Digitales 2004 In Brussels, Women In ICT

The Brussels ICT-trainingcenter for women Interface3 organised the third Digitales-days event this week. For three days workshops and forums were organised where (mostly) female trainees, ICT-professionals, cyberartistsen media(h)ac(k)tivists from Belgium {1} {2}, the Netherlands {1} {2}, Germany, France {1} {2}, Spain, Italy {1} {2} {3}, the US and Canada could meet eachother. This unique initiative didn't just give women in the ICT training program a chance to meet with female artists and activists. It was also a nice occasion for female cyberactivists to get in touch with each other and exchange experiences. Check out the reports about the whole event on Indymedia Belgium.

{Photos} {Video} {Forum Female (Media)(h)ac(k)tivists}

In London, San Fransisco and Amsterdam the genderchangers are offering skillsharing workshops and support to female activists, and the linuxchicks are providing a supportive forum for women in the geek dominated world of linux, to encourage more women to use free software.
Other groups working in Britain are Women Connect, APC Women's Networking Support Centre and APC Women and ICTs News.

In Indymedia the IMC Women email list provides support and encouragement.
Activists from Candida TV shared skills in video editing at Digitales 2004, so hopefully many more video clips will be finding their way to the Indymedia European NewsReal in future.

combined efforts

Comments

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UK, French, Cypriot and USA attendees too

28.01.2004 14:27

Its definitely good to see this meeting as a headline on UK Indymedia!

There were representatives from the UK, Cyprus and the USA who attended as well...but from projects that are probably a little more low-tech and so a little less "sparkly" and visible.

From the UK, we sent someone to do a workshop about Women in Black, our herstory, our (dis)organisation and our use of ICTs for external as well as internal communications. (www.womeninblack.org)

Another woman from the UK, along with sisters from Cyprus and from the U.S.A., attended to do a presentation on the project "Hands Across the Divide", which has involved women from both sides of the Green Line in dialogue and joint action using ICTs. (

http://www.tech4peace.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1926)

And one of the very interesting feminist groups using and re-defining ICTs through the feminist lens was in attendence, Les Penelopes. (

http://www.penelopes.org/ and

http://www.penelopes.org/Anglais)

The experience was exciting and awe-inspiring... to see so many women using and shaping the technologies to serve their politics was fantastic. For me, it was a little bitter-sweet because the women-only training centre Interface3 (where the conference was based) was inspired by a project here in the UK that no longer functions. The lesson? MOVE OUT OF THE U.K.! We've been commoditised and U.S.A.-ised already while the rest of our European counterparts have thus far escaped... only just, I'm sure.

madame zero
mail e-mail: madamezero@ownmail.net