Conference Schedule: Partnerships & Participation in Telecommunications
for Rural Development, Oct. 26 & 27 1998, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, Canada: http://www.snowden.org
Imagine attending a relaxed and friendly international conference where
you can learn more about how rural communities & rural organizations
around the world are using telecommunications, Internet and telephones to
improve social and economic development.... Imagine engaging in productive
small group discussions with practitioners and experts on topics such as:
- creative financial & organizational partnerships to improve rural
telecommunications
- the importance of focusing on citizen communication
- rural radio and the Internet
- telemedicine in rural and remote communities
- rural women and issues of access & use of telecommunications
- grassroots "communication shops" in rural areas of developing countries
- improving agricultural development with telephones
- rural telecommunications initiatives in dozens of countries including
Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Canada, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Mali, Mexico,
Mozambique, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United
States, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
- native Canadians and telecommunication access & issues
- online entrepreneurship in rural communities
- evaluating the social and economic impacts of rural telecommunication
projects
Want to join in these discussions? There is still time to register for
the Oct 26 & 27 "Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunications for
Rural Development" conference! You can download a faxable registration
form from our website at http://www.snowden.org. Cost for the two-day
conference is only $349 Canadian + GST or $300 U.S. for non-Canadian
participants. Guelph is a short 45 minute drive from Toronto and its
airport. The conference takes place within the beautiful University of
Guelph campus complete with colourful autumn leaves.
The current agenda for the conference is outlined below.
If you cannot attend the conference in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, you can
"virtually" attend our On-line Pre-conference on the web. The Online
Pre-conference runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 21, 1998 and will be available at
http://www.snowden.org The current agenda for the Online Pre-conference
appears at the end of this message.
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Partnerships & Participation in Telecommunications for Rural
Development: Exploring What Works and Why
October 26 & 27 1998, University of Guelph, Canada
Current Agenda:
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SUNDAY OCTOBER 25
Pre-Conference Reception
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A complimentary wine and cheese welcoming reception will be held for
speakers and delegates at the College Inn in Guelph from 8:00 - 10:00 pm.
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MONDAY OCTOBER 26
Face-to-face conference at the U of Guelph.
Information on registration is available on the conference website at
http://www.snowden.org or you may call (519) 824 4120 ext. 2353.
Welcome Address
---------------
"Setting the Context: Don Snowden and the Importance of Participatory
Communication for Development"
Tony Williamson, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Panel 1
Reviewing the Past: Communication for Development Lessons Learned
------------------------------------------------------------------
This panel will help us draw lessons from previous rural communication
for development initiatives and point to important lessons for current and
future rural telecommunication projects
"Citizen Communication: Needed Then...Needed Now"
Dorothy Todd-Henuat, videographer, formerly with Challenge for Change
Program, Canada
"Grassroots Participation and Partnerships in Canada's First National Rural
Telecommunication Endeavour: National Farm Radio Forum- 1939-1965"
Mark Waldron, Don Snowden Program and Rural Extension Studies,
University of Guelph, formerly with Farm Radio Forum, Canada
Moderator:
Pablo Leal, Don Snowden Program, Canada
The panel will be followed by 2 presentations linking radio to
telecommunications for rural development.
"Farm Audio Information Program via the Internet: National Farm Radio Forum
Meets the 21st Century"
Hugh Maynard, Quebec Farmers Association, Canada
"Rural Radio and the Internet Around the World"
Helen Aitkin, TeleCommons Development Group, Canada
Lunch Address
-------------
"Bridging the Gap Between Community Participation and Policy
Implementation in Health Related Telecommunications: An Australian
Experience"
Angelita Martini, TeleHealth Development Unit, Australia
Afternoon Presentations
-----------------------
A variety of field experiences highlighting partnerships and community
partnerships will be presented on this first day of the conference, mainly
during the afternoon, including:
"Community Access Rings the Cash Registers"
Fred McGuiness, freelance writer, Canada
"The Mice that Roared: Rural Telematics and Newfoundland's Entry into the
Information Economy"
Richard Fuchs, Futureworks, Canada
"Rural Women & Communication Technology in Australia"
June Lennie, Lyn Dawes and Leonie Simpson, Queensland University of
Technology, Australia - via video conference
"Connecting Remote First Nations"
Brian Beaton, K-Net, Canada
Garnet Angeconeb, Wawatay Native Communications Society, Canada
Lawrence Martin, Wawatay Native Communications Society, Canada
"The Communication Shop: A Model for Private and Public Sector
Collaboration and Communication...and Sustainable, Too"
Royal Colle, Department of Communication, Cornell University, USA
"Rural Telecon '98: Report on Grassroots Telecom Initiatives in the USA"
Ann Joselin; Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs;
Canada
"Infocommunes & Traditional Knowledge Systems"
Tunde Adegbola, Tiwa Sytems, Nigeria
"Linking Remote Highland Communities in Scotland"
Jenny Brogdan, Lambda Research & Consulting Inc., Scotland
"Harnessing Information Communication Technology for Rural and
International Development: International Pilot Project of Entrepreneurship
Online"
Joanne Norris, Community Business Resource Centre, Canada
"COIN + Partnerships = Sustainability"
Sam Coghlan and John Moore, Oxford County Library, Canada
"The Region of Waterloo Community Network"
Walter Gasparini, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Canada
Keynote Addresses
-----------------
"Grameen Phone: Creative Partnerships and People's Participation in a
Wireless Rural Phone System"
Iqbal Quadir, Grameen Phone, Bangladesh
"The Future of Rural Telecommunications in Canada"
Terry Mosey, Bell Telephone, Canada - via video conference
Evening Activities
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After dinner, there will be a cash bar, display booths and musical
entertainment.
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TUESDAY OCTOBER 27
Breakfast Address
-----------------
"Communicating for Empowerment in Rural Areas"
Gerald Kenney, Canadian International Development Agency, Canada
Panel 2
Future Directions: Recommendations for Project Planning
---------------------------------------------------------
This panel will help us learn more about the challenges we face and
strategies for planning and implementing telecommunications for rural
development projects.
"Rural Telecentres in Mexico: The First Phase"
Scott Robinson, Universidad Metropolitana, Mexico
"The Future for Telecommunications for Rural Development in Haiti"
Josef Georges, TeleCommons Development Group, Haiti
Moderator:
TBA, Foundation for International Training, Canada
Lunch Address
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"Rural Wireless Telecommunication System Pilot Project"
John Desmond, Nortel, Canada
Panel 3
Measuring Rural Development Impact: How and What to Measure?
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This panel will help us address questions about how we can assess the
social and economic impacts of rural telecommunication initiatives.
"Measuring Rural Telecom Impact"
Ricardo Ramirez, Don Snowden Program, Canada
"Connecting with the Unconnected: An Evaluation of the Impacts of the
Internet on Unconnected Rural Stakeholders"
Scott McConnell, University of Guelph, Canada
"Review of the ITU MCT Pilot Project Programme: Towards a Framework for
Impact Evaluation"
Johan Ernberg, International Telecommunications Union, Switzerland
Moderator:
Mirabel Rodriguez, Foundation for International Training, Canada
Concluding Remarks
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"Partnerships and Participation: What Have We Learned?"
Don Richardson, Don Snowden Program, Canada
Post Conference Activities
--------------------------
Immediately after the conference, there will be a complimentary wine and
cheese reception in Peter Clark Hall for delegates and speakers.
Conference delegates are invited to attend the University of Guelph
Hopper Lecture in International Development at 7:30.
Conference Ends
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AGENDA - ON-LINE PRE-CONFERENCE
THURSDAY OCTOBER 1 - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21
Online Pre-conference at http://www.snowden.org
THE ONLINE PRE-CONFERENCE IS FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE.
The Online Pre-conference will include discussion and papers on
the following three themes:
1. Lessons Learned from Past and Present Participatory Rural
Development Strategies - This will involve revisiting some
of what we've learned from the past the Fogo Island
experiences, the Challenge for Change program, Farm
Radio Forum, etc. and finding ways to integrate what
works with the new potentials offered by rural
telecommunications.
Some of the papers submitted for online discussion include:
"In Their Own Image: Local Broadcasting Initiatives and Economic
Development in Southwestern Newfoundland"
Ivan Emke, Memorial U of Newfoundland, Canada
"Participatory strategies message design for participatory
development communications"
Dr. Sadanandan Nair, U of Pune, India
2. Current Rural Development Activities Involving
Telecommunications & Internet - This will include topics
such as Community Access "Telecentres" and Community
Media Centres in Canada, Africa, Asia and Latin America;
current rural telecommunication improvement initiatives in
Canada and developing countries; new ICTs for learning
and service (Distance Education, Telemedicine, Professional
Development, etc.).
Some of the papers submitted to this section include:
"Harnessing Information Technology for Rural and International
Development: A Case Study of Community Business Resource
Centre's Entrepreneurship Online Program"
Joanne Norris, CBRC, Canada
"Connecting Remote First Nations to the Internet"
Brian Beaton, K-Net, Canada
"Taking Social Infrastructure into Account: Lessons from a
Collaborative Australian Project Involving Rural Women and
Communication Technologies"
June Lennie et al, Queensland U of Tech, Australia
"Telehealth Technologies in Rural and Remote Areas of Western
Australia: Exploration of a Social Model of Health Framework"
Angelita Martini, Telehealth Development Unit, W Australia
"Towards a Smart Community"
Janet Findlay, Grow Lanark, Canada
"The STARS Learning Experience"
Jim Ewing, Scotland
3. Future Activities: Building on Lessons Learned - This is our
forum for applying lessons learned to new
telecommunications and Internet technologies for rural
development. It will include discussion on concerns such as
improving rural telecommunications policy to realize
"universal service", improving rural telecommunications and
internet project planning, and identifying opportunities for
collaboration among rural stakeholders.
Some of the papers submitted to this section include:
"Infocommunes: Blending Modern Information and
Communications Technologies with Traditional Practice"
Tunde Adegbola, TIWA Systems, Nigeria
"Investigating the Appropriateness of PRA Techniques in the
Demand Forecasting, Design and Configuration Processes of Rural
Telecommunications Network Expansions in Developing Countries:
A Caribbean Case Study"
Michael Collins, U of E Anglia, UK
"Cooperative Health Information Networks for the Community"
Andreas Weber, Germany
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