://news.globallandscapesforum.org/28956/values-based-youth-leadership-education-key-to-environmental-sustainability-wangari-maathai-foundation-chair/: "innovative training programs for children and youth that nurture courage, leadership, and integrity" --> consider adding this quote.

- add that mathai also sits on the boards of GBM and World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

-add that land-use most commonly a women's role as explained by Mathai, but has shifted to become more equally shared in recent times; is this biased?

- helping youth "build courageous leadership" is an important theme of her work, maybe touch upon this in a non-biased manner