Technology for Civil Society Speaker Series

Teresa Crawford, director of the Advocacy and Leadership Center

Fact Sheet

Download the Technology for Civil Society Speaker Series fact sheet

IREX’s Technology Serving Civil Society speaker series is a bimonthly event that brings a unique, locally-focused perspective to international development policy dialogue in Washington, DC. Initiated in April 2007, the series hosts practitioners with grassroots experience using technology in innovative ways to increase the effectiveness of community and civil society initiatives throughout the developing world. This speaker series is funded by the People Technology Foundation USA and contributions from Friends of IREX. All events are hosted at IREX's headquarters at 2121 K Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC

Agenda: Utilizing Access to Information

During its first year, the series is focusing specifically on the extensive ways civil society can make use of access to information to improve the lives of disadvantaged groups, influence decision-makers, and demand accountability from government. Guest speakers–leaders of organizations working on development efforts at the community level–share firsthand experience of how accessible technology is being used in innovative ways in diverse settings.

Objective
To explore and promote cutting-edge techniques that local leaders around the world are applying in the field, and stimulate a discussion about new applications for these technologies within the development community in Washington, DC.

The series focuses on how technology can:

bring the voices of marginalized groups into public dialogue
help community groups assist the government in improving transparency and efficiency
be used to encourage dialogue and debate in conflict-prone areas
contribute to an environment in which local businesses and small enterprises grow

Previous Speakers

June 11, 2009
Nancy Davenport - Interim Director of Library Services, Public Library in the District of Columbia; Scott Andersen -
Deputy Director, Global Libraries, Romania; Colin Guard - Program Director, Global Libraries, Ukraine
Topic: Community Development, Technology, and Libraries: Why the Modern Library is a Catalyst for Change

March 19, 2009
Ken Banks, Founder of kiwanja.net, Developer of FrontlineSMS, with Alex Ngalande, Home-Based Care Nurse, Saint Gabriel’s Hospital, Namitete, Malawi
Topic: On the Digital Divide’s Frontlines: Empowering Grassroots NGOs through Mobile Technology

November 13, 2008
David Barnard, Executive Director of the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT)
Topic: Mobilizing for Development: Civil Society and ICTs in Southern Africa

September 25, 2008
Subbiah Arunachalam, Independent Researcher, Freelance Writer, and
Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore
Topic: Technology-Enabled Development: An Indian Experience

July 24, 2008
Klaus Stoll, co-founder of the Fundacion Chasquinet in Quito, Ecuador, and Senior Executive Vice President of the Community Access Foundation
Topic: The Future of Telecenter Sustainability: A Multi-Sector and Multi-Stakeholder Approach

February 19, 2008
Teresa Crawford, director of the Advocacy and Leadership Center, Institute for Sustainable Communities
Topic: Using Technology to Advance Social Missions of Advocacy and Social Service NGOs

August 14, 2007
Sharifa Djurabaeva, Tech Age Girls (TAG) project coordinator, and Anait Vaganyan, TAG alumna.
Topic: Using Technology to Encourage Social Action and Gender Equality in Uzbekistan

July 19, 2007
Stephanie Hankey, executive director of Tactical Technology Collective
Topic: Technology for Social Change

June 5, 2007
Mátyás Gáspár, president of the European Union of Telecottage Associations (EUTA) and the Global Telecentre Alliance (GTA)
Topic: “Technology and Community Development: The Telehaz Experience in Hungary”

April 10, 2007
Mark Surman, managing director of Telecentre.org
Topic: “Telecenter Networks and Civil Society"

IREX: Technology and Civil Society

fields of education, independent media, and civil society development. IREX currently administers several programs in Eurasia that work at applying technology to civil society needs. Funded by the US government, the Internet Access and Training Program operates 80 telecenters throughout the former Soviet Union. Global Connections and Exchange links teachers and students from Central Asia with their peers in the United States. The Regional Library Information Center program administers public telecenters at libraries throughout Azerbaijan and links community users for online events.