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ABOUT
WNSP
APC
WOMEN'S NETWORKING SUPPORT PROGRAM
APC WNSP
The Association for Progressive Communications
Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) is
a global network of women who support women networking for
social change and gender justice, through the use of Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
The APC WNSP is in charge of the
Gender and ICT Awards Project Management.
WNSP's main
strengths
- Extensive experience in gender and
ICT work
- Established partner network
- Awards management experience and procedures
of APC, gained
through its awarding of the Betinho and Hafkin prizes.
WNSP's in-kind contribution
The network will provide gender and ICT
experts as selection committee members who could also act
as an extended investigating arm for projects vying for
the award, as well as assist in identification process of
suitable projects.
Networking
for change and women’s empowerment since 1993
WHO
WE ARE
We are a global network of women who support
women networking for social change and women’s empowerment,
through the use of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs). We promote gender equality in the design, development,
implementation, access to and use of ICTs and in the policy
decisions and frameworks that regulate them.We are part
of the Association for Progressive Communications, an international
network of civil society organizations dedicated to empowering
and supporting groups and individuals working for peace,
human rights, development and protection of the environment,
through the strategic use ICTs, including the Internet.
OUR GOALS
- To promote the consideration and incorporation of gender
in ICT policy-making bodies and forums;
- To initiate and implement research activities in the
field of gender and ICT;
- To advance the body of knowledge, understanding, and
skills in the field of gender and ICT by implementing
training activities;
- To facilitate access to information resources in the
field of gender and ICT.
WHAT WE DO
We engage in research, evaluation, training,
information, and support activities in the field of ICT
policy, skills-sharing in the access and use of ICT, and
women's network-building.
Since 1993, the programme has implemented a diverse range
of activities designed to respond to our mission and goals.
These activities are centered around 6 main areas of work;·
Policy and advocacy
- Research
- Evaluation
- Information facilitation
- Developing training methodologies and materials
- Support for emerging national and regional internet
based networks
Some highlights of the programme’s
work:
- APC WNSP ran an onsite electronic communication facility
to support women's NGOs and women participating in the
1995 UN World Conference. Prior to and during the World
Conference on Women, the programme provided information
facilitation and onsite training and outreach, and successfully
lobbied for the inclusion of women’s ICT needs in
the formulation of Section J of the Beijing Platform for
Action.
- APC WNSP has played a crucial facilitating role in the
creation of several active regional and national women's
networking support initiatives such as APC-Africa-Women,
Women'sNet (South Africa), Feminismus (Czech Republic),
FAMAfrique (Francophone Africa) and Womenshub (Philippines).
- The programme as a whole, and through its members, has
contributed to the development of gender-sensitive training
materials in website development and online women's solidarity
as well as guidelines for gender-sensitive outreach and
training methodologies.
- In 1997, the programme implemented "Global Networking
for Change," the first formal research and evaluation
project to document women's experiences in using ICT for
activist-oriented networking. This research surveyed some
700 individual women and women's groups around the world.
- The programme implemented "Women Working in ICTs," a
research study which focused specifically on women as
'workers' in ICTs. This research explores in more depth
the experiences of individual women who participated in
the design, development and implementation of the APC
WNSP's communication initiatives for the 1995 Beijing
Conference
- Since 1999 we have coordinated with other organizations
in Asiain organizing the Women's Electronic Network Training
workshop, or WENT. WENT
aims to build the capacities of women in the field of
information and communication technology and strengthen
women's organisations and networks in Asia and the Pacific.
WENT has trained 135 women from 19 countries in this region.
WENT's participatory approach and focus on ICT training
by women, for women, has inspired similar training initiatives
in other regions of the world including a global WENT
training; national WENT-modeled workshops in Korea, Philippines,
Malaysia and India; and in March 2003, APC Africa Women
organized the first regional WENT Africa workshop.
- The programme developed the Gender Evaluation Methodology,
a guide to integrating gender analysis into evaluations
of initiatives that use ICTs for social change. GEM
provides a means for determining whether ICTs are really
improving women's lives and gender relations as well as
promoting positive change at the individual, institutional,
community and broader social levels.
- In 2003, the programme initiated the APC WNSP and GKP
Gender and ICT Awards, which aim to honor and bring international
recognition to innovative and effective projects by women
to use ICTs for the promotion of gender equality and/or
women’s empowerment. The awards aim to recognise
gender and ICT initiatives globally and provide further
impetus for others to mainstream gender in the field of
ICTs for women's empowerment.
HOW
WE WORK
We think of the APC WNSP as a networked
organisation. We function as a network of women and their
organisations who are actively involved in activities which
promote, support, or facilitate women's access to, and use
of, ICT. The organisational structure of the APC WNSP reflects
the motivations and interests of all participants and is
therefore inclusive, accessible, and pragmatic. The programme
operates on a combination of minimal administration and
coordination and maximum output in activities, through an
open, secure, and respectful online environment where all
participants can work and meet. The programme works primarily
in an online world. Using a combination of email, mailing
lists and real time text and voice, we are able to coordinate,
develop action plans, implement activities, support and
mentor one another while maintaining and strengthening our
organisational and personal relationships. Of course, we
also meet face-to-face whenever opportunities present themselves
(such as national, regional or international workshops and
conference) or through explicitly funded workshops and meetings
of the programme.
WOMEN'S PROGRAMME
MEMBERS
Our network numbers over 100 women from
more than 35 countries. They are individual women and women's
groups and organisations working in the field of gender
and ICT and actively supporting women's networking. Our
members have formed themselves into regional networks in
Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and are building an emerging
network in Europe. Our programme members are specialists
in areas such as training, information facilitation, technical
work and policy issues. Many work on a voluntary basis and
are mostly experienced network users rather than formally-trained
ICT experts. We come from different backgrounds: among us
are activists on issues such as housing, environmental protection
and women's health; librarians, journalists, web developers,
trainers, technicians, and user support providers. Some
of us work for Internet Service/Content Service Providers
(ISP/CSP) that are members of the Association For Progressive
Communications. Some are independent activists, and some
are members of women's organisations. http://www.apcwomen.org
Contacts
APC WNSP global network contact: wnsp@apcwomen.org
APC-Africa-Women contact: africa@apcwomen.org
Asia and the Pacific contact: asia@apcwomen.org
Latin American and the Caribbean contact:
parm@apcwomen.org
Central and Eastern Europe contact: cee@apcwomen.org
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