Hope to see you there. Adilson Cabral OURMedia / NUESTROSMedios / Nossos Meios IV: Building Communication Societies An International Conference July 22-25, 2004 Porto Alegre, Brazil ::::CALL FOR PROPOSALS:::: 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 seek to focus on the OURMedia network as a subject. The team from CIMA together with Dr. Janice Windborne are planning to conduct a research survey of the OURMedia membership 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 FRIDAY, 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 om2004 @ ourmedianet.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 to do so, 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