--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - APCNewsFlash November/December 2001 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Internet Rights, Community networking and an international meeting of APC representatives from almost thirty countries: APC is busy at the close of 2001 This month and next will see a lot of significant developments in the work of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). We have a very full agenda, and most of it is happening in Asia and South America. November 8-10: APC Asia Internet Rights, South Korea November 12-16: APCWNSP/APWINC Asian Women Trainers workshop, South Korea November 19-22: Latin America Internet Rights Conference, Montevideo, Uruguay November 22: The Launch of "itrainonline.org" November 25-30: APC Council Meeting, Piriapolis, Uruguay December 5-7: Announcement of the APC Betinho Prize Winner, Buenos Aires, Argentina --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Nov 8-10: APC Asia Internet Rights, South Korea The Internet is now taken for granted as an essential ingredient for citizen participation in politics, business and education, for socialising and for everyday information exchange. At the same time, the rapid spread of this medium is driving the creation of policies and laws around copyright, freedom of speech and content control, access rights and measures to preserve individual online safety. Few civil society organisations (CSOs) currently see the importance of policy developments taking place at the global, regional and national levels that impact on their ability and/or potential to use ICTs as a tool in their work, let alone own or control the production and application of these technologies locally. Following the success of the APC Europe Internet Rights conference held in Prague in February, APC's Asian members and partners, led by JCA-NET in Japan and JinboNet in South Korea met in Seoul to plan a strategy to enable civil society organizations to respond more actively to changes and threats to their ability and right to use the Internet for social justice work. The Asia Internet Rights Conference is the starting point for the beginning of APC's Internet Rights' work in Asia. APC Asia Internet Rights Conference - http://asia-ir.jinbo.net/english/ --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Nov 12-16: APCWNSP/APWINC Asian Women Trainers workshop, South Korea A six-woman team from APC's Women's Networking Support Programme (APCWNSP) is in Seoul, South Korea as co-organizers of the UNESCO-funded "Workshop on Online Learning for Women: Asia Pacific Women ICT Trainer's Exchange". Presentations from WNSP members at the workshop will include gender and ICT policy issues, Internet rights and governance, and APC's experience with the APC ActionApps, a free software developed by APC to facilitate the creation of portal sites. The Workshop: http://www.women.or.kr/olc APC WNSP: http://www.apcwomen.org --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- November 19-22, Latin America Internet Rights Meeting, Montevideo, Uruguay This meeting will bring together a diverse range of ICT policy actors from the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, to build a common understanding and awareness of critical and emerging Internet Rights themes and priorities in the LAC region (e.g., access, affordability, telecommunications liberalisation, gender, privacy, freedom of expression), and to identify ICT policy needs and strategies for engaging civil society in response to these existing and emerging trends. This is the third and final APC regional Internet Rights meeting in 2001. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- November 29: The Launch of "itrainonline.org": An Online Resource for Learners and Trainers in the Development Community Although the World Wide Web offers many Internet and ICTs-related training materials, it is often difficult to find relevant, high-quality resources targeted at NGOs, development organizations, and other civil society groups. The APC "Online Resource Centre" project is supporting the creation of an interactive, multilingual Website of Internet training materials to support and promote the strategic use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for development and social justice. At the centre of the APC Online Resource Centre's activities is the Itrainonline Website, developed in partnership among six organizations with extensive experience in training in a development context: APC, Bellanet, the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) and OneWorld. Drawing on the extensive training experience of APC members and the other Itrainonline partners, this site offers materials and annotated links to high-quality resources in English, Spanish, and other languages, on topics ranging from computer and Internet basics to highly technical areas and the ways that civil society and development organizations can increase their impact using these tools. Itrainonline: http://www.itrainonline.org --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- November 25-30, in Piriapolis, Uruguay: Almost thirty APC representatives from 5 continents meet to plan work until 2003 APC's bi-annual global Council meeting, where voting representatives from each APC member organisation assemble to define APC policy and strategic directions, and to attend peer networking and capacity-building workshops and round-tables. New members attending an APC face-to-face meeting for the first time are from four continents and countries as diverse as Slovakia, Korea, Nigeria, Argentina, the US and the UK. About APC governance: http://www.apc.org/english/about/org/ About APC members: http://www.apc.org/english/about/members/ --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- December 5-7, Buenos Aires, Argentina: The APC Betinho Prize for 2001 will be announced at Global Community Networking 2001 in Buenos Aires APC presence will be multi-faceted at GCN this year: BETINHO PRIZE WINNER The winner of the 2001 APC 'Betinho' Communications Prize will be announced at a plenary session on December 6. The $7,500 USD Betinho Prize is designed to recognise and document outstanding examples of how the Internet can make a real difference for the world's communities today. In 2000, over 160 inspiring projects were nominated for the prize including projects such as a Website recruiting and orienting volunteers to participate in the reconstruction of ex-Yugoslavia; an information network connecting indigenous communities in Mexico; and a child's rights data gathering initiative in Mozambique. The inaugural winner, the Max Foundation, is a life-saving online support network functioning in English, Spanish and Portuguese for the families of children suffering from leukaemia and host of Latin America's first online bone marrow tissue registry. GENDER EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR ICT INITIATIVES (GEM) The Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) will be unveiled at GCN.GEM is an innovative gender analysis tool produced by APCWNSP for practitioners who share a commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment in ICTs. Field-testing and refining GEM with about 40 projects gets underway in a series of regional activities in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America during 2002. INTERNET RIGHTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN AFRICA, EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA AND ASIA And finally various APC project coordinators from Kenya, Philippines, Ecuador, South Africa and the UK will also be making presentations on our Internet Rights work in all regions. The APC Betinho Prize: http://www.apc.org/english/betinho GEM: http://www.apcwomen.org/members/gem APC Internet Rights: http://rights.apc.org --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- APCNewsFlash is a way of keeping our community updated on our activities when other commitments mean we cannot produce a full bulletin. Watch the next APCNews in December for detailed reports on all of these activities, and more... In the meantime, if you require more information, including photos, please contact khiggs@apc.org.