Understanding the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for women’s rights and human rights groups, the Association for Progressive Communication Women’s Networking Support Programme and Violence is Not Our Culture have published a toolkit called Strategising Online Activism. The toolkit can go a long way in helping foster “an understanding of why and how ICTs can be appropriated by these groups in their advocacy skills through their use of online tools, including networking and mobile tools for advocacy and campaigning.”
This toolkit was inspired by the workshops held in Asia and Africa for the partners and members of the Violence is not our Culture (VNC) campaign. While this toolkit has been designed primarily for the local partners and activists of the VNC campaign, this can be a resource, too, for human rights activists who are keen to develop their online activism and want to know where and how to start.
This toolkit is expected to help campaigners acquire the following skills:
– An understanding of why and how ICTs can be appropriated by women’s rights and human rights groups in their advocacy skills through their use of online tools, including networking and mobile tools for advocacy and campaigning
– The ability to develop an advocacy / communication strategy
– Knowing what social networking is and the various spaces and tools they could use in their online activism
– An understanding of online privacy and security issues relevant to building their online activism.
The toolkit starts with explanation about the feminist approach to online activism and how do prescribed gender roles in society impact on their access and relationship with ICT. Further it takes the learner through strategising and planning online activism online campaigning, online identity, and naming your campaign. Then it explains social networking and online activism and important of social networking for your campaign and advocacy. Details about blogging, facebook, and twitter are there.
The tool also takes you through possible security issues and risks, and how one can minimise these risks.
Overall, Strategising Online Activism is a tool that many women and human rights activists find quite helpful in building-up their campaigns and reaching out to global audience. To access this tool, visit this link.
