Subject: Telecommunications for Rural Development Conference (fwd)
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From: "David Johnston"
To:
Subject: "Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunications for
Rural Development: Exploring What Works and Why,"- October 26 & 27,1998
I am contacting you regarding in relation to our upcoming conference at
the University of Guelph: "Partnerships and Participation in
Telecommunications for Rural Development: Exploring What Works and Why," -
October 26 & 27, 1998 (Conference info below).
As one of the conference coordinators, I would like to invite you to
participate at this event.
>From your experiences and contacts, could you recommend and provide contact
>information for other candidates who have experience in rural
>telecommunications, rural telecentres, or rural Internet applications?
We are putting together a list of key speakers who can provide orientation
and relate case study experiences to catalyze discussion at each of four
1/2 day workshops. Your SUGGESTIONS FOR KEY SPEAKERS are most welcome.
The workshops are designed to generate specific recommendations to enhance
rural telecommunication project planning.
The workshops include:
a) Reviewing the Past: Communication for Development Lessons Learned
b) Telecommunications for Rural Development Today: Generating Results
c) Future Directions: Recommendations for Project Planning
d) Measuring Rural Development Impact: How and What to Measure?
Thanks in advance for your help!
You will be receiving conference registration information shortly -
meanwhile, feel free to publicize the conference in your travels
David Johnston
Don Snowden Program for Development Communication
School of Rural Extension Studies
Faculty of Environmental Design and Rural Development
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Tel: 519-821-5787 ext 267 Fax: 519-837-9883
Email: david@tdg.ca
A Conference at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
October 26 & 27, 1998
Online Pre-Conference: October 1 - 21 (dates to be confirmed)
The Don Snowden Program for Development Communication at the University of
Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, is planning a conference for mid-October, 1998.
Our working title is "Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunications for
Rural Development: Exploring What Works and Why".
The conference will focus on telecommunication technology for participatory
rural development in the Canadian context, but also with an eye to seeing how
lessons-learned in Canada might be applied by people in developing countries.
This venture is sponsored by the University of Guelph, Industry Canada,
Foundation for International Training, Telecommons Development Group and
the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Inquiries about
further sponsorship are most welcome.
There will be a 3 week online pre-conference from October 1 to 21 followed
by 2 days at the University of Guelph on October 26 and 27.
The late Don Snowden played a critical role in the development of the
participatory video process through his experiences, first in Fogo Island,
Newfoundland, and then the Arctic, India and Africa. This movement spawned many
other participatory uses of technology in rural development in Canada and around
the world. In our attempts to answer the needs of vast rural areas, Canadians
have developed some innovative and enduring approaches to using technology for
rural development. Many of the Canadian successes have been transferred
successfully to developing country scenarios.
The online pre-conference will provide opportunities to review these past
efforts and present some uses of communication technology in rural areas.
We envision it covering three main areas.
1) Lessons Learned from Past and Present Participatory Rural Development
Strategies - Through the online pre-conference, we will set the Don
Snowden legacy into the modern Canadian context of telecommunications.
This will involve revisiting some of what we've learned from the past -
the Fogo Island experiences, the Challenge for Change program, Farm Radio Forum,
etc. - and finding ways to integrate what works with the new potentials offered
by rural telecommunications.
2) Current Rural Development Activities Involving Telecommunications &
Internet - This will include topics such as Community Access "Telecentres"
and Community Media Centres in Canada, Africa, Asia and Latin America;
current rural telecommunication improvement initiatives in Canada and
developing countries; new ICTs for learning and service (Distance
Education, Telemedicine, Professional Development, etc.).
3) Future Activities: Building on Lessons Learned - This is our forum for
applying lessons learned to new telecommunications and Internet
technologies for rural development.
The face-to-face conference on October 26 and 27 will address some
of the potentials of rural telecommunications. It will focus discussion on
concerns such as improving rural telecommunications policy to realize
"universal service", improving rural telecommunications and internet
project planning, and identifying opportunities for collaboration among
rural stakeholders.
A wide variety of people with "hands-on" experience in Canada and overseas will
be attending to make presentations and participate in the workshops.
Conference cost is $349 (Cdn). Registration information will be made
available to interested participants in late May, 1998. Participation in
the on-line pre-conference will be free.
The call for participation will be sent out in early May; you are encouraged to
request a copy via email or post from Wendelin Galatianos, conference
administrative officer, at wgalatia@uoguelph.ca. For more information on the
conference contact Susan Rimkus, conference co-coordinator, at
srimkus@uoguelph.ca.
George Lessard, Media Activist
Community Communication Arts,
Training, Management & Mentoring
http://members.tripod.com/~media002/index.html
It doesn't bother me
and I suggest that if it bothers you
- that's why God (or Bill Gates) gave us
a delete key. (David NL Day)
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