[artinfo] crossing feminism and ICT technology

[matthew fuller]

ICTs in Eastern and Central Europe
Witt-project.net: crossing feminism and ICT technology

March 8 2005. Women's Information Technology Transfer (WITT) launch
today a portal site to link women's organizations and feminist
advocates for the internet in Eastern and Central Europe.
www.witt-project.net is both a website, providing ICTs strategic
information to all, and supporting, in a collective way, Central and
Eastern European women in developing a web as an instrument in their
social activism. WITT is committed to bringing women's actions,
activities and struggles to the spotlight, promoting the use of free
software as a way to highlight women's voices.

WITT is one of the first organizations of its kind to train women's
non-governmental organisations in Central and Eastern Europe to use
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in their communication
strategies. The WITT website has been developed for women to share
their experiences with ICTs, to learn about training events provided
by WITT and to develop expertise in advocacy on gender and ICT
issues. Women can publish on the website in their own language (8
languages are available to be used as the site develops). During the
annual WITT Trainers Exchange Event (TEE 2005), held in Ohrid,
Macedonia from 12-15 February 2005, WITT trainers learned how to
operate this collective website, learning how to write efficiently
for the web and how to publish live using the GPL (General Public
License) Publication software Spip (the site has been totally created
by WITT members). Participants in WITT trainings will need only a few
hours to be able to appropriate the technology for using the website
effectively. This is a great strength both of the Spip system and the
WITT philosophy that technology is a tool to be used, not feared.

The Trainers Exchange Event, hosted by Akcija Zdruzhenska, a
Macedonian organization of feminist trainers, was attended by 16
women from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech
Republic, France, Moldova, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland and
Serbia and Montenegro. All these trainers are active within the
women's movement or social movements in the region, many in the area
of ICTs. The purpose of these events is to build powerful
partnerships between the trainers and for WITT to maintain a pool of
women who will not only promote ICT use but also promote a feminist 
analysis of ICT use.

WITT was initiated in 2002 by ENAWA - European North American Women
Action as part of it's training program. It will become an
independent entity early in 2005, with its seat in Croatia and Focal
Points throughout the region. Focal Points are women working within
organizations who represent WITT and organize local WITT trainings.
http://www.witt-project.net


To visit and learn more about WITT visit WITT or contact:

info at witt-project.net