The Asia Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC), an Internet-based network of women's resource and information providers in Asia will hold the Third Asian Women's Electronic Networking Training Workshop or WENT2001 on July 2-8, 2001 at the Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, Korea.
The annual workshop aims to build the capacities of women and their organisations to utilise new information and communication technologies in social and policy advocacy. This year's workshop offers three parallel instructional tracks: Web-based Information Services, Using ICT for Social and Policy Advocacy, and Information Management Using Databases.
All participants will engage in extensive hands-on training using the Sookmyung Women's University's advanced computing and networking facilities. The instructional tracks will be led by an all-women training team composed of library administrators, database developers, web developers and system administrators who have extensive experience in running training workshops.
WENT2001 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 Asia and the Pacific.
For more information about WENT and AWORC, write to went-info@jca.apc.org or visit: http:// www.jca.apc.org/aworc
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 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 has organised yearly the "Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop" (WENT) to train participants on basic website development tools and other Internet-based group communications. WENT seeks to promote greater networking among women's organisations in the region and to enhance their capabilities to use information and communication technology to advance their social and policy advocacy.
This year, AWORC will again be holding the 'Asian Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop' (WENT2001), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), to train participants in developing web-based information services, in using online communication tools to advance their social and advocacy work, and in developing databases. WENT2001 also hopes to enhance women's networking by encouraging collaboration and resource exchange among participants before, during and even after the training.
WENT2001 is also 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 -- primarily but not exclusively -- in the Asian region. In 2000, WENT was opened to women and their organisations from the Pacific region.
GOALS
The goals of the training workshop 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 organisations, 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 using the Workshop facilities. The WENT training team is composed of members of women's organisations who are library administrators, database developers, web developers and systems administrators.
*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 JUNE 2001*
Track 1: Web-based Information Service
Goals: Develop ability to design and set-up quality Web-based information services · Develop understanding how these services can advance your organisation's missions and goals · Develop ability to support other information providers and users from participants' own organisation and/or network · Promote collaboration and resource sharing among information workers of women's organisations.
Who should attend: Providers and would-be producers of web-based information services · Women in charge of planning, maintaining and/or developing their organisation's Websites
Prerequisites: Regular Web user for information and communication · Experience in any of the following: publications, documentation, media, or communication
Coverage: production cycle (planning, production, testing, release/publish, wrap/archive) · tools · forms · developing web sepcifications · good practice (use, access, backup) · style sheets · promoting your site (metadata/search, offline and online campaign) · webstats · working with scripts (asp, javascript, php) · concepts and tools for Site management and development
This is NOT a 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.
Track 2: Using ICT for Policy Advocacy
Goals: Ability to use Internet tools for policy advocacy and campaings; · Promote collaboration and resource sharing among women who are using ICT tools to enhance their social and policy advocacy work.
Who should attend: · Social and Policy advocacy workers and activists who are using or are planning to use electronic communication tools to support their work and networks
Prerequisites: Experience in using email and/or the Web · Experience in planning and participating in issue-based campaigns
Coverage: using email and mailing list · finding resourse on the Web · mixing media · Internet Survival Tools · incorporating use of ICT in public campaigning and lobbying · case studies of women's electronic networking
Concepts and tools for using the Internet to advance social and polic advocacy
Technical knowledge in mailing lists and email is NOT necessary.
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.
Track 3: Information Management Using Databases
Goals: Develop ability to plan and design database · Develop ability to write detailed specification · Ability to support other information providers and users from participants' own organisation and/or network. · Promote collaboration and resource sharing among information workers of women's organisations.
Who should attend: Library or resource center staff, would-be database developers information producers working with databases.
Prerequisites: Some experience in using database and database management tools · Participants who are tasked by their organisations to maintain/develop databases will be prioritized. · Experience in using email and/or the Web
Coverage: database concepts · database planning, management, maintenance · tools - comparison of DB Engines · developing database specifications · information content building · information retrieval · good practice · working with scripts (PHP, publicly available scripts) · resource/tutorial sites concepts and tools for managing and developing Websites
This is NOT a database 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.
ELIGIBILITY
The Regional Training Workshop is open to women who meet the following criteria:
- Active involvement in her organisation's information work. Preference is given to information officer/staff and experience in women's network/s.
- Organisation is engaged in any of the following: (a) information sharing, (b) resource center, (c) policy and social advocacy work, (d)community outreach and organising, (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
WENT2001 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.ac.kr. The Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Centre, which is based at Sookmyung Women's University, will be hosting WENT2001.
WORKING LANGUAGE
The working language of the workshop will be English. Fair comprehension of spoken and written English will be required of each participant. 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 July 2-8, 2001. Participants should be at the workshop location by the evening of July 1. Departure from Seoul will be on July 9.
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Deadline for submission of application is May 15, 2001.
Application can be sent via email, fax, or post.
Go to the application page for a copy of the application form
