[CIMC-work] Fwd: [Imc-communication] OURMedia Conference and NossaMidiaLab

Chris Kaihatsu ckaihatsu at myrealbox.com
Tue May 18 17:02:24 PDT 2004







___

The Bush administration and elements of the American military hierarchy,
media and corporate establishment are indictable war criminals.
www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/berg-m14.shtml

World urged to halt crimes by Israel
www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=81556&Sn=WORL
www.whatreallyhappened.com/

Guantánamo abuse same as Abu Ghraib, say Britons
www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,13743,1216644,00.html






------- Forwarded Message
To: imc-europe at lists.indymedia.org,imc-communication at lists.indymedia.org
Cc: 
Subject: [Imc-communication] OURMedia Conference and NossaMidiaLab
From: alien8 <alien8 at nadir.org>
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 18:57:20 +0200
Message-ID: <99495366-A4FE-11D8-9304-000393CB4A26 at nadir.org>

Hi all!
In late July, the next gathering/meeting/conference of OURMedia will 
take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. OURMedia is a network of 
researchers and activists working in 
alternative/independent/community/free media. A number of Indymedia 
people will take part in this. I am forwarding 1. the call for 
participation in the polymedia lab which some indymedia people are 
organising parallel to the OURMedia conference, and 2. the call for 
proposals for the conference (deadline 21 may!).

------------------------------------------

NossaMidiaLab

A polymedia laboratory, workshop, production, and exhibition space 
organized by grassroots media producers, autonomous ICT collectives and 
indymedia activists, to take place within the OURMedia IV conference, 
Porto Alegre, Brazil, 22-25 July, 2004.

Autonomous media practices are sometimes isolated from the collective 
experience, analysis and knowledge that comes from practices of other 
locales, regions, and generations. Further gaps exist between academics 
studying community media, civil society organisations operating in the 
global policy arena, and the new generation of radical media activists. 
OURMedia is a global network of academics and activists that has 
succeeded, over the past few years, in bridging some of these gaps.

The next OURMedia conference will be a major gathering of community / 
alternative / radical / citizens' / independent mediamakers. In 
addition to presentations and discussions, the conference will include 
a space for communication experiments and practical collaboration. 
Based on previous media laboratories, such as the Hub at the European 
Social Forum (Florence 2002), the Hurakán Kankún Alternative Media-Tech 
Convergence prior to the WTO Ministerial (Cancún 2003), We Seize! WSIS 
Counter-Summit (Geneva 2003) and the Foro de Acá (Montevideo 2003), 
Nosso Midia Lab will be a space for experimentation, creation, and 
skill-sharing. Workshops, projects and exhibits will explore autonomous 
and community uses of video, radio, Internet and other traditional and 
new media technologies. Join media activists, community media makers, 
and communication researchers in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to share and 
reflect on our media making practices and experiences.

What is NossaMidiaLab?
NossaMidiaLab seeks to create an open environment of creativity and 
collaboration. It will serve as a space for sharing skills, 
sociotechnical practices, knowledge and experiences. As the OURMedia 
conference will bring together local/regional with international 
researchers and practitioners, NossaMidiaLab will allow meeting and 
collaboration of media activists from the region (Brazil, Argentina, 
Uruguay) with those from other global regions. Local activists will be 
able to learn a variety of media skills, international media 
practitioners will hear from the inspiring practices and experiences of 
local media groups, and communication activists from all parts of the 
world will collaborate on common projects. NossaMidiaLab will be a 
self-organised space, collectively created and organized by the 
participants.

What will happen at NossaMidiaLab?
Technical Infrastructure: a framework of equipment, shared by all, with 
all participants invited to experiment, develop, and collaborate on a 
continuous basis... help build it, help use it...
Workshops: how to make radio and tv transmitters, how to set up 
web-radio streams and video streams, digital video editing, open source 
/ free software, print layout...each one teach one...
Presentations: on network organisation, copyleft, experiences of 
diverse international media projects, media strategies of social 
movements, media activist responses to WSIS, WTO, escalating 
Infowar...shared praxis...
Exhibits: collective photo exhibition, video screenings, radio 
streams...make it, show it, see it, stream it...
Collective projects: an ongoing webradio stream as a collaborative 
project by a variety of media activists and practitioners, based on 
experiences such as the Free Radio of the Americas; a communiqué for 
the Americas Social Forum in Quito...

So far, all these projects are only ideas and visions. They will all 
rely on YOU to organise a workshop, create an exhibit, suggest a 
collaboration.

How can I particpate in NossaMidiaLab?
Think about what you would like to learn from or contribute to 
NossaMidiaLab, and send your ideas/plans/suggestions/questions to 
"OMIVPOLYMEDIA at LISTS.OU.EDU"

Join the NossaMidiaLab mailing list: 
http://lists.ou.edu/archives/omivpolymedia.html

Add your ideas directly to the NossaMidiaLab wiki: 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NossoMidiaLab

Also, make a proposal to participate in other parts of the OURmedia 
conference: http://www.ourmedianet.org

See you in Porto Alegre!

NossaMidiaLab collective May 1, 2004

Further information:

Our Media / Nuestr at s Medios main website: http://www.ourmedianet.org
OM/NM IV conference page: http://www.ourmedianet.org/om2004/
Nossa Midia Lab wiki: 
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NossoMidiaLab
Indymedia Brazil: http://brazil.indymedia.org
Hub Project (Media(h)activism): http://www.hubproject.org

--------------------------------------------------

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: Building Communication Societies
An International Conference
July 22-25, 2004
Porto Alegre, Brazil

::::CALL FOR PROPOSALS::::
(English Version)

"OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: Building Communication Societies"

DEADLINE: May 21, 2004

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios is an international network of more than 270
academics and activists -- researchers, practitioners and advocates
working in more than forty countries to strengthen media and
information/communication technologies (ICTs) that support social
justice, human rights, community autonomy and grassroots empowerment.

Our work spans many fields: community media, independent media, radical
media, citizens media ... grassroots networking, telecommunications
policy, indymedia activism, cultural arts, communications theory,
social-movement research, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies,
development communication and communication for social change. Our
annual meeting is a time to learn from each other and to strengthen our
analyses, strategies, collaborations and campaigns. We invite you to
join us.

Presentations and participatory sessions at OM IV will be translated on
site into English/Spanish/Portuguese and also fully documented. Papers,
reports and other written or multimedia materials provided by
presenters will be posted to the OURMedia website, which is becoming
one of the most comprehensive online repositories of research and
commentary on grassroots media and ICTs. Several publication projects
such as books and special-edition journals are currently being planned
and others may develop to feature the presentations, discussions and
projects produced at and for OM IV.

This announcement includes:
** Types of Sessions
** Topic Areas
** Selection Criteria
** How to Apply
** More about the Conference (including costs & fees)
** Preliminary Conference Schedule
===============


TYPES OF SESSIONS

The Conference Planning Committee is seeking proposals for two types of
sessions:

1) PRESENTATIONS: moderated panels, paper presentations, multimedia
presentations, small roundtable debates/discussions, performances
2) PARTICIPATORY SESSIONS: facilitated discussion groups, workshops,
strategic working groups, action planning meetings

In addition, the first and last days of the OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV
Conference will feature FIELD TRIPS to local Brazilian grassroots media
and ICT projects, advocacy campaigns and popular education centers as
well as an active POLYMEDIA LAB which will be open for the full four
days of the conference.

Based on previous "polymedia labs" at the European Social Forum
(Florence 2002), the We Seize! WSIS Counter-Summit (Geneva 2003) and
the Foro de Acá (Montevideo 2003) the OURMedia Polymedia Lab will be a
multimedia space for experimentation, creation, collaboration and
skill-sharing. Workshops, projects and exhibits will explore autonomous
and community uses of video, audio, Internet and other traditional and
new media technologies. The Polymedia Lab is collectively organized by
participants and open to all. Anyone interested in participating in the
Polymedia Lab planning should visit:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/OurPolymediaLab

======================

TOPIC AREAS

For Presentations and Participatory Sessions, the Conference Planning
Committee is seeking proposals that address one or more of the
following topics:

1) Connecting Research and Advocacy for Citizens' Media
--data and research findings, advocacy strategies and
research/evaluation methods that can help demonstrate to policymakers,
funders and civil society leaders the vital importance of grassroots,
community-based, autonomous, participatory media and ICT policies,
systems and projects
-- the research needs of advocates, practitioners and policymakers
-- overcoming barriers to advocacy-oriented or participatory research
in academia
-- opportunities and methods for research that can support advocacy as
well as practitioner self-evaluation
-- the nexus between academic research and community aspirations
-- pragmatic projects for equity, social inclusion and policy
realignment
-- ICT and media policy and advocacy campaigns as empowering tools for
future initiatives
-- tactical, practice-based, or other 'non-traditional' research
methods and models
-- interactive media and how it links to collaborative and
participatory research and practice


2) "Best Practices" and "Notable Failures"
-- stories and lessons from survivors, successes and disasters;
transformed, extinct or emerging citizens' media and grassroots
networking projects, media/ICT advocacy and policy campaigns,
researcher-practitioner collaborations. What specifically we can learn
from them to incorporate into our practice as researchers, advocates
and media practitioners?
-- praxis models for engaging ICTs and media and grassroots activities,
community participation or mobilization
-- lessons from other social movements, past campaigns or local
examples that relate to current advocacy efforts for "communication
rights," "media democracy," "free speech," "media diversity" and other
goals.

3) Current Policy Issues and Implications:
-- discussions on current media/ICT policy issues and institutions such
as WSIS, WTO, FTAA, WIPO, Convention on Cultural Diversity and
local/regional policy and regulatory issues
-- specific current or emerging political/military/commercial threats
to free, diverse, autonomous and participatory media
-- specific current or emerging opportunities to advance communication
rights, information rights, freedom of speech
-- considerations of current media/ICT policy campaigns in local,
regional or global contexts
-- evaluations of existing policy models at local, regional or world
levels
-- the politics of media production and distribution processes

4) The Evolution of OURMedia and Project Working Sessions
-- opportunities for OM to advance academic/advocacy/practitioner
collaborations
-- specific ways that network members can help each other
-- research, workshops, strategies and campaigns to further develop OM
as a network and political force
-- workshops or discussions to address future goals, organizational
structures, processes and activities for the network, next steps and
short & long term future of OURMedia

We are very interested in session proposals that have a specific
intended action outcome, such as working sessions designed to initiate
collaborative projects with the goal of producing actual tools such as:
- a guide to self evaluation for citizens media/advocacy groups
- guidelines for practitioner/advocate academic collaborations
- bibliographies of key research for media/ICT advocacy
- media education/media literacy curricula including a citizens' media
perspective
- collectively generated maps of the relationships among media and
ICTpolicy issues
- booklets or pamphlets on current policy issues and how they relate to
community media and ICTs
- public education materials (flyers, articles, posters, multimedia)
about citizens media/ICT and policy issues
- action plans, working groups and groundwork for participation in a
regional/global policy forum such as WSIS II or WTO, Social Forums and
other movement processes or activist campaigns.

**Note: We are also specifically seeking research proposals that focus
on the OURMedia network as a subject. The team from CIMA, together with
Dr. Janice Windborne, are planning to conduct survey research on the
OURMedia network and are actively looking for additional academic
partners interested in contributing to this work. This is an excellent
opportunity for academics interested in studying networks. If you are
interested, please contact [ liza @ mediaactioncenter.org] ***
======================

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Program Working Group will be most interested in proposals that:

* address the overall conference objectives and suggested topic areas
* incorporate group discussion and/or workshop-style interactivity
* reflect on the challenges and opportunities for research to support
advocacy and/or practitioners
* model participatory research and/or presentation techniques and
methods
* engage specific current issues of concern, policy/advocacy campaigns,
or debates in the field
* feature people speaking from their own experiences, self-representing
and/or sharing local knowledge; presenter teams that include both
academics and a representative of their "subject" group will be
considered favorably
* are designed to appeal to a cross-disciplinary and international
audience
* include a strategy for how documentation/dissemination or other
follow up from the discussion or presentation can help advance OM goals
and conference objectives
* consider the strategic development of OM as a network, and/or
potential OM projects as part of the focus/conclusion of the
presentation or discussion

We will select a mix of proposals with consideration for:

* geographic, ethnic, professional, gender and age diversity
* a balance of practitioner perspectives and academic perspectives
* a balance of presentation sessions and group discussion/workshop
sessions, with a preference for participatory sessions over panels and
speeches
* perspectives and voices from traditionally or frequently marginalized
groups and communities
* relevance to current policy debates, advocacy campaigns and specific
political/economic conditions
* fun, uplifting and inspirational approaches (eg: games, experiential
exercises, multimedia, etc)

======================

HOW TO APPLY

Please prepare a short proposal to be submitted by email. Your proposal
must include:

* Name(s) of presenters, panelists or session leaders
* Contact information (organization, address, phone/fax, email)
* Short bio (90 words or less) for each participant named, including
country where they are based, institutional affiliation, nature of
their work and/or field of expertise or study
* Description/abstract of your session (no more than 500 words) that
includes: title, topic to be covered and detailed description of format
or outline of the session plan. Please be sure to reference the
relevant topic areas as listed in this announcement and to indicate why
you think this session meets our selection criteria.

Please indicate if you are already an OURMedia member and if you have
attended past OM conferences.

***DEADLINE***
Proposals must be submitted by MAY 21, 2004 22:00 GMT (10pm GMT)

*If you submitted an earlier paper, abstract or proposal, we invite you
to re-submit as described above or simply to send us supplementary
information indicating how your proposed session fits the Conference
topics and criteria.

Send complete proposal as email text, Microsoft Word, PDF or RTF
document to Aliza Dichter, Program Working Group Chair at [ cima @
mediaactioncenter.org ] .

===================================
MORE INFORMATION, COSTS AND FEES

OURMedia IV: "Building Communication Societies" will take place in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, July 22-25, 2004 as a pre-conference to the
IAMCR, the International Association of Media and Communications
Research.

We are currently fundraising to cover essential conference costs. We
are hoping to raise additional funds to enable us to subsidize the
travel and lodging costs of some participants. However, it is unlikely
we will be able to provide full travel subsidies for anyone.
Participants are encouraged to acquire their own funding for
transportation/food/lodging if possible. Scholarship information will
be available after April 20 on the OURMedia website.

The Conference full registration fee is $150 USD for the two days of
conference sessions and $150 USD for the two days of field trips, for a
total of $300 USD. If you are not receiving funding from an academic
organization, large NGO, grantmaking foundation or other institution,
and not otherwise able to raise the funds, then we will waive the
registration fee. However, please note that registration fees will
contribute towards essential conference costs such as space,
translators, technology and documentation as well as supplement our
budget for the field trips. We have a very tight budget for a very
ambitious agenda and we need your support.

If you are also planning on attending IAMCR, some grants are available
for participants from "low-income countries". Please visit:
http://www.pucrs.br/famecos/iamcr/textos/grants.htm
   and be sure to apply before April 30.

For more information about OM IV please first visit our web page at:
http://www.ourmedianet.org/om2004

If you still have additional questions after visiting the webpage,
please contact us by email: [ omiv @ ourmedianet.org ]

==================================
PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
(subject to change)

Day 1, July 22- Thursday
-- Registration
-- Opening meeting
-- Field trips (To Be Announced)
-- Polymedia Lab

Day 2, July 23- Friday
-- Registration
-- Welcome Plenary: A Tribute to the Legacy of Paulo Freire
-- Morning Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions
-- Afternoon Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions
-- All Day: Polymedia Lab
-- Evening: informal dinners and self-organized meetings

Day 3, July 24- Saturday
-- Morning Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions
-- Afternoon Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions
-- All Day: Polymedia Lab
-- Evening: closing plenary for conference meeting sessions

Day 4, July 25- Sunday
-- Field Trips (TBA)
-- Polymedia Lab
-- Space for self-organized meetings available

-------------------------------Apple-Mail-4-933542086
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/enriched;
	charset=ISO-8859-1

<smaller>Hi all!

In late July, the next gathering/meeting/conference of OURMedia will
take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. OURMedia is a network of
researchers and activists working in
alternative/independent/community/free media. A number of Indymedia
people will take part in this. I am forwarding 1. the call for
participation in the polymedia lab which some indymedia people are
organising parallel to the OURMedia conference, and 2. the call for
proposals for the conference (deadline 21 may!).


------------------------------------------


<bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>NossaMidiaLab </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>A polymedia laboratory, workshop,
production, and exhibition space organized by grassroots media
producers, autonomous ICT collectives and indymedia activists, to take
place within the OURMedia IV conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 22-25
July, 2004. </color>


</bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Autonomous media practices
are sometimes isolated from the collective experience, analysis and
knowledge that comes from practices of other locales, regions, and
generations. Further gaps exist between academics studying community
media, civil society organisations operating in the global policy
arena, and the new generation of radical media activists. OURMedia is
a global network of academics and activists that has succeeded, over
the past few years, in bridging some of these gaps. </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>The next OURMedia conference will
be a major gathering of community / alternative / radical / citizens'
/ independent mediamakers. In addition to presentations and
discussions, the conference will include a space for communication
experiments and practical collaboration. Based on previous media
laboratories, such as the Hub at the European Social Forum (Florence
2002), the Hurak=E1n Kank=FAn Alternative Media-Tech Convergence prior =
to
the WTO Ministerial (Canc=FAn 2003), We Seize! WSIS Counter-Summit
(Geneva 2003) and the Foro de Ac=E1 (Montevideo 2003), Nosso Midia Lab
will be a space for experimentation, creation, and skill-sharing.
Workshops, projects and exhibits will explore autonomous and community
uses of video, radio, Internet and other traditional and new media
technologies. Join media activists, community media makers, and
communication researchers in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to share and
reflect on our media making practices and experiences. </color>


<bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>What is NossaMidiaLab? =
</color>

</bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>NossaMidiaLab seeks to
create an open environment of creativity and collaboration. It will
serve as a space for sharing skills, sociotechnical practices,
knowledge and experiences. As the OURMedia conference will bring
together local/regional with international researchers and
practitioners, NossaMidiaLab will allow meeting and collaboration of
media activists from the region (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay) with
those from other global regions. Local activists will be able to learn
a variety of media skills, international media practitioners will hear
from the inspiring practices and experiences of local media groups,
and communication activists from all parts of the world will
collaborate on common projects. NossaMidiaLab will be a self-organised
space, collectively created and organized by the participants. </color>


<bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>What will happen at
NossaMidiaLab? </color>

</bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Technical Infrastructure: a
framework of equipment, shared by all, with all participants invited
to experiment, develop, and collaborate on a continuous basis... help
build it, help use it... </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Workshops: how to make radio and
tv transmitters, how to set up web-radio streams and video streams,
digital video editing, open source / free software, print
layout...each one teach one... </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Presentations: on network
organisation, copyleft, experiences of diverse international media
projects, media strategies of social movements, media activist
responses to WSIS, WTO, escalating Infowar...shared praxis... </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Exhibits: collective photo
exhibition, video screenings, radio streams...make it, show it, see
it, stream it... </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Collective projects: an ongoing
webradio stream as a collaborative project by a variety of media
activists and practitioners, based on experiences such as the Free
Radio of the Americas; a communiqu=E9 for the Americas Social Forum in
Quito... </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>So far, all these projects are
only ideas and visions. They will all rely on YOU to organise a
workshop, create an exhibit, suggest a collaboration. </color>


<bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>How can I particpate in
NossaMidiaLab? </color>

</bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Think about what you would
like to learn from or contribute to NossaMidiaLab, and send your
ideas/plans/suggestions/questions to "OMIVPOLYMEDIA at LISTS.OU.EDU" =
</color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Join the NossaMidiaLab mailing
list:
=
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://lists.ou.edu/archives/o=
mivpolymedia.html </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Add your ideas directly to the
NossaMidiaLab wiki:
=
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://docs.indymedia.org/view=
/Global/NossoMidiaLab </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Also, make a proposal to
participate in other parts of the OURmedia conference:
</color><color><param>6665,3332,9998</param>http://www.ourmedianet.org =
</color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>See you in Porto Alegre! </color>


<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>NossaMidiaLab collective May 1,
2004 </color>


<bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Further information: </color>


</bold><color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Our Media / Nuestr at s Medios
main website:
</color><color><param>6665,3332,9998</param>http://www.ourmedianet.org =
</color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>OM/NM IV conference page:
=
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://www.ourmedianet.org/om2=
004/ </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Nossa Midia Lab wiki:
=
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://docs.indymedia.org/view=
/Global/NossoMidiaLab </color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Indymedia Brazil:
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://brazil.indymedia.org =
</color>

<color><param>1110,1110,1110</param>Hub Project (Media(h)activism):
</color><color><param>0000,807F,CCCB</param>http://www.hubproject.org =
</color>


--------------------------------------------------


OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: Building Communication Societies</smaller>

<smaller>An International Conference

July 22-25, 2004

Porto Alegre, Brazil</smaller>


<smaller>::::CALL FOR PROPOSALS::::

(English Version)</smaller>


<smaller>"OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: Building Communication =
Societies"</smaller>


<smaller>DEADLINE: May 21, 2004</smaller>


<smaller>OURMedia/NuestrosMedios is an international network of more
than 270

academics and activists -- researchers, practitioners and advocates

working in more than forty countries to strengthen media and

information/communication technologies (ICTs) that support social

justice, human rights, community autonomy and grassroots =
empowerment.</smaller>


<smaller>Our work spans many fields: community media, independent
media, radical

media, citizens media ... grassroots networking, telecommunications

policy, indymedia activism, cultural arts, communications theory,

social-movement research, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies,

development communication and communication for social change. Our

annual meeting is a time to learn from each other and to strengthen our

analyses, strategies, collaborations and campaigns. We invite you to

join us.</smaller>


<smaller>Presentations and participatory sessions at OM IV will be
translated on

site into English/Spanish/Portuguese and also fully documented. Papers,

reports and other written or multimedia materials provided by

presenters will be posted to the OURMedia website, which is becoming

one of the most comprehensive online repositories of research and

commentary on grassroots media and ICTs. Several publication projects

such as books and special-edition journals are currently being planned

and others may develop to feature the presentations, discussions and

projects produced at and for OM IV.</smaller>


<smaller>This announcement includes:

** Types of Sessions

** Topic Areas

** Selection Criteria

** How to Apply

** More about the Conference (including costs & fees)

** Preliminary Conference Schedule

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D</smaller>



<smaller>TYPES OF SESSIONS</smaller>


<smaller>The Conference Planning Committee is seeking proposals for
two types of

sessions:</smaller>


<smaller>1) PRESENTATIONS: moderated panels, paper presentations,
multimedia

presentations, small roundtable debates/discussions, performances

2) PARTICIPATORY SESSIONS: facilitated discussion groups, workshops,

strategic working groups, action planning meetings</smaller>


<smaller>In addition, the first and last days of the
OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV

Conference will feature FIELD TRIPS to local Brazilian grassroots media

and ICT projects, advocacy campaigns and popular education centers as

well as an active POLYMEDIA LAB which will be open for the full four

days of the conference.</smaller>


<smaller>Based on previous "polymedia labs" at the European Social
Forum

(Florence 2002), the We Seize! WSIS Counter-Summit (Geneva 2003) and

the Foro de Ac=E1 (Montevideo 2003) the OURMedia Polymedia Lab will be a

multimedia space for experimentation, creation, collaboration and

skill-sharing. Workshops, projects and exhibits will explore autonomous

and community uses of video, audio, Internet and other traditional and

new media technologies. The Polymedia Lab is collectively organized by

participants and open to all. Anyone interested in participating in the

Polymedia Lab planning should visit:

=
<underline><color><param>1A1A,1A1A,FFFF</param>http://docs.indymedia.org/v=
iew/Global/OurPolymediaLab</color></underline></smaller>


<smaller>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
</smaller>


<smaller>TOPIC AREAS</smaller>


<smaller>For Presentations and Participatory Sessions, the Conference
Planning

Committee is seeking proposals that address one or more of the

following topics:</smaller>


<smaller>1) Connecting Research and Advocacy for Citizens' Media

--data and research findings, advocacy strategies and

research/evaluation methods that can help demonstrate to policymakers,

funders and civil society leaders the vital importance of grassroots,

community-based, autonomous, participatory media and ICT policies,

systems and projects

-- the research needs of advocates, practitioners and policymakers

-- overcoming barriers to advocacy-oriented or participatory research

in academia

-- opportunities and methods for research that can support advocacy as

well as practitioner self-evaluation

-- the nexus between academic research and community aspirations

-- pragmatic projects for equity, social inclusion and policy

realignment

-- ICT and media policy and advocacy campaigns as empowering tools for

future initiatives

-- tactical, practice-based, or other 'non-traditional' research

methods and models

-- interactive media and how it links to collaborative and

participatory research and practice</smaller>



<smaller>2) "Best Practices" and "Notable Failures"

-- stories and lessons from survivors, successes and disasters;

transformed, extinct or emerging citizens' media and grassroots

networking projects, media/ICT advocacy and policy campaigns,

researcher-practitioner collaborations. What specifically we can learn

from them to incorporate into our practice as researchers, advocates

and media practitioners?

-- praxis models for engaging ICTs and media and grassroots activities,

community participation or mobilization

-- lessons from other social movements, past campaigns or local

examples that relate to current advocacy efforts for "communication

rights," "media democracy," "free speech," "media diversity" and other

goals.</smaller>


<smaller>3) Current Policy Issues and Implications:

-- discussions on current media/ICT policy issues and institutions such

as WSIS, WTO, FTAA, WIPO, Convention on Cultural Diversity and

local/regional policy and regulatory issues

-- specific current or emerging political/military/commercial threats

to free, diverse, autonomous and participatory media

-- specific current or emerging opportunities to advance communication

rights, information rights, freedom of speech

-- considerations of current media/ICT policy campaigns in local,

regional or global contexts

-- evaluations of existing policy models at local, regional or world

levels

-- the politics of media production and distribution processes</smaller>


<smaller>4) The Evolution of OURMedia and Project Working Sessions

-- opportunities for OM to advance academic/advocacy/practitioner

collaborations

-- specific ways that network members can help each other

-- research, workshops, strategies and campaigns to further develop OM

as a network and political force

-- workshops or discussions to address future goals, organizational

structures, processes and activities for the network, next steps and

short & long term future of OURMedia</smaller>


<smaller>We are very interested in session proposals that have a
specific

intended action outcome, such as working sessions designed to initiate

collaborative projects with the goal of producing actual tools such as:

- a guide to self evaluation for citizens media/advocacy groups

- guidelines for practitioner/advocate academic collaborations

- bibliographies of key research for media/ICT advocacy

- media education/media literacy curricula including a citizens' media

perspective

- collectively generated maps of the relationships among media and

ICTpolicy issues

- booklets or pamphlets on current policy issues and how they relate to

community media and ICTs

- public education materials (flyers, articles, posters, multimedia)

about citizens media/ICT and policy issues

- action plans, working groups and groundwork for participation in a

regional/global policy forum such as WSIS II or WTO, Social Forums and

other movement processes or activist campaigns.</smaller>


<smaller>**Note: We are also specifically seeking research proposals
that focus

on the OURMedia network as a subject. The team from CIMA, together with

Dr. Janice Windborne, are planning to conduct survey research on the

OURMedia network and are actively looking for additional academic

partners interested in contributing to this work. This is an excellent

opportunity for academics interested in studying networks. If you are

interested, please contact [ liza @ mediaactioncenter.org] ***

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D</smalle=
r>


<smaller>SELECTION CRITERIA</smaller>


<smaller>The Program Working Group will be most interested in
proposals that:</smaller>


<smaller>* address the overall conference objectives and suggested
topic areas

* incorporate group discussion and/or workshop-style interactivity

* reflect on the challenges and opportunities for research to support

advocacy and/or practitioners

* model participatory research and/or presentation techniques and

methods

* engage specific current issues of concern, policy/advocacy campaigns,

or debates in the field

* feature people speaking from their own experiences, self-representing

and/or sharing local knowledge; presenter teams that include both

academics and a representative of their "subject" group will be

considered favorably

* are designed to appeal to a cross-disciplinary and international

audience

* include a strategy for how documentation/dissemination or other

follow up from the discussion or presentation can help advance OM goals

and conference objectives

* consider the strategic development of OM as a network, and/or

potential OM projects as part of the focus/conclusion of the

presentation or discussion</smaller>


<smaller>We will select a mix of proposals with consideration =
for:</smaller>


<smaller>* geographic, ethnic, professional, gender and age diversity

* a balance of practitioner perspectives and academic perspectives

* a balance of presentation sessions and group discussion/workshop

sessions, with a preference for participatory sessions over panels and

speeches

* perspectives and voices from traditionally or frequently marginalized

groups and communities

* relevance to current policy debates, advocacy campaigns and specific

political/economic conditions

* fun, uplifting and inspirational approaches (eg: games, experiential

exercises, multimedia, etc)</smaller>


<smaller>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
</smaller>


<smaller>HOW TO APPLY</smaller>


<smaller>Please prepare a short proposal to be submitted by email.
Your proposal

must include:</smaller>


<smaller>* Name(s) of presenters, panelists or session leaders

* Contact information (organization, address, phone/fax, email)

* Short bio (90 words or less) for each participant named, including

country where they are based, institutional affiliation, nature of

their work and/or field of expertise or study

* Description/abstract of your session (no more than 500 words) that

includes: title, topic to be covered and detailed description of format

or outline of the session plan. Please be sure to reference the

relevant topic areas as listed in this announcement and to indicate why

you think this session meets our selection criteria.</smaller>


<smaller>Please indicate if you are already an OURMedia member and if
you have

attended past OM conferences.</smaller>


<smaller>***DEADLINE***

Proposals must be submitted by MAY 21, 2004 22:00 GMT (10pm =
GMT)</smaller>


<smaller>*If you submitted an earlier paper, abstract or proposal, we
invite you

to re-submit as described above or simply to send us supplementary

information indicating how your proposed session fits the Conference

topics and criteria.</smaller>


<smaller>Send complete proposal as email text, Microsoft Word, PDF or
RTF

document to Aliza Dichter, Program Working Group Chair at [ cima @

mediaactioncenter.org ] .</smaller>


<smaller>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

MORE INFORMATION, COSTS AND FEES</smaller>


<smaller>OURMedia IV: "Building Communication Societies" will take
place in

Porto Alegre, Brazil, July 22-25, 2004 as a pre-conference to the

IAMCR, the International Association of Media and Communications

Research.</smaller>


<smaller>We are currently fundraising to cover essential conference
costs. We

are hoping to raise additional funds to enable us to subsidize the

travel and lodging costs of some participants. However, it is unlikely

we will be able to provide full travel subsidies for anyone.

Participants are encouraged to acquire their own funding for

transportation/food/lodging if possible. Scholarship information will

be available after April 20 on the OURMedia website.</smaller>


<smaller>The Conference full registration fee is $150 USD for the two
days of

conference sessions and $150 USD for the two days of field trips, for a

total of $300 USD. If you are not receiving funding from an academic

organization, large NGO, grantmaking foundation or other institution,

and not otherwise able to raise the funds, then we will waive the

registration fee. However, please note that registration fees will

contribute towards essential conference costs such as space,

translators, technology and documentation as well as supplement our

budget for the field trips. We have a very tight budget for a very

ambitious agenda and we need your support.</smaller>


<smaller>If you are also planning on attending IAMCR, some grants are
available

for participants from "low-income countries". Please visit:

=
<underline><color><param>1A1A,1A1A,FFFF</param>http://www.pucrs.br/famecos=
/iamcr/textos/grants.htm

</color></underline>=A0=A0 and be sure to apply before April =
30.</smaller>


<smaller>For more information about OM IV please first visit our web
page at:

=
<underline><color><param>1A1A,1A1A,FFFF</param>http://www.ourmedianet.org/=
om2004</color></underline></smaller>


<smaller>If you still have additional questions after visiting the
webpage,

please contact us by email: [ omiv @ ourmedianet.org ]</smaller>


<smaller>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

(subject to change)</smaller>


<smaller>Day 1, July 22- Thursday

-- Registration

-- Opening meeting

-- Field trips (To Be Announced)

-- Polymedia Lab</smaller>


<smaller>Day 2, July 23- Friday

-- Registration

-- Welcome Plenary: A Tribute to the Legacy of Paulo Freire

-- Morning Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions

-- Afternoon Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions

-- All Day: Polymedia Lab

-- Evening: informal dinners and self-organized meetings</smaller>


<smaller>Day 3, July 24- Saturday

-- Morning Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions

-- Afternoon Sessions: Presentations and Strategic Discussions

-- All Day: Polymedia Lab

-- Evening: closing plenary for conference meeting sessions</smaller>


<smaller>Day 4, July 25- Sunday

-- Field Trips (TBA)

-- Polymedia Lab

-- Space for self-organized meetings available</smaller>


-----------------------------



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