Steven Clift
Tue, 10 Jan 2006 09:14:08 -0800
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To apply, or for more information on this seminar, please see the website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/seminars-information-0564 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Subject: Participation and empowerment in a knowledge society e-flyer Date sent: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 16:48:31 -0000 From: "Obhiozele, Shaka (BCS)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For DO-WIRE: Participation and empowerment in a knowledge society e-flyer Empowerment and participation in the network Society (0564) 19 - 24 March 2006, near Oxford Directed by Kevin Harris, Local Level http://www.local-level.org.uk A seminar to discuss the potential role technologies can play in terms of empowering people to participate and get involved in issues at local and national level. The concept of a knowledge society holds a promise of higher levels of participation and empowerment, and hence more equal societies. The technologies discourage hierarchical arrangements in organisations; while a range of alternative communication options, such as weblogging and podcasting, help us to become more connected with a broader range of people, ideas and knowledge. Early experiments and much rhetoric suggest that we will begin to have more answerable authorities and more communicative citizens. But such transformations will not come about without strategic and concerted efforts on the part of politicians, civil society and public authorities. Political debate is still dominated by the mainstream media: a story on a weblog will have little impact unless it gets repackaged in the newspapers or on television. We regard information and communication as the lifeblood of democracy, but more does not necessarily mean better. If information is power, why are people in positions of power so often ill-informed? Does a knowledge society simply mean that more power goes to those who have privileged access to particular information? Freedom of information and data protection rights take us part of the way, but how do we ensure that a society characterised by intense and fluid communication is more participative, and its citizens more empowered? This seminar will explore the notion of a participative and empowering communication culture as a basis for healthy knowledge societies. It will examine the meaning of participation and the nature of genuine empowerment, taking account of the contribution that different kinds of social institution and media can make to these processes. Issues to be covered include: * understanding communication processes at local level: issues of power and exclusion * active citizenship and communication: ensuring recognition for citizen involvement in civil and community issues * skills for the knowledge society: lifelong learning and 'information capability' * policy and global forces: the contribution of the World Summit on the Information Society. The seminar has been designed to ensure active participation and involvement. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to an event weblog and will be invited to share their own experiences at several points in the programme. Participant profile The seminar is intended to attract people who can help bring about change at local, regional and national level. It is designed to be of benefit to anyone involved in communication within a context of democratic participation, and could include practitioners, local government officers, policy officials, information managers, media representatives, members of self-help groups and NGOs and researchers. Event director Kevin Harris has 20 years experience in community development with a particular emphasis on how people communicate, share information, and interact at local level. He has worked with community groups at neighbourhood level, carried out research for a wide range of agencies, and contributed advice to government on various issues including community online networks, social inclusion, public libraries and communities, citizenship etc. He has designed and run numerous events from international conferences to specialised workshops, and is an experienced speaker. He is an associate consultant to the Community Development Foundation <http://www.cdf.org.uk> and the National Extension College <http://www.nec.ac.uk> , and an associate of the Centre for Intergenerational Practice. <http://www.centreforip.org.uk/> To apply, or for more information on this seminar, please see the website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/seminars-information-0564 ------- End of forwarded message ------- ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - - - W: http://publicus.net Minneapolis - - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - Skype/MSN/Y!/AIM: netclift Join Democracies Online: http://dowire.org Start an Issues Forum: http://e-democracy.org/if *** Past Messages, to Subscribe: http://dowire.org *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** New RSS XML Feed Available: *** http://www.mail-archive.com/do-wire@lists.umn.edu/maillist.xml