Mekong ICT Camp for NGOs and Media practitioners

Welcome to Mekong ICT Camp
February, 25 -  29 2008
Thammasart University Learning Resort, Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand

Re-open round: Application deadline is 14th February, 2008

 

Content - Press Release - Rationale - Agenda - Participants - Venue - Application - Fees and Subsidies - Organizers and Supporters - Contact Info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Go to the official camp website : www.mekongict4d.org

Rationale

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Today, information and communications technology, or ICT, is an important tool to provide people with access to information and knowledge. It is also a channel to enable people to widely communicate and exchange communityknowledge and experiences.

While information and communications technologies have grown and spread into remote areas, resulting in fast dissemination of information to recipients, those recipient communities or individuals also began to have more and varied channels to send out their information. Of particular interest today is the Web 2.0 technology which brings about an emergence of civil journalism conducted through such channels as web blog, podcast, and video online. Such emergence of the civil journalism results in different ways of information dissemination, especially by those directly involved in the disseminated issues, such as community people, local mass media, or community-based NGOs. It is thus important that the civil journalist movements, particularly those community-based ones, are supported so that directly concerned parties can disseminate and share their knowledge, problems and proposed solutions to their own problems, or present their recommendations to the mainstream mass media for public dissemination. The job of civil journalists must depend on four major factors. First is the knowledge of software applications to create and convey the content to the public. Second is the knowledge of information management—ranging from collecting, analyzing and disseminating to the target groups. Third are the computer and telecommunications networks, with reasonable expenses and capacity to provide wider access to information. Fourth is the freedom to get access to and disseminate information, as well as access to resources that will facilitate effective information management and its dissemination to the public

With such technologies and factors mentioned above, arose a great number of mass media alternatives, such as alternative websites, community radio or television. This results in increased communication inside and among the communities, which facilitates exchanges of information and knowledge within and outside of the communities. In effect, the ICT channels will play an important role in a community’s own development or in applying the information and knowledge of one community to other communities.

Nevertheless, a digital divide does exist in terms access to telecommunications system and information instruments, such as computers. A lack of skills to use programs, language barrier and freedom of expression are additional problems hindering the use of information technology for information management and dissemination, especially of media organizations and NGOs working in the Mekong Sub-region. That is why the development of information system management has been too slow. There is also a lack of experts to help provide information technology knowledge, efficient use of programs, information technology training and development and continuous communication. To address these problems so that an ICT development will be materialized to benefit the media organizations in the Mekong Sub-region, a network of ICT specialists must be established. These specialists must understand the mass media and social work. They must help capacitate the mass media workers so that they can support the ICT work of other NGOs in their networks and communities.

For the above mentioned development of ICT for NGOs working in the Mekong Sub-region, an access to the “Free and Open Source Software”, which is easy to modify by regional people for appropriate use of each country, is thus an important and suitable alternative for the information management and communication. So far, two ICT camps entitled AsiaSource have been held for NGO workers in the Asia. The first camp was held at Bangalore in India in 2005 and the second camp was organized at Sukabhumi in Indonesia. The principal organizer of these events was the Tactical Tech. More than 400 participants from countries all over Asia attended the two camps. Consequently, a number of ICT specialists of Asian NGOs that can transfer their knowledge to other organizations have emerged and formed into networks. But the ICT development is fast and so is the increase of the number of media organizations, particularly the alternative ones that mostly originated from NGOs. Therefore, capacity-building activities in this area should be done continuously and the networks of ICT specialists of media organizations and NGOs should be expanded and their linkage with networks of ICT specialists and organizations ought to be established through the AsiaSource activities so that the information technology development will be achieved to benefit sustainable social development. The project organizers think that a seminar on the capacity development of information and communications technology of the media organizations and non governmental organizations in the Mekong Sub-region should be held. The seminar’s focus will be on four aspects of information technology: information management, E-advocacy, promotion of the use of open source software and computer network for social development to bring about an effective use of information and communications technology, and a widespread of ICT network in the Mekong Sub-region.

Agenda 

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The focus of the agenda will be on the following four areas: 

1. Information Management:
        1.1 Definition of data, information and knowledge;
        1.2 Information processing;
        1.3 Information management tools;
        1.4 Management of specific information, such as community information,         human rights information and disaster information;                       
        1.5 Information security.

2. E-advocacy:
         2.1 Citizen journalism writing skill
         2.2 Functional forms of electronic media, such as website, video and  
         radio;
         2.3 Website production by the Content Management System (CMS);
         2.4 Digital sound processing, such as recording, editing and
         uploading sound on the Internet;
         2.5 Digital video processing, such as editing and uploading video
         clips on the Internet;
         2.6 Other types of advocacy media, such as SMS and mailing list system;
         and
         2.7 Problems of E-advocacy use and their solutions.

3.  Computer Network 4 D:
        3.1 wired and wireless computer networking;
        3.2 Options for computer networking in remote areas;
        3.3 Building or installing such a low-priced hardware for schools or telecenter as the Thin Client.

4. Promotion of the use of open source software among the Media Organizations and     NGOs:
        4.1 Principles and philosophy of the Open Source Software;
        4.2 Types of Open Source Software, such as operating system and applications for office, graphic, multimedia work and the Internet; 
        4.3 Shifting from the use of copyrighted software to the Open Source Software use; and
        4.4 Expansion of networks of Open Source Software users.

The learning sessions will be arranged on the first three topics: 1) information management, 2) e-advocacy, and 3) Computer Network 4 D. The fourth topic, the promotion of the use of software open source, will be integrated into the three main topics.

Participants

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The participants representing media and NGO pratitioners working in the Mekong Sub-region countries, such as Cambodia, Laos, burma, Vietnam and Thailand, with a history of working with service and advocacy in NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres, community centres, health information organisations, Media agencies and Alternative media organizations.  The event will bring together a balance of people, from the more technical to the more content oriented. Applicants should be proficient in desktop use of technology, have been involved in technology-related projects before, and be aware of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

Venue 

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Mekong ICT Camp is a community building event - in the spirit of free and open source software - participants are expected to share resources, contribute to activities and the running of the event. The event is held at  Thammasart University Learning Resort, Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand.

Pattaya city is a famous beach resort located 147 km southeast of Bangkok and faces the Thai Gulf, about one and a half hours trip by motorway from Suvarnaphom Airport  .

About the venue click here for more information

Application

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Applicant shall provide the following information:

1) Basic personal information:
    a. Name:
    b. Gender:
    c. Date of Birth:
    d. Nationality:
    e. Passport No:
    f.  Passport expiry date
    g. Country where you live and work now:
    h. Affiliation/organisation:
    i. E-mail address:
    j. Telephone and emergency contact number(s):
    k. Anything else we should know about you (allergies, diet, medical
    condition, special needs):

2) What is your experience of working with NGOs and Media. What kinds of
    projects and initiatives have you worked on?

3) Have you been involved with any technology-related projects for NGOs or Media?
    If so please briefly explain them.

4) Where are you from, where do you live now, and what is your current
    professional affiliation (organisation you work for, mission of the
    organisation, position you have in the organisation, is your
    organisation an Media or a NGO, etc.)?

5) Which track would you choose to be part of? Please select only one track:
    TRACK ONE: Information Management
    TRACK TWO: E-advocacy
    TRACK THREE: Comouter Network 4 D
     
6) How would you classify yourself, i.e. NGO, Media, Human rights defender         activist, Community radio, technical, software developer, hardware                     developer etc.?

7) Please describe your current technical expertise and ability.

8) Why are you interested in attending Mekong ICT Camp; what do you hope
    to learn?

9) The Mekong ICT Camp participants are encouraged to learn as well as to help others learn. What tutorials, development sessions or discussions would you like to lead (or help lead)?

10) Are you able/willing to share the acquired skills in your work
    environment after "Mekong ICT Camp"? If yes, how and how many people do you plan to reach?

11) Will you need to receive a participation fee subsidy in order to
    attend Mekong ICT Camp? If so, please explain why.

12) Will you need to receive a travel subsidy in order to attend Mekong ICT Camp? If so, please explain why and estimate how much (in US$) your
round-trip travel to Bangkok will cost.

Applications that will omit any of the questions will not be reviewed.

Please send the completed application form in plain text format to
mekongict4d@ict.or.th The deadline for the application is Febaury 14th 2008.

Fees and Supsidies

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Participants will arrange for their own travel to Bangkok. The costs of
transportation from the Bangkok airport to the venue as well as all
meals and accommodation during the meeting will be covered from the
modest participation fee of 500 USD

There are a limited number of participation fee subsidies available to
cover this 500 USD for those who are not able to raise the funds.
International travel subsidies are also available for participants who
would not otherwise be able to attend the meeting. Please apply as soon
as possible for subsidies as there availability is limited.

As we have limited space and funds, we cannot accept all participant
applications and cannot reimburse the expenses for all of them. Between
today to 15 of Febaury 2008 we will personally inform each applicant by
email if we are able to invite him/her and in some cases reimburse
expenses.

Organisers and Supporters

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Organizers :     - ICT4D Team, Thai Fund Foundation

In partnerships of :
                            - Ministry of Social Development and Human Security
                            - TRN Institute
                            - Thai Volunteer Service
                            - VolunteerSpirit Network

Supporters :     
                            - The Open Society Institute
                            - Thai Health Promotion Foundation
                            - Southeast Asian Center for e-Media (SEACeM)
                            -  The Friedrich Naumann Foundation
                            - Internews

Sponsor by :

 

All Source Camp Methodology by: Tactical Tech

 

Contact Info

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ICT4D Team, Thai Fund Foundation contact information

Official camp e-mail contact : mekongict4d@ict.or.th

Mr.Klaikong Vaidhyakarn, Mekong ICT Camp coordinator

For general information and travel details please contact :

Mr.Go Suzuki, Ms.Punnee Sinsupun

Thai Fund Foundation
2044/23 New Petchaburi Road, Bangkapi,
Huaykwang, Bangkok 10320 Thailand.
Mobile. (66) 81310-4807
Tel. (66) 2314-4112-3#508, (66) 2318-3959
Fax. (66) 2718-1850, (66) 2314-4112-3#506
E-mail. mekongict4d@ict.or.th
website : www.mekongict4d.org

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