Hi All The date indicated in the posting had the year as 2005 but it actually is supposed to be 2006.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Wire James ---------------------------------------------------------------- Africa Source II: Capacity Building of Free and Open Source Software for local communities in Africa ---------------------------------------------------------------- January 8th to January 15th, 2005, Kalangala, Uganda Africa Source II will seek to foster the growth of FOSS expertise amongst technical support professionals working in Africa and facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange around successful implementation of FOSS. Africa Source II will bring together nearly 100 technology support professionals, trainers and consultants working with the non-profit sector from across Africa. The participants will all have a history of working with service and advocacy NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres, community centres and health information organisations. The aim of the event is to facilitate learning and exchange between these communities, in particular around the practical deployment of Free and Open Source Technologies. The intention is to move beyond conceptual discussions of the benefits of FOSS and technology in general, and to test out these ideas and focus on practical skill sharing between technology implementers in the region. The main themes of the workshop are designed according to the needs of the region and include: - migration and adoption of FOSS, alternative access, education and resource centres; - using FOSS for information handling and advocacy, citizen's media; - localisation The workshop will focus on learning by doing, rather than by listening. We aim for a "workshop vibe" as opposed to a "conference vibe"; we hope that elements like the location, shared housing, and the nature of the sessions keep the energy level high and the interest in active participation over passive learning strong. 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. The workshops are lead by a range of facilitators from the respective region with strong experience in deploying free and open source solutions and of working in the non-profit sector. They are joined by a handful of others with relevant experiences from developing and transition countries, as well as a select number of leaders in from specific fields. Whilst there are specific invitations for facilitators, we expect both participants and facilitators to engage in exchange and skillshare throughout the sessions. Encouragement is given to experienced implementers to share their expertise, however less-technical participants are also encouraged to share their insider knowledge of the priorities and workings of non-profits. 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 work at the next level to bring together those working at the complimentary intermediary level; technicians, administrators, advisors and trainers working with non-profits to build their capacity to roll-out FOSS solutions in their daily work. Besides the 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. The Association for Progressive Communication APC (regional network), Fantsuam Foundation (Nigeria), Schoolnet Africa (regional network), Translate.org.za, WOUGNET (Uganda) 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 there are East African Center for Open Source (EACOSS), Linux Solutions and WOUGNET. Previous source events have taken place in Croatia - September 2003, and Namibia - March 2004, India - February 2005. As well as in Middle East & Northern Africa future source events will take place in Central Asia and Latin America. Interaction and learning between these regional events is facilitated through the exchange of project models and individual expertise. For more information please visit http://www.tacticaltech.org/africasource2 Applications will be announced and invited between September and November 2005. Participants will be selected by the Advisory Group based on their interest and experiences. There will be a small registration fee for the event. A limited number of travel and registration fee scholarships will be available and may be applied for on application. If you would like to receive an application form or have any questions please write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Africa Source II: Application Form ---------------------------------------------------------------- Please read all of the information about the workshop on http://www.tacticaltech.org/africasource2. Fill in the application form below and send the application in plain text format to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The deadline for sending applications is October 15th, 2005. We will confirm receipt of the application immediately and will ask you to check and reserve (you do not have to pay for this yet) your flight to Entebbe, Uganda. A visa can be obtained upon arrival in Entebbe. As we have limited space and funds, we regret to say that we cannot accept all participant applications and cannot reimburse the expenses for all of them. Between October 21st and November 15th 2005 we will personally inform each applicant by email if we are able to invite him/her and in some cases reimburse expenses. Dates:- Africa Source II is a week-long meeting, to be held January 8th to January 15th 2005 in Kalangala, Uganda. If you would like to participate, you will need to attend the entire event, which means arriving in Kalangala, Uganda, on or before January 7th and leaving on or after January 16th. Fees and subsidies:- Participants will arrange for their own travel to Entebbe, Uganda. Once there, transport to the venue from the airport in Entebbe will be provided. All meals and accommodation during the meeting will be provided, for the modest participation fee of US$ 75. There are a limited number of participation fee subsidies available to cover this US$ 75 for those who are not able to raise the funds. Travel subsidies are also available for participants who would not otherwise be able to attend the meeting. Please apply as soon as possible for subsidies as the availability is limited. Who should attend:- This is an event for experienced professionals actively working with the non-profit sector in Africa, with a history of working with service and advocacy NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres, community centres and health information organisations in Africa. To be eligible to attend, you will need to answer the questions below, providing detailed information about projects you have worked on. The application deadline is October 15th, 2005. We are interested in all kinds of non-profit and technical experience, but areas of particular focus will include the following: 1. Migration and adoptation of FOSS 2. Alternative access and resource centres 3. The use of FOSS for information handling and advocacy 4. Localisation and multi-language projects 5. The use of technology within monitoring or campaigning projects 6. The use of technology for community centres or schools 7. The use of technology for service activities (e.g. Health, disabiltiies etc) 8. Innovative use of technology within non-profit projects Demonstrating that you have worked on projects in one or more of the above areas will make your application stronger. All participants at Africa Source II are required to be proficient desktop users of computers, have been involved in at least one NGO/technology project before and to have an existing awareness of the concept of Free and Open Source Software. The working language is English. Applications from women are highly encouraged by the event organisers. Application Questions:- Please answer the following questions. You do not need to write long responses, but please provide us with enough information to understand your skills and interests, to have a sense of why you want to attend Africa Source II and what you can contribute to the event. Please provide answers to all the following questions. 1) Basic personal information: a. Name: b. Gender: c. Date of Birth: d. Nationality: e. Country where you live and work now: f. Affiliation/organisation: g. E-mail address: h. Telephone and emergency contact number(s): i. Anything else we should know about you (allergies, diet, medical condition, special needs): 2) What is your experience of working with non-profit organisations / the voluntary sector. What kinds of projects and initiatives have you worked on? 3) Have you been involved with any technology projects for non-profit or civil society organisations? If so please briefly explain them. 4) Where are you from, where do you live now, and what is your current professional affiliation (organisation you work for, mission of the organisation, position you have in the organisation, is your organisation a non-profit, etc.)? 5) Which track would you choose to be part of? Please select: - migration, adoption and alternative access, education and resource centres; - information handling and advocacy, citizen's media; - localisation 6) How would you classify your area of expertise, e.g. education, womens rights, or technical, etc.? 7) Please describe your current technical expertise and ability. 8) Why are you interested in attending Africa Source II; what do you hope to learn? 9) Africa Source II participants are encouraged to teach as well as to learn. What tutorials, development sessions or discussions would you like to lead (or help lead)? 10) Will you need to receive a participation fee subsidy in order to attend Africa Source II? If so, please explain why. 11) Will you need to receive a travel subsidy in order to attend Africa Source II? If so, please explain why and estimate how much (in US$) your round-trip travel to Entebbe will cost. _______________________________________________ LUG mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug %LUG is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
