OVERVIEW
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 information, resource and documentation centers, women's information providers and users, communications organizations working closely with women's networks.
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 organizations of women in the region and serves as a channel for women's organizations to exchange information on the review process.
Last year AWORC organized the 'Asian Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop' (WENT99) to train participants on basic website development tools and other Internet-based group communication (email, mailing lists, newsgroups, etc.) so that women's organizations may effectively use the new information and communication technology to exchange and disseminate information on the five-year review of the Beijing Platform For Action (BPFA). Twenty-three women from eleven Asian countries participated in the training workshop which was held on June 21- 26, 1999 at the Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, Korea.
(See also documentation on WENT99)
This year, AWORC will again be holding the 'Asian Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop' (WENT2000), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to train participants in running web-based information services, in using online communication tools to advance their networking and advocacy work, and in developing databases. The focus of the workshop is to assist women's organizations in building their capacities to develop and sustain appropriate use of new information and communication technology. WENT2000 also hopes to enhance women's networking by encouraging collaboration and resource exchange among participants before, during and even after the training.
WENT2000 builds from the experiences and successes gained by women and their organizations in participating in the review process of the Beijing Platform for Action. As such, women who are active in the information and resource sharing work in relation to the review of the Beijing Platform for Action are encouraged to apply.
WENT2000 is also open to all women whose organizations 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 organizations and networks -- primarily but not exclusively -- in the Asian region. This year, WENT2000 will also be open to women and their organizations from the Pacific region.
GOALS
The goals of the training workshops are:
- To train women's information providers in the use of group communication, web development tools, and databases to be able to provide effective information and communication support to their organizations, networks and localities.
- To develop and increase the level of cooperation and networking among women's information providers and existing women's information networks in the region.
- To promote the appropriate use of information and communication technology in the regional women's movement.
- To train women's information providers who will be able to assist other women in the use of Internet services and tools.
PROGRAMME
The workshop is composed of three parallel instructional tracks. All participants will engage in extensive hands-on training -- running online discussion groups, using actual Internet resources and developing prototype databases -- using the Workshop facilities. The tracks will be led by trainers from different women's organizations who are library administrators, database developers, web developers, systems administrators and who have extensive experience in running training workshops.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT AWORC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ALTER THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMME BASED ON DEMAND, SKILLS AND TRAINING NEEDS OF ACCEPTED PARTICIPANTS. A MORE COMPREHENSIVE COURSE OUTLINE WILL BE MADE PUBLIC BY MID-MAY 2000*
Track 1: Web-based Information Service
Who should attend: providers and would-be providers of web-based information services.
Prerequisites: some experience in writing webpages, or as a webmaster, or as a web designer.
Coverage: Design and set-up quality Web-based information services, concepts of information architecture, usability, accessibility, website management, XML, open content, and open source/free software tools. This is NOT as basic html training course nor a programmers' course.
The course is a mixture of presentations and demonstrations with emphasis on hands-on practical experience. Emphasis will be given on collaborative learning and group work.
Goals: Enhance ability to design and set-up quality Web-based information services; understanding how these services can advance your organization's missions and goals; ability to support other information providers and users from participants' own organization and/or network. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among web-builders.
Track 2: Working Online
Who should attend: social and policy advocacy workers and activists who are using or are planing to use electronic communication tools to support their work and networks.
Prerequisites: some experience in using email
Coverage: plan, set-up and run mailing lists. facilitation and moderation of online discussion groups. using group work tools. concepts of working online, archiving, online communication and group work tools and resources.
The course is a mixture of presentations and demonstrations with emphasis on hands-on practical experience. Emphasis will be given on collaborative learning and group work.
Goals: Ability to plan, set-up and run mailing lists. Ability to facilitate online discussions groups. Ability to use group work tools. Technical knowledge in mailing lists and email is NOT necessary. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among women who are using ICT tools to enhance their social and policy advocacy work.
Track 3: Basic Course in Database
Who should attend: library or resource center staff, would-be database developers, information providers working with databases.
Prerequisites: some experience in using database and database management tools. participants who are tasked by their organizations to maintain/develop databases will be prioritized.
Coverage: plan, design and set-up a simple database using open source tools. Concepts of database structure, relational and text-base databases, indexing, web-accessible databases, database migration. Emphasis is on developing database using free/open source software.
The course is a mixture of presentations and demonstrations with emphasis on hands-on practical experience. Emphasis will be given on collaborative learning and group work.
Goals: Design and implement a simple database using mySQL and/or CDS/ISIS. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among women and women's database builders.
ELIGIBILITY
The Regional Training Workshop is open to women who meet the following criteria:
- Active involvement in her organization's information work. Preference is given to information officer/staff and experience in women's network/s.
- Organization is engaged in any of the following: (a) information sharing, (b) resource center, (c) policy and social advocacy work, (d) community outreach and organizing, (e) women's and gender research, (f) training.
- Has basic to intermediate computer-literacy.
- Fair to good knowledge of English language.
- Willingness to participate in a women's information network in Asia and the Pacific.
- Willingness to share the knowledge, skills and resources she will acquire from the training with other women.
- Willingness to work in a group-focused environment and process.
- Capacity to receive a week-long training conducted in university classrooms and student dormitory with shared rooms.
LOCATION
WENT2000 will be held at the Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, Korea located about one-half hour from the center of Seoul. The Sookmyung Women's University, a pioneer in "women's informatization", is the ideal venue for women's electronic network training. Located in a women-friendly community, the university has first-rate training and computing facilities.
For more information about the University, please see: www.sookmyung.edu. The Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Centre, which is based at Sookmyung Women's University, will be hosting WENT2000.
WORKING LANGUAGE
The working language of the workshop will be English. Fair comprehension of spoken and written English will be required of each participants. Some members of the training team and the secretariat will have some degree of proficiency in languages other than English.
DATES
The training workshop will be from June 19-25. A symposium on women and information and communication technology is scheduled on June 22, 2000. All participants are required to attend the symposium. Participants should plan to be at the workshop location by the evening ofJune 18, and plan to leave Seoul on June 26.
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Deadline for submission of application forms is April 30, 2000.
Application can be sent via web, email, fax, or post.
To apply via the WEB, fill up application form at www.women.or.kr/~went2000/apply/application.html
To download the simple text version of the application form click here.
If applying by ELECTRONIC MAIL, copy and paste this questionnaire on your email message. Please use plain text, no attachments.
The "Subject" line of the message should contain your surname or family
name in the following format:
Subject: WENT2000 Application: last-name, first-name
Applications submitted electronically should be sent to: went2000-apply@isiswomen.org
If applying by FAX or POST, print and fill up the application form and send to:
Address:
WENT2000
c/o Isis International Manila
3 Marunong St., Diliman
Quezon City 1100
Philippines
Facsimile: 632-924-1065
Attn: WENT2000
To get more information, write to: went2000@isiswomen.org
