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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I hope this is of
interest!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Please pass on to anyone you
think might be interested,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Steve</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000000 size=2><FONT
face=Arial>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000000 size=2><FONT face=Arial>TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL
ACTION<BR>A WORKSHOP AT THE PARTICIPATORY DESIGN CONFERENCE, TRENTO,
ITALY<BR>TUESDAY 1ST AUGUST, 2006.<BR></FONT> <BR><FONT
face=Arial>Deadline: Monday 12th June 2006</FONT>.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>INTRODUCTION<BR>This workshop
will bring together campaigners, practitioners and<BR>academics to examine the
use of technology to promote emancipatory<BR>social change.<BR><BR>The internet
has opened up a range of opportunities for progressive<BR>social movements
and organisations. Groups promoting: (for example)<BR>women's rights, human
rights, disability rights, community development,<BR>third world development,
industrial democracy and global justice are all<BR>developing ways of using
technology to further social ends, as have<BR>others with less desirable ends
such as hate groups and a variety of<BR>cults<BR><BR>The needs of such social
action groups differ from industrial<BR>applications of ICT because
they:<BR>* rely heavily on the work of
volunteers who are not<BR>professionally trained in their area of
work;<BR>* may involve groups of individuals
who are distributed with<BR>limited chances for face-to-face
communication;<BR>* exhibit complex
interwoven value systems beyond commercial<BR>profit and
'efficiency';<BR>* typically suffer from
extreme shortages of resources;<BR>* often
aim to reach individuals with limited access to ICT (e.g.<BR>in developing
countries, in disadvantaged areas of the developed world,<BR>or people with
disabilities or suffering other forms of social<BR>exclusion).<BR><BR>This
workshop aims to bring together researchers and practitioners<BR>involved in the
design and use of electronic tools to support
social<BR>action.<BR><BR><BR>1. THE AIMS OF THE
WORKSHOP<BR><BR>The workshop will present and discuss the work of the UK
research<BR>network 'Technology & Social Action' in an international
setting,<BR>aiming to test findings against the experiences from elsewhere. We
aim<BR>to build links between the resulting network of researchers and
practitioners</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>and others doing similar work
elsewhere in the world.<BR><BR>The workshop posits a number of
questions.<BR>* How might practitioners
maximise the impact of electronic tools<BR>on their campaigning
goals?<BR>* How can we design systems to
enable and encourage fair access<BR>and participatory democracy in a world of
computer mediated<BR>communication and digital
divides?<BR>* What kinds of design and
development tools and techniques can<BR>be made available for (generally
inexperienced) volunteers to make best<BR>use of available
technologies?<BR>* How can we study
interactions between participants in social<BR>action and systems designed to
support them?<BR>* How does engagement with
electronic campaigns relate to 'real<BR>world'
activism?<BR>* What are the challenges in
countering undesirable developments,<BR>e.g. campaigns by sectarian
groups?<BR>* What are the potentials and
problems of using Free / Libre<BR>Open-Source Sofware in this
area?<BR>* How can campaigns integrate
electronic and physical information<BR>systems to maintain and extend
involvement, and increase the effectiveness</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>of
campaigns?<BR>* How can social movements
organise across boundaries of language,<BR>organisations and
culture?<BR>* How does the globalisation and
computerisation of campaigning<BR>impact on the developing
world?<BR><BR><BR>2. WHO SHOULD ATTEND?<BR><BR>The
workshop is aimed at practitioners, designers, campaign organisers,<BR>activists
and researchers who are:<BR>* involved in
designing for, or supporting NGOs, trade-unions,<BR>community, campaigning or
voluntary groups;<BR>* concerned with the
relationship between 'the network society',<BR>democracy and
emancipation;<BR>* interested in
understanding the impact of electronically<BR>mediated communication on the
development of civil society.<BR> <BR>3.
WORKSHOP STRUCTURE<BR>Participants in the workshop will be asked to make a short
presentation<BR>of their positions. This will be followed by collaborative
working to<BR>explore and collate issues raised by the participants.<BR>The
expected output will be a series of challenges and questions that<BR>will be put
to the wider PD audience at the conference in the form of a<BR>poster to
stimulate discussion during and after the
conference.<BR><BR><BR><BR>4. HOW TO
PARTICIPATE<BR>If you would like to participate, please write a 1 page
introduction<BR>explaining your experience of the domain, and the main issues
you would<BR>like to discuss. Send this to the workshop
organisers<BR>(s.walker@leedsmet.ac.uk) by Monday 12th June 2006.<BR>For details
of the conference, please visit www.pdc2006.org<BR><BR><BR>Important
Dates:<BR>Statement Due 12th June 2006.<BR>Early bird registration for
conference - Thursday 15th June 2006.<BR>Workshop date: 1st August 2006<BR>PDC
2006 1st - 5th August 2006<BR><BR>Andy Dearden<BR>Communication & Computing
Research Centre<BR>Sheffield Hallam University<BR>Sheffield UK, S1
1WB<BR> Tel: +44 114 225 2916<BR>Fax: +44 114 225 3161<BR>email:
a.m.dearden@shu.ac.uk<BR><BR>Steve Walker<BR>School of Information
Management<BR>Leeds Metropolitan University<BR>Beckett Park, Leeds, LS6
3QS<BR>Tel: +44 113 283 7448<BR>Fax: +44 113 283 7599<BR>email:
s.walker@leedsmet.ac.uk<BR><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></br></br><table width="95%" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><font style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1" color="#000000">To view the terms under which this email is distributed, please go to http://disclaimer.leedsmet.ac.uk/email.htm</font></td></tr></table></br></BODY></HTML>