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<TITLE>RE: [Telecentres] Going forward</TITLE>
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<DIV><SPAN class=609484813-27092004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Dear
Hannah and others on the list:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609484813-27092004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609484813-27092004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>That
is a very good point Hannah made! We at MSSRF try hard to understand the
communities we work with and try to represent their needs and aspirations
in the different fora where we take part. I know of several other civil society
organizations around the world who do the same. Ideally though, all civil
society organizations should do. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609484813-27092004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609484813-27092004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Arun</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Hannah Beardon
[mailto:HannahB@actionaid.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, September 27, 2004 7:02
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Subbiah Arunachalam;
telecentres@wsis-cs.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: [SPAM] - RE: [Telecentres]
Going forward - Email found in subject<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359122813-27092004><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I remember her! I agree that we should each play to
our strengths and it would be inappropriate to have a handful of village level
telecentre managers or volunteers formulating policy. However, your last
sentence holds the key... <FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000>"All we
can hope is that these non-grassroots people understand the needs of the
grassroots people and their communities!" <FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>
Do we just have to hope, or can we put some structures and systems in place to
ensure accountabiltiy to the poor/ marginalised and good communications to
really listen to what they need, want and what works for them, rather than
making assumptions on their behalf. </FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359122813-27092004><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359122813-27092004><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Hannah</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359122813-27092004><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359122813-27092004><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left>
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</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B>
telecentres-bounces@wsis-cs.org [mailto:telecentres-bounces@wsis-cs.org] <B>On
Behalf Of </B>Subbiah Arunachalam<BR><B>Sent:</B> 27 September 2004
14:47<BR><B>To:</B> Don Cameron; 'Andy Carvin';
telecentres@wsis-cs.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [SPAM] - RE: [Telecentres] Going
forward - Email found in subject<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>Arun calling from MSSRF, Chennai, India. Last year when we
decided to take part in the WSIS and ICT4D events in Geneva we included one of
our villaghe volunteers, Ms Usharani, in our team, and a number of people met
and spoke to her and she demonstrated her skills in handling computers -
typing in Tamil which has an alphabet of 247 characters using the regular
QWERTY English keyboard, and answered a variety of questions on her work in
the village knowledge centre. My colleague Mr Rajamohan and Shaddy of OneWorld
South Asia helped her navigate through the maze, but within a day she was on
her own! While the presence of people like Usharani can facilitate reality
check, policy formulation, drafting, negotiating, etc. certainly would need
people who are not from the true grassroots. All we can hope is that these
non-grassroots people understand the needs of the grassroots people and their
communities! <FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff> </FONT></FONT><FONT
size=2>Arun </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>From: Don
Cameron [<A
href="mailto:donc@internode.on.net">mailto:donc@internode.on.net</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 4:01 PM</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>To: 'Andy Carvin'; telecentres@wsis-cs.org</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>Subject: RE: [Telecentres] Going forward</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT size=2>Thanks for your thoughts Andy.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>The invitation for Telecentre's (as representatives of civil
society) to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>participate in WSIS has been a long and
hard-fought battle since our first</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>representations
prior to Prepcom1, and it's terrific to now have this</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>opportunity, and I (amongst others) thank you for it - providing</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>Telecentre's are not again marginalized by WSIS or cited as
being "too</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>narrow a focus for a thematic group"</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>(<A href="http://wsis.ecommons.ca/node/view/457"
target=_blank>http://wsis.ecommons.ca/node/view/457</A>). This shows a
distinct lack of</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>understanding about the role of
Telecentre's in today's society.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Most critics of WSIS, many of whom are practitioners and other
regular</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>participants on Telecentre forums, cite the
major issue as being a lack of</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>civil engagement
compounded by the fact that what engagement there is falls</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>far short of true civil representation: "Civil society needs to claim
its</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>role in WSIS and demand that information should be
for the good of humanity.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>A pro-development stamp is
needed on the WSIS process" (South Asia</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Partnership
Summary Report: Communication for Social Change Forum"</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2><A
href="http://action.web.ca/home/sap/issues.shtml?x=41483&AA_EX_Session=913a7783532"
target=_blank>http://action.web.ca/home/sap/issues.shtml?x=41483&AA_EX_Session=913a7783532</A></FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>f6e3fc1c6ba5eff0d51ed)</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>The views of many Telecentre practitioners about WSIS are well
summarized by</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>the following extract:</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>"During a conversation with Sarah Parkinson of IDRC I
re-affirmed my</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>thinking, that what we call the 'Civil
Society' is in fact a collection of</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>middle-class
researchers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) workers and</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>the like. People with the time and money to spend far too
much time on the</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>internet, these people feel strongly
about injustice and try to rectify it.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>But are not the
people suffering the injustice of poverty and isolation.</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>Then is it true that Civil Society does not even come from the
population we</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>claim to represent." (Community
Information Network for Southern Africa</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>editorial</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2><A
href="http://www.cinsa.info/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=325&Itemi"
target=_blank>http://www.cinsa.info/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=325&Itemi</A></FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>d=110).</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>I am not suggesting that we do not participate in WSIS, to the
contrary. I</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>am suggesting it is our responsibility as
community representatives to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>require that WSIS extends
itself beyond a closed-door conference venue and</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>incorporates true civil representation - these are not new issues
having</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>been raised many times within and external to
the WSIS process, and WSIS</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>itself has now had more
than two years to develop processes for civil</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>engagement.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>The Telecentre movement can help WSIS by offering a tremendous
opportunity</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>for delegates to engage with society - if
this is what WSIS delegates truly</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>want to do. However
if WSIS stands aloof and only accepts input by</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>invitation there is probably little we can offer in the way of
help.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Anything we do contribute would be subject to
the determinations of people</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>inherently lacking in
experience and exposure.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>If I can presume to ask a question of the list in turn... What
can the</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Telecentre movement offer to help WSIS achieve
civil engagement thereby</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>fostering the development of
the information society? - Answers to this</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>question
may well offer insight into how best the movement is represented at</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>WSIS, whether by select individuals or the method of a
unified</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>representation.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Rgds, Don</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>_______________________________________________</FONT>
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