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Building Virtual Communities for Human Rights:

Hosted by the Middle East and North Africa Regional Sites of Conscience Network

The destruction of physical sites where human rights abuses occurred is an urgent issue facing many Sites of Conscience throughout the world. In this three-day meeting, Coalition members and staff with deep experience in documenting these sites through digital mapping and online archives will lead training sessions for Sites of Conscience interested in creating such maps and other virtual programs. In addition to learning how to build scalable and sustainable digital maps, attendees will develop new skills to launch effective and safe civic engagement and advocacy campaigns around digital programming for the betterment of their local contexts and communities.

Brief agenda and registration links below

Full agenda here (Arabic, English, Spanish)

Dates:

October 19-21, 2020 and October 23, 2020

Times:

    • 15:00-18:00 Beirut/Sanaa/Istanbul/Baghdad
    • 13:00-16:00 Rabat/Algiers/Tunis
    • 14:00-17:00 Cairo
    • 8:00-11:00 NY/Washington

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DAY 1 – Documentation and Mapping

Date: Monday, October 19th

7:30am-8:00am (EST-NY): Social Drop By

8:00am-8:15am (EST-NY): Global Meeting Launch, Linda Norris, Director of Global Networks

8:15am-9:00am (EST-NY): Keynote Address by Zeynep Tufekci, Associate Professor, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, and Author of Twitter and Teargas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest

9:00am-9:15am (EST-NY): Break – Drop-in Conversations; MENA Member videos available for viewing

9:15am-9:20am (EST-NY): Welcome, Elizabeth Silkes, Executive Director

9:20am-10:00am (EST-NY):  MENA Sites of Conscience Regional Network’s Digital Mapping and Documentation Project 

Mohamed El-Khamlichi and Menna El-Masry

This project brought together Sites of Conscience from seven countries to create a pioneering digital map identifying sites of human rights violations in the region. Given that access to physical sites in the region is so limited, the digital map aims to document the violations that occurred at the sites, preserve the stories associated with them, and create tools for historical education, advocacy and peace-building. In this presentation, the philosophical approach and the specific methodology will be discussed.

10:00am-11:00am (EST-NY): Supporting Advocacy Efforts Through Documentation

Panelists:

  • Stepan Cernousek, Gulag.cz, Czech Republic
  • Monika Borgmann, UMAM, Lebanon
  • Gustavo Meoño, Museo Internacional para la Democracia, Argentina
  • Ahmed Karoud, Mediterranean Forum for Memory, Tunisia (Facilitator)

Documentation can include archival records, testimonies, photographs, maps and much more. In this panel, presenters from Sites of Conscience will share experiences, best practices and design protocols for the submission and online use of a range of documentation materials, which can be vital to pursuing accountability and launching effective advocacy initiatives. Particular attention will be paid to the safety and security of victims and survivors during online documentation efforts.

Day 1 is open to the public. To register, click here.


Day 2 – Moving from Documentation to Advocacy

Date: Tuesday, October 20th

7:30am-8:00am (EST-NY): Social Drop By – Special Focus: Women of Conscience

8:00am-8:15am (EST-NY): Welcome by Linda Norris, Director of Global Networks

8:15am-9:15am (EST-NY): Launching Points for Effective Advocacy

Panelists: Act for the Disappeared, Lebanon; Hart Island, USA; Hopelantern, Rwanda

In this session, panelists will share models for innovative online documentation and memorialization programs that can serve as springboards for effective advocacy efforts. Presenters will share their experiences moving from online documentation and memorialization initiatives to effective, community-driven advocacy campaigns targeted to policy makers and other key influencers.

The events above are open to the public. Register here.

9:15am-9:30am: Break – Drop-in Conversations; MENA Member videos available for viewing

9:30am to 11:00am (NY-EST): Capacity-Building Workshops

These workshops are open to Sites of Conscience members only. Members should choose one workshop to attend and register with the links below.

A. Building Online Advocacy Platforms

Facilitated by Morana Starcevic and Branka Viera, Youth-Initiative for Human Rights-Croatia

Register here

B. Developing Digital Maps

Facilitated by Linda Norris, Menna El-Masry and other MENA members

Register here


Day 3 – Developing Cross-National Digital Projects

Date: Wednesday, October 21st

7:30am-8:00am (EST-NY): Social Drop By

8:00am-8:15am (EST-NY): Welcome by Linda Norris, Director of Global Networks

8:15am-9:15am (EST-NY): Moving from Regional to Global Impact

Panelists: Enab Baladi, Syria; Kigali Genocide Memorial, Rwanda; War Childhood Museum, Bosnia and Herzegovinia

Since its founding in 1999, Sites of Conscience have been providing platforms for victims and survivors to document their experiences, share their stories and advocate for change. This panel will share strategies for creating cross-national projects to amplify regional issues in a global setting using digital tools. The following questions will be explored: How can digital tools most effectively use documentation of human rights violations to engage national and international stakeholders as well as key influencers outside of their region? And how can digital maps and similar tools help to address the shrinking space for advocacy in support of civil and political rights in many regions?

The events above are open to the public. Register here

9:15am-9:30am: Break – Drop-in Conversations; MENA Member videos available for viewing

9:30am to 11:00am (NY-EST): Capacity-Building Workshops

These workshops are open to Sites of Conscience members only. Members should choose one workshop to attend and register with the links below. Members from all regions may attend.

A. Social Media for Advocacy

Facilitated by Ashley Nelson, Communications Director, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

Register here

B. Audio: Advocacy Through Podcasts and Radio

Facilitated by: Joan Crimmins and Callie Hawkins, President Lincoln’s Cottage, and Denis Ngala, Manene Cultural Trust

Register here

11:15am-12:00pm – Women of Conscience: Reflection and Action

Facilitated by: Linda Norris, Director of Global Programs

All women participants are invited to join this conversation to share ideas and reflections from the meeting, and to consider how they might collaborate to more effectively center women’s voices in civic engagement and advocacy efforts.

Register here


Day 4 – MENA Regional Meeting

Open only to Sites of Conscience in the MENA Regional Network

Date: Friday, October 23rd

8:00am-12:00pm (EST-NY): MENA Sites of Conscience Regional Meeting

  •   Strategic plan adoption
  •   Regional coordinator responsibilities
  •   Steering committee nominations
  •   Action plans for 2021
  •   Meeting evaluation

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