2002 Asia-Pacific Women's Electronic Network Training - Announcement

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 Asia and Pacific 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 Asia and Pacific Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop 2002 (WENT2002), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), to train participants in developing and managing web-based information services and databases, in using online communication tools to advance their social and advocacy work, and in implementing local area networking. WENT2002 also hopes to enhance women's networking by encouraging collaboration and resource exchange among participants before, during and even after the training.

WENT2002 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 development work and policy advocacy, as well as to strengthen women's organisations and networks in the Asia and Pacific regions.

GOALS

The overall goals of the training workshop are:

1. To train women's information providers in the use of group communication, web development tools, databases and local area networking to be able to provide effective information and communication support to their organisations, networks and localities.
2. To develop and increase the level of cooperation and networking 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 regional women's movement.
4. 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 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. The training syllabus will be made public in mid-July 2002.

Track 1: Web and Database Management

Track Objectives:

1. Develop ability to design and set-up quality Website and Web-enabled Database;
2. Develop ability to write detailed Web and Database specifications;
3. Develop understanding how these services can advance your organisation's missions and goals;
4. Develop ability to support other information providers and users from participants' own organisation and/or network;
5. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among information workers of women's organisations.

Who should attend:

1. Providers and would-be producers of web-based information services and web-enabled databases
2. Women in charge of planning, maintaining and/or developing their organisation's Websites and/or Database
3. Library or resource center staff, would-be webmaster and web editors, would-be database developers, information producers working with databases

Prerequisites:

1. Regular Web user for information and communication
2. Experience in any of the following: publications, documentation, media or communication
3. Some experience in using database and database management tools
4. Applicants who are tasked by their organisations to develop and/or manage their website and/or database will be prioritized
5. Experience in using email and/or the Web

Coverage:  production cycle (planning, production, testing, release/publish, wrap/archive) · web publishing tools · forms · developing web specifications · good practice (use, access, backup) · style sheets · promoting your site (metadata/search, offline and online campaign) · webstats · working with scripts(javascript, PHP) · concepts and tools for Site management and development

database concepts · database planning, management, maintenance · 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

concepts of information architecture · design concepts for quality Web and Database services · usability · accessibility ·  open content · open source/free software tools.

This is NOT as basic html training course nor a programmers' course. However, a working knowledge of HTML and SQL is an advantage.

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 Advocacy

Track Objectives:

1. Ability to use Internet tools for policy advocacy and campaigns;
2. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among women who are using ICT tools to enhance their social and policy advocacy work.

Who should attend:

1. 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:

1. Experience in using email and/or the Web
2. 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 policy 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: Local Area Networking

Track Objectives:

1. Develop ability to design and implement a small local area network
2. Install and configure a Linux-based File and Print Server
3. Develop ability to write detailed local area network specifications
4. Develop understanding how local area networking can advance your organisation's missions and goals
5. Develop ability to support ICT users from participants' own organisation and/or network
6. Promote collaboration and resource sharing among information workers of women's organisations

Who should attend:

1. Personnel tasked with providing user and technical support
2. De-facto system administrators who want a more solid background on local area networking

Prerequisites:

1. Experience in any of the following: PC troubleshooting and maintennance, installing and configuring a Window-based PC
2. Some experience in using Linux or Unix-like OS is desirable but not necessary
3. Applicants who are tasked by their organisations to provide user and technical support will be prioritized
4. Experience in using email and/or the Web

Coverage:  local area networking concepts and designs · practical knowledge of TCP/IP · installing and configuring Linux and Samba · writing local area networking design specifications · installing and configuring small local area network (peer-to-peer and client/server networks) · developing acceptable use policy.

Technical knowledge of networking is not a pre-requisite. However applicants with a working (i.e. practical) knowledge of networking will be prioritised.

ELIGIBILITY

The Regional Training Workshop is open to women who meet the following minimum criteria:

1. Active involvement in her organisation's information work. Preference is given to information officer/staff and experience in women's network/s.
2. 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.
3. Has basic to intermediate computer-literacy
4. Fair to good knowledge of English language
5. Willingness to participate in a women's information network in Asia and the Pacific
6. Willingness to share the knowledge, skills and resources she will acquire from the training with other women
7. Willingness to work in a group-focused environment and process
8. Capacity to receive a week-long training conducted in university classrooms and student dormitory with shared rooms

LOCATION

WENT2002 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 WENT2002.

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 August 8-15, 2002. Participants should be at the workshop location by the evening of August 7, and should be ready to depart on August 16.

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Deadline for submission of application forms is June 25, 2002.

Application can be sent via web, email, fax, or post.

Go to the application page for a copy of the application form.