SUBJECT:
CALL FOR GENDER-RELATED TRAINING MATERIALS FOR THE WOMEN'S ON-LINE
RESOURCE CENTER

Please read the following letter, and answer the questions below.
In addition, please forward this to your networks.

Women'sNet is developing a Women's Online Resource Centre (WORC) as
part of an Association for Progressive Communication's (APC) Online
Resource Centre.

The WORC aims to develop a "one-stop-shop" for gender-related
training materials relevant to individuals and organisations active
in the struggle for gender justice. It is intended to serve as a
clearinghouse for gender-aware training materials in the area of ICT
training, as well as a range of other fields for which there is an
expressed need.

In the Online consultation for the ORC, APC members identified the
following areas for future resource development:
· Strategic use of the Internet as a collaborative workspace;
· Communication strategies;
· Tools for collaborative workspaces and campaigning;
· Internet basics; and
· Training of trainers or materials for trainers

The purpose of this call is to provide organisations with an
opportunity to contribute their gender aware, women focused training
materials either in the form of a link, or in full on the WORC.
Organisations will also have an opportunity to inform how the WORC is
organised.

Basically the WORC will:
a.. focus on materials with a specific gender focus. It will
incorporate and build on gender-aware training materials already
developed;
b.. focus on ICT as well as other non-ICT related materials as may
have already been developed.

The materials can be targeted at the end-user or at trainers
themselves.

The WORC will be a pilot project developed in English only. The site
will be branded as an APC-WNSP site (powered by Itrainonline)

**Project Background

The number of organisations offering gender related training (ICT and
otherwise) is increasing. Across the intersecting gender networks,
individuals and organisations active within the field have different
capacities to develop materials and stay abreast of new theories,
training methodologies and training tools.

The unevenness of capacity and access to support is continually
reinforced since this community of trainers operate in isolation from
each other and are generally not able to able to learn from each
others' experiences and ideas.

The proposal is that the WORC include materials that are specifically
targeted at two sets of users:
· trainers whose use of the materials will centre around
finding appropriate materials and methodologies to use during a
training workshop, and
· end-users who could use the materials to deepen their own
understanding of the gender dimension to a range of issues that are
covered in the online resource centre.

The WORC will maximise the value of existing resources by making
these resources shareable online and available for customisation to
suit local context, needs, and language where required.

** Goal

This project seeks to promote the inclusion of gender analysis in ICT
and other areas of training, with a view towards enhancing the
quality of training in support of gender justice that are available
at a global, regional, and local level.

** Objectives

1. To develop a online clearinghouse though which organisations
and individuals working towards gender justice can share their own -
and freely access others' - training and other relevant materials to
add their social justice and development campaigns and training
activities. Access to these materials will provide interested
organisations and individuals with tried and tested materials that
can be adapted to suit the local context and needs. The online
resource centre will cater for the needs of trainers, and trainees
alike.

2. Through research, facilitate access to online resources that
will raise awareness about, and capacity for, the inclusion of
gender-based analyses in a range of fields of interest to the
intended users of the resource.

3. To develop, with the support and collaboration of trainers,
an online platform where gender-aware trainers can seek advice about
and share approaches, methodologies and tools, as they relate to the
various fields of users' interests.

** About Women'sNet

Women'sNet is a national project set up to provide South African
women's organisations with the necessary skills and expertise to use
Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to network and find
people, resources and information relevant to women's empowerment. The
project seeks to meet the information needs (and especially gender
content) of women and women's organisations across different sectors,
as well as to provide training in web publishing and the use of e-mail
as a networking and communication tool. Women'sNet was born out of a
desire to develop a network that would facilitate the promotion of
gender equality in South Africa through the use of ICTs.

** Questions for Contributors:

· Your Name:

· Your Organisation:

· Your Email address:

· Who are the main beneficiaries of your organisation?

· Does your organisation produce gender aware training
materials, or training materials for use by women, or targeted at
women?

· Are you prepared to share those materials on the WORC?

· If yes, under what conditions?

· If no, why?

· If you make use of other organisations' gender aware
training materials, or training materials by women or targeted at
women, please give us the name and contact details for the
organisation

· What would you say is the greatest resource need of gender
or women's organisations (or organisations with gender or women as a
strong focus)?

Please send you answers to: [email protected]

Warm regards

Ansuyah Maharaj
Women'sNet Information Co-ordinator

http://womensnet.org.za
[email protected]
tel. +27 11 838 6943
fax. +27 11 492 1058
mobile. +27 83 236 9464
SANGONeT
187 Bree Street
13th Floor, Longsbank Building
Johannesburg,
2000
South Africa
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Women'sNet is a joint project of SANGONeT and the Commission on
Gender Equality. The project is also part of the Association for
Progressive Communications' Africa Regional Programme
(APC-Africa-Women), an international programme of similar women's
networking support initiatives working together to ensure a
productive online workspace for the international women's movement.

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