[wos] Africa Source II - extended deadline October 24th

[Volker Grassmuck]

Just a quick note to let you know that we have extended the deadline 
for applications for Africa Source II to 24th October.

We'd be most grateful for any help you can give us in promoting this, 
and please do pass along the below announcement to anyone you think 
may be interested.

Thanking you in advanceStephanie
On behalf of the event organisers

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Africa Source II -
Free and Open Source Software for Local Communities
Kalangala, Uganda - Jan 08-Jan 15, 2006-------------------------------
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Please note that the deadline for sending in applications has been 
extended until October 24th, 2005.

We welcome applications from those working in Africa who are;
- campaigners, practitioners or project managers working within non-
profits and interested in technology
- system administrators within NGOs, or acting as technical support 
to non-profits or community centres
- trainers and consultants to the non-profit sector, or those working 
in resource centres who are interested in technology

What is Africa Source II?
Africa Source II will be an eight day hands-on workshop aimed at 
building the technical skills of those working with and within NGOs 
on the continent. It will take place in one of the most beautiful 
parts of the Kalangala Island on Victoria Lake during the beginning 
of January 2006.
Africa Source II will focus on how technology, in particular Free and 
Open Source Software (FOSS) can be integrated into the project work 
of NGO's. Over a hundred NGO Support Professionals and NGO Staff 
working at the local level across the region are expected at this 
meeting. Together with a handful of field leaders from Africa, 
Europe, North America and Asia, they will explore how technology can 
best serve the non-profit sector in Africa both in terms of access 
and content. I

We are still accepting applications! The deadline for sending in 
applications has been extended until October 24th, 2005.

Who will be there?
Participants with a range of experience will learn from one another 
about how technology can help make their NGO's more efficient, build 
capacity and facilitate their project work. They will be given an 
opportunity to develop their understanding of FOSS, including 
exploring the challenges and the future potential of FOSS adoption in 
Africa. All participants will have a history of work with service and 
advocacy NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres, 
community centres and health information organisations.

What will happen there?
There will be a range of sessions for participants to take part in, 
they will include:

* How to help NGO's plan and implement FOSS applications in order to 
increase their capacity
* How to use FOSS applications to handle information, publish content 
using citizen's media tools and engage supporters
* How FOSS can increase accessibility through localisation, 
translation into local language and dialects
During these sessions participants will get an opportunity to learn 
from peers about how technology has impacted their work through case 
studies and skill shares. The workshops will be lead by a range of 
facilitators from the region with strong experience in deploying free 
and open source solutions and of working in the non-profit sector, as 
well as a number of experienced NGO practitioners. They will be 
joined by a handful of international field leaders from specific 
fields, such as community radio, alternative access solutions and the 
use of mobile phones for NGO work.

The camp will focus on learning by doing, rather than by listening. 
We aim for a "workshop vibe" as opposed to a "conference vibe"; 
participants will be hosted at an Island location, with shared 
housing. The agenda of the event is very hands-on and intensive, with 
an emphasis on active participation over passive learning. Like other 
source events, Africa Source II will be intentionally designed to 
foster community building, this creates an atmosphere conducive to 
learning, but more importantly is essential if longer term 
relationships are to be built.

Building on the previous Africa Source event (Namibia, March 2004), 
which brought together African FOSS developers working in the social 
sector, Africa Source II will in contrast work at a different level, 
concentrating on bringing together those working with NGOs and 
technology at the practitioner and intermediary level. Participants 
should have experience working with computers and the internet and a 
project or initiative planned in the future incorporating technology 
for the non-profit sector. They do not, however, have to be technical 
experts.

Besides new ideas, skills and contacts that participants will gain, 
they will also leave the workshop equipped with an event specific 
version of NGO-in-a-box, a toolkit of FOSS and materials specific to 
the NGO sector.

Who is organising Africa Source II?
The Association for Progressive Communication APC (regional network), 
Fantsuam Foundation (Nigeria), Schoolnet Africa (regional network), 
Translate.org.za, WOUGNET (Uganda), Creative Commons South Africa, 
Aspiration (US) and The Tactical Technology Collective (the 
Netherlands) will collaborate to organise the content of the workshop 
and to build strong relationships between the participants. The 
project partners are committed to examining the challenges of 
implementing FOSS in the African context, stretching its potential to 
fit the needs on the ground, and building local capacities to realise 
this. Our local partners and hosts are the East African Center for 
Open Source (EACOSS), Linux Solutions and WOUGNET.

Previous source events have taken place in Croatia - September 2003, 
Namibia - March 2004, India - February 2005, and Tajikistan October 
2005. In 2006 an event will be held in the Middle East.

How can I apply?
For more information please visit 
http://www.tacticaltech.org/africasource2
Applications will be invited between September and November 2005. 
This is a competitive process and participants will be selected by 
the Advisory Group based on their potential to use the skills they 
gain, their interests and the experiences they can bring to the 
event. There will be a small registration fee for the event. A 
limited number of travel and registration fee scholarships are 
available and may be applied for on application. If you would like to 
receive an application form or have any questions please write to 
africasource2 at tacticaltech.org

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