OURMedia conference- call for papers

Stef, 05.05.2004 08:42

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios is an international network of academics and activists to strengthen media and
information/communication technologies (ICTs) that support grassroots empowerment.

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: “Building Communication Societies” will take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, July 22-25, 2004

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios IV: Building Communication Societies
An International Conference
July 22-25, 2004 Porto Alegre, Brazil

:::: CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PROPOSALS ::::

Proposal Deadline: May 10, 2004, 22:00/10pm GMT (17:00/5pm EDT).

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 for OURMedia members to learn from
each other and to strengthen our analyses, strategies, collaborations
and campaigns. At this point, membership is free and open to anyone who
shares our guiding principles: please see our website:  http://www.ourmedianet.org.

We invite you to join us (membership is included with conference registration).

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios 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,
but is independent from that event, with our own program, specific criteria
for session proposals and registration fees (scaled to the participant's ability to pay,
no-one will be turned away for lack of funds).

Please see  http://www.ourmedianet.org/om2004 for more information.

This four day conference will feature:

++ FIELD TRIPS to local Brazilian grassroots media and ICT projects,
advocacy campaigns and popular education centers

++ PRESENTATIONS AND PARTICIPATORY SESSIONS: panels, workshops and
strategic discussions to focus on connecting research, advocacy and practice.
Topics include:
** Connecting Research and Advocacy for Citizens’ Media, Community Media
** Current Media/ICT Policy Issues and Implications.
** "Best Practices" and "Notable Failures," (stories and lessons from
citizens' media and grassroots networking projects, media/ICT advocacy
and policy campaigns, researcher-practitioner collaborations and other
social movements that relate to current efforts for community/citizens
media, "communication rights," "media democracy,” "free speech," "media
diversity," "media justice" and other goals.)

++ POLYMEDIA LABORATORY: "NossoMidiaLab" -- an open space for experimentation,
creation, collaboration and skill-sharing to explore autonomous and community uses
of video, audio, Internet and other traditional and new media technologies. Help create it:
 http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NossoMidiaChamada

A Call for Proposals is currently open until May 10. You do not have
to submit a proposal to attend the conference. For more information on
registering to attend or submitting a proposal, please visit our web
page or write to  om2004@ourmedianet.org to request a copy of
the Call for Proposals or the Registration Form.

OURMedia/NuestrosMedios
 http://www.ourmedianet.org