Women's Electronic Network Training in the Philippines
WENT-PH Course Overview

The Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC) is an Internet-based women's information network and service in Asia. AWORC develops cooperative approaches and partnerships in increasing access to and exploring applications of new information and communication technologies (ICT) for women's empowerment. It also expands existing regional networks in the women's movement, promotes electronic resource sharing and builds a regional information service to support women's advocacies, specifically those critical for women in Asia.

AWORC members include women's resource and documentation centers, and women's information providers and users.

AWORC seeks to contribute to the strengthening of women's movements in Asia through developing regional women's Internet-based information and communication channels. AWORC's website now highlights resources, activities and organisations of women in the region and serves as a channel for women's organisations to exchange information on women's issues and campaigns.

Since 1999 AWORC, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), has organised yearly the "Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop" (WENT) to train participants from all over Asia and the Pacific in developing web-based information services, in using online communication tools to advance their social and advocacy work, and in developing databases. To date, 86 women from 18 countries have participated in the annual WENT.

In line with its objective to reach out to more women, AWORC this year will be breaking ground with two training workshops for nationally-based organizations and networks in Nepal and the Philippines. WENT-PH is the WENT-modeled training workshop in the Philippines.

WENT-PH is open to all women whose organisations play or will play a significant role in promoting the use of information and communication technology to enhance women's role and capacity in social and policy advocacy, as well as to strengthen women's organisations and networks in the Philippines.

WENT-PH is jointly hosted by the Association for Progressive Communications-Women's Networking Support Programme (APCWNSP) in behalf of AWORC and by the Salidumay Women's Network.

GOALS

The goals of WENT-PH are:

1. To train women's information providers in the use of group conmmunication and web authoring tools to be able to provide meaningful Internet-related activities of their organizations, networks and localities.
   
   
2. To develop and increase the level of cooperation among women's information providers and existing women's information networks in the region.
   
   
3. To promote the appropriate use of information and communication technology in the women's movement.
   
   
4. To train women's information providers who will be able to assist women in the use of Internet services and tools.

ELIGIBILITY

WENT-PH is open to women who meet the following criteria:

1. Active involvement in her organization's information work. Preference is given to information officer/staff and experience in women's networking and/or advocacy of women's issues.
   
   
2. Organization is putting out or has plans of putting out information about critical women's issues.
   
   
3. Has basic to intermediate computer-literacy. (Training will be conducted in MS Windows environment.)
   
   
4. Fair to good knowledge of English language.
   
   
5. Willingness to share the knowldge, skills and resources she will acquire from the training with other women.
   
   
6. Willingness to work in a group-focused environment and process.

COURSE COVERAGE

The main topics to be covered will include:

1. Introduction to the Internet and Internet tools
   
   
2. Familiarization with how women's organizations use the Internet
   
   
3. Group Communication Tools
   
   
4. Planning a user-focused Website
   
   
5. Basic HTML Authoring
   
   
6. Introduction to the use of multimedia on the Web
   

The course is a mixture of lectures or presentations and demonstrations with emphasis on hands-on practical experience. Emphasis will be given on collaborative learning and group work.

By the end of the training workshop, participants will be able to design a simple user-focused and web-based Information service, as well as effectively use basic group communication tools.

* The training is NOT a programming or technical course.