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Jennifer Radloff @ International Network of Women in Solidarity,Trento, Italy. May 2008

Jennifer Radloff @ International Network of Women in Solidarity,Trento, Italy. May 2008. Movement Building and ICTs Strategies and approaches in building international, regional and national partnerships. Presenting the experience of APC WNSP. Overview.

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Jennifer Radloff @ International Network of Women in Solidarity,Trento, Italy. May 2008

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  1. Jennifer Radloff @ International Network of Women in Solidarity,Trento, Italy. May 2008 Movement Building and ICTsStrategies and approaches in building international, regional and national partnerships. Presenting the experience of APC WNSP.

  2. Overview • APC WNSP approach in supporting and catalysing movements and advocacies. • Our understanding and practice of partnerships = solidarity and movement building.Potency of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in building and sustaining partnerships. • Explore examples from our experiences, campaigns, advocacies at international, regional and national levels

  3. International level – Beijing process 1995, 2000, 2005 & CSW International campaign – Take Back the Tech! Regional level – Women's Electronic Network Training (WENT)Africa [Digital storytelling] National level – Women'sNet, South Africa Feminist Technology Exchange Overview cont..

  4. Who are we? • The Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP), 1 of 3 APC programmes • APC is an international membership-based organisation since 1990. Benefit from local perspectives and contact with grass roots organisations through our 50 members • APC WNSP = global network of women (Africa, Asia, Europe, LAC)who support women networking for social change and women's empowerment, through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). We promote gender equality in the design, development, implementation, access to and use of ICTs

  5. What we do and why we do what we do • Since Beijing 1995, significance of ICTs for achieving women's empowerment identified as a critical area of concern. • We are activists who believe that ICTs are powerful tools which can be used to advance the cause of women's empowerment and activism. • Arena of ICTs is in itself is an area where the “digital divide” includes the “digital exclusion” of women. • Membership = over 100 women from more than 35 countries in regional networks in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe. • We promote the use of ICTs in the women's movement through policy advocacy, training, research and evaluation, campaigns, and gender interventions in various fora

  6. How we work • We function as a network of women and organisations who promote, support, or facilitate women's access to, and use of, ICT. • Try and be inclusive, accessible, and pragmatic. • Team works primarily in an online world, using a combination of email, mailing lists and real time text and voice • An integrated approach towards capacity-building for women's organisations and women’s rights activists by strengthening interventions using ICT tools and platforms provide women and girls with essential technical, communication and organising skills. e.g. VAW • This strategy also facilitates the growth of partnerships.

  7. How we work cont.... • Projects and activities are designed and implemented in partnership with members, strategic partners, donor partners • Leads to strong and dependable networks of women and gender activists who believe that communication rights is a fundamental human right. • Our work is mostly with women and since 2000 through GEM project (Gender Evaluation Methodology) with men. • Global network numbers over 100 women from more than 35 countries. Built since 1995 through projects, activities at national, regional and global level • Believe that civil society and social movements using ICTs can empower and support their advocacies.

  8. International Examples – Beijing process • 1995 - We ran an on-site electronic communication facility to support women's NGOs and women participating in the UN World Conference. • 1999/2000 APC WNSP and IWTC (International Women's Tribune Centre) lead coordinators of WomenAction. Women's media and communication networks, and NGOs, both global and regional who's aim was to facilitate ways in which women could be able to participate fully in the review process. • WomenAction had a Global membership from 30 organisations with strong regional input

  9. Beijing cont.. • 2005 the previous partnerships around Beijing gave impetus for some groups to re-form as the Women's Media Pool in 2005. • Our activism around ICTs and the Beijing process, partnership with UNDAW in Africa, we now work with UNDAW to present a panel at CSW each year to connect the CSW theme with ICTs • e.g. 2008 [theme financing] = donor, development and civil society perspectives on the issue - women's communication rights and financing for women's equitable access to information and communication technologies.

  10. Global campaign • End Violence against Women – TakebacktheTech! • This campaign, now in its 3rd year, calls for ICT users, especially women and adolescent girls, to reclaim control over technology to fight all forms of violence perpetrated against women and girls. In the process, participants demand and realise their right to define, access, use and shape ICTs. • We have collaboratively built this campaign with organisations from Malaysia, Brazil, South Africa, Uganda, USA, India and international organisations. • And many individuals & collectives in different parts of the world who shared their knowledge, energy and ideas in shaping the campaign and taking action.

  11. TakeBackTheTech! • Aggregates and supports campaigns relating to ICTs and VAW and 16 days of activism to end violence against women • Various activisms are suggested (daily actions) and supported such as:SMS messages to support ending violence against women, Uganda or Blogging on the intersection between HIV-AIDS and violence, Congo • Digital storytelling • Localising actions • Creating digital postcards • Creative, interactive, activist

  12. Regional Partnerships - Africa • Women's Electronic Network Training (WENT) Africa, hosted in 2003 (Cape Town), 2005 (Kampala), 2007 (Durban)‏ • Build the capacities of women in the field of ICTs to strengthen women's organisations and networks • Started in Asia - WENT's participatory approach has a focus on ICT training by women, for women • Partner with members and local organisations as trainers and Select women who can train others or benefit their organisations through the training • Training focuses on needs of women's organisations e.g. Technology Planning, information management, website development, digital storytelling

  13. National Advocacies • Women'sNet in South Africa • joint initiative of South African Non-Governmental Organisation Network and the Commission on Gender Equality (CGE). • Collaboration was born out of a desire to develop a network that would facilitate the promotion of gender equality in South Africa by using ICTs. And linking govt and civil society. • Consultative and inclusive from the start. Women from NGOs, statutory bodies, and academia came together to set out their vision for Women'sNet. • 10 years on Women'sNet is still vibrant and involved.

  14. Women'sNet cont. • Involved in local actions e.g. VAW • Bring ICTs into activities as useful tools which are not intimidating • Staff are connected to the issues facing women in South Africa • Use the ICT tools creatively and don't create “dependency” on the tools • provide training and facilitate content dissemination and creation that supports women, girls, and women’s and gender organisations and networks to take control of their own content and ICT use.

  15. Feminist Technology Exchange • Movement Building and Technology – APC WNSP in partnership with AWID and Women'sNet • FTX will provide a key group of women’s rights advocates from around the globe with essential ICT skills, • Enabling them to harness the potential of ICT for their work • Organisers and participants will contribute to the creation of more diverse digital spaces that respond to the needs and priorities of all women • It will use an approach that prioritises feminist perspectives, women’s rights and movement building.

  16. FTX cont. • FTX foster exchange between feminist and women's rights movements and the ICT4D community • Tracks include – audio for activism, social networking technologies, video for change, citizen journalism, wireless and mobile technologies and digital storytelling • Digital storytelling - an example of powerful collaborative work in network building, skills development and giving voice to women's experiences. • Telling our stories we discover how much of our experiences and learning we have in common with others. Stories weave together our individual experiences The ‘digital’ in digital story telling, refers to the medium used to transmit stories.

  17. Jennifer Radloff Coordinator APC WNSP – Africa on behalf of APC WNSP jenny@apcwomen.org www.apcwomen.org www.genderit.og www.takebackthetech.net Thank you

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