--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - April 2000 No. 9 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- -- NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS -- -- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES -- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- ENDA, Senegal: Collective Access to Technology for Poor Senegalese Neighbourhoods At an international conference organised by the ANAIS Network in February 2000 to discuss the uses of information and communications technology (ICTs) for local development, ENDA's Cyberpop Website took a prize for social use in the "Internet: Bridges to Development" awards. The international jury called the content of the Cyberpop Website "particularly relevant for the promotion of social development". What is Cyberpop? Cyberpop is a Website showing how a group of marginal Senegalese neighbourhoods have been able to directly appropriate ICTs for their own use and empowerment. It is the result of a joint initiative by ENDA-TIERS MONDE , APC member in Senegal, and the International Development Centre, (IDRC - Acacia). Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/enda_001.htm GREENNET, UK: APC Civil Society Internet Rights Campaign debuts at London Conference On Encryption, E-Commerce And Internet Surveillance Wednesday March 22nd, London, UK -- The Internet Service Providers Association, the Foundation for Information Policy Research, Privacy International, the LSE Information Systems Department, GreenNet (APC member in the UK) and Poptel jointly sponsored the fifth public conference on encryption, e-commerce and Internet surveillance held at the London School of Economics, UK on Wednesday March 22nd. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/gn_003.htm IGC, USA: Weekly News Digests on Peace, Ecology, Women and Anti-Racism IGC has begun its weekly content digests sent via email. Each Tuesday IGC News is sent to 7000 list members, highlighting the feature story for each of the nets (PeaceNet, EcoNet, WomensNet, AntiRacismNet), a sample of each network's headlines, and a different feature of the site. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/igc_003.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: SANGONeT Working to Improve Transparency in South African Government The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) of South Africa has committed itself to supporting the South African Government improve the lives of all people in South Africa through the facilitation of a transformed civil service which is representative, coherent, effective and accountable to the needs of all South Africans. The Open Democracy Bill, through which government commits itself to transparency, also pledges to provide the general public increased access to government information. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_002.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: Building Free and Fair Electoral Processes in South Africa SANGONeT, APC member in South Africa, has been commissioned to build a Website which will connect 14 electoral commissions in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This project aims to foster cooperation between its members in order to promoting a culture of democracy and free and fair elections in SADC countries. SANGONeT is particularly excited to be integrally involved, in the electronic sense, in facilitating information dissemination and sharing and thereby in the democratic development in the region. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_003.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: New Mission, New Structure and New Training Centre for South African APC Member Network The renovations to the SANGONeT offices are finally complete. After 5 months, gone is the dust, noise, chaos and disorganization. "What remains is a completely different look," says Lauren Fok, SANGONeT's client relationship manager, "Our offices look more professional: the office work area is separated from the training area; WomensNet is now physically part of SANGONeT; and we now boast of a state-of-the-art training facility". Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_004.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: Week of Solidarity with the Peoples struggling against Racism & Racial Discrimination It is 40 years since Sharpeville, and today we commemorate this day as Human Rights Day. The fact that the United Nations has taken it up as the day to think of human rights violations world wide, is an indication of how commitment has grown. But what does it mean in real terms? Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_005.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: African Community Radio Website Launched Johannesburg, South Africa, March 29 - The Community Radio Exchange Website is the culmination of a pilot project from Women'sNet, initiative of SANGONeT, APC member in South Africa, aimed at improving gender-sensitive radio content Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_006.htm -- NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS -- CHANGENET, Slovakia: Knowledge Gained from putting Non- profits Online Put to Use in Slovakian Government Decentralization ChangeNet, a partner network of APC in Central Europe, has launched its new re-designed site. The new site is a portal to information on the Slovak Republic and contains daily news about activities of civil organizations, events, columns and opinions, guides (e.g. to human rights or organizing campaigns), directories, databases and other resources on civil society useful to NGOs, the media and the general public. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/chng_001.htm --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- - COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES -- VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - Creative Volunteer Needed at BlueLink, APC's Bulgarian Partner Network The BlueLink Information Network, APC's partner in Sofia, is urgently seeking to recruit a European Volunteer for a 6 months period, as part of an EVS sponsored program. The European Volunteer's tasks will include searching and Operating information, simple Website development, development of new Projects (any creative ideas will be welcome), help with the organisation of BlueLink user training and seminars, contacting with BlueLink partner organisations and looking for new partners, as well as taking part in sailing competitions as part of the BlueLink crew! More profiled tasks according to the European volunteers personal qualifications and preferences will be available optionally in fields like information management, Internet, multimedia, video production, environmental journalism etc. Any young person aged between 18-25 who is legally resident in one of the Member States of the European Union, Norway or Iceland can become a "European Volunteer". For more information and applications, please contact Pavel Antonov, BlueLink Co-ordinator at pavelan@bluelink.net. Please say that you saw this posting in APCNews. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- For information on all these online events, visit: APC Online Events http://www.apc.org/english/ngos/calendar/ INTERNET RIGHTS CAMPAIGN - YOUR RIGHT TO EMAIL PRIVACY IS UNDER THREAT! New Internet legislation proposed by the British government, which passed its second reading in the House of Commons this month (March 2000), will give the police sweeping powers to intercept Internet communication and read private email, posing a serious threat to civil rights. Police will share information obtained in Britain with other police forces world-wide. The justification is partly to 'catch criminals' but in many parts of the world, struggling for basic human rights is labeled criminal. Protest as part of APC's Civil Society Internet Rights Campaign. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/ngos/calendar/on_rip.htm COMPUTERS, FREEDOM & PRIVACY 2000: CHALLENGING THE ASSUMPTIONS April 4 - 7, Toronto, Canada Chris Bailey, APC's representative for the APC's Civil Society Internet Rights Campaign will be here, following his successful panel appearance at Scrambling for Safety 2000, London's fifth conference on encryption, e-commerce and Internet surveillance in March. APRIL 16 MOBILIZATION MASSIVE RALLY AND NON-VIOLENT PROTEST AT THE IMF & WORLD BANK IN WASHINGTON DC, USA April 16-17 Following the Battle in Seattle to protest the 'Millennium Round' of the World Trade Organization, the struggle continues in Washington DC. AFNOG 2000 WORKSHOP ON NETWORK TECHNOLOGY FOR AFRICA April 30 - May 5 The workshop is specifically directed toward the needs of people from Africa who are currently playing an important part in introducing and extending public Internet-working in their countries and region. EAST TIMOR NETWORKING INITIATIVES Ongoing Online Event c2o, APC member in Australia, continues to receive requests for assistance towards the establishment of Internet resources for NGOs in East Timor. INFODESARROLLO: A MAILING LIST ON DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR Ongoing Online Event An interactive space for the Ecuadorian development community. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- street (e)scape - commerce descends Lygon, Brunswick and Smith Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Produced by Andrew Garton (Toy Satellite) in collaboration with Alien Productions (Australia) and c2o for GATEways - a topographical project dealing with space in which various cultures go through a change of location. Throughout Melbourne's history Bohemian culture has found its home in the multicultural streets of Carlton, Fitzroy and Collingwood. Marked by government housing apartments, these suburbs have been common destinations for migrants in particular Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek, Italian and to a lesser extent some middle eastern communities. This mix of languages and traditions has attracted writers, artists, musicians and poets since the 60s. street (e)scape explores the migration of peoples across three Melbourne suburbs as commerce encroaches and triggers rapid changes in the culture of a city known for its diverse multicultural population. http://toysatellite.com.au/streetescape --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- The material for this newsletter is compiled and edited by the APC Web Editor, Karen Higgs . APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed the first week of every month. An archive of APCNews can be found at http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/index.htm Copyright c.2000 Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Permission is granted to use this document for personal use and for training and educational publications and activities by peace, environmental, human rights or development organizations, provided an acknowledgment is given to the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).