Media.Knet.Ca

KO staff discussed the use of ICTs at the "Celebrating Communications for Social and Environmental Change" a conference hosted by the Snowden Program in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph and was coordinated by Helen Hambly.

Cal Kenny, K-Net Graphic Artist and Website Design and Brian Walmark, KO Research Coordinator, joined George Ferreira, PhD Candidate and Ricardo Ramirez, SEDRD at University of Guelph on a panel entitled "K-NET: Experience in Participatory Video in Northern Ontario" (Chaired by Helen Aitken of TDG). Click here to see more pictures.

Cal Kenny shared his latest video with conference participants during one of the workshop sessions.  His work was well recieved and he shared a copy of the video with Stephanie Barker, the head of outreach at the National Film Board.

The goal of "Celebrating Communications" was to strengthen communications for social and environmental change, both as a field of development practice and academic research. The Symposium achieved all of its goals. Participants from around the world including community activists in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

While connectivity and ICTs have had a major impact on KO and other First Nation communities across the NAN territory, the Internet has been much less successful as a communications tool in Latin America and Africa. The availability of electricity, the costs of connectivity, and the failure of many e-centres to truly reflect local needs and aspirations, limits the effectiveness of ICTs at the community level. Many e-centres in Latin America simply closed after funding ran out. Local people in many cases felt little if any ownership of these e-centres. These concerns were reflected by Alfonso Gumucio Dagron, the Executive Director of Communications for Social Change Consortium in the key note address. Dagron emphasized that process not the medium is critical if local communities are to develop a strong sense of ownership. "Access to media is not the same as community ownership," he said. Community radio in Latin America, he said, has been very successful in addressing local concerns for the past twenty-five years. He said sustainability is critical if community radio is to survive the impacts of globalization. He argued that economic sustainability is only one factor that must be considered. Institutional and social sustainability are also critical elements if a media, community radio or ICTs survives are to give a voice to those increasingly muted by globalization.

Carl Greenidge, the Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, agreed that connectivity and ICTs are expensive especially in Africa but he cautioned that no media should be considered a panacea. "No matter which medium you select, some group will be excluded. It is important to select carefully and adopt a process that encourages the community to take ownership of it," he told the Symposium participants.

All agreed that media empowerment is a profound tool of development and social change. Stephanie Barker, the Head of Outreach at the National Film Board, outlined the impact that documentary films have had on the Canadian public policy such as "The Things I Cannot Change," the "Fogo Island Project," and "Ecole des Autres." She emphasized that the Challenge for Change program changed the way documentary filming takes place in Canada. "Participatory video allows communities to take on challenges and find solutions that ultimately change attitudes and social change," she said.

The new KiHS classroom in Bearskin Lake will be having an open house this Thursday, October 7th.

Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) is the first Ontario school to offer accredited secondary school courses using the Internet as a mode of program delivery.

Come check out this new high-tech classroom.  Everyone is welcome!  

The fossil is 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  It was portruding out of the rock, it was embedded in limestone and it appears the rest of it was going into the rock, further still.

Click here to see more pictures

If anyone knows what it could be please contact,  moseskakekaspan@knet.ca

The Journal of Community Informatics http://www.ci-journal.net/ (JoCI) is pleased to announce the online availability of its Inaugural Issue http://ci-journal.net/viewissue.php .  JoCI is a peer-reviewed Open Archive on-line quarterly journal for and by the Community Informatics research community and produced under the auspices of the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) http://www.ci-research.net  

This Inaugural Issue of JoCI is an invitational response by members of the Editorial Group to give a context to our enterprise through position papers, scholarly papers and other materials.

The issue includes:

• An introduction (in part through video) to the work of K-Net, an aboriginal group in Northern Canada which is innovating in the use of ICT for education, for administration, for health and perhaps most importantly, is demonstrating the way in which ICT truly can enable AND empower communities to move beyond traditional barriers and impediments to find a new and more equitable role in the Information Society. (Beaton)
• A description of an ambitious current research project examining the impacts and outcomes of government support for community technology in Canada with an overall objective of providing insight toward the future of such programs and their impact on the larger society (Clement, Gurstein, Longford, Luke, Moll, and Shade)
• A presentation of a most important rural ICT initiative whose current success is transforming large areas of rural India (Jhunjhunwala, Ramachandran, and Bandyopadhyay)
• An analysis and plan for using a major university in a Less Developed Country (South Africa) as a base for a highly innovative program of CI for community transformation (Erwin and Taylor)
• A highly significant analysis of the current state of the art with respect to Telecentre development in Latin America and where it might go from here by three key actors in these developments. (Menou, Delgadillo and Stoll)
• A fine paper examining the theoretical background to community use of ICT in the context of Human Capital development and giving most useful directions for future research as well as community practice towards this end. (Pigg and Crank)
• A most original and insightful critique of current thinking and approaches to ICT for Development (Robinson)
• A path breaking approach to applying an analysis drawn from the methods and insights of Social Anthropology to ICT design and development as a response to rural poverty (Salvador)
• A brave and insightful analysis of the opportunities and risks that are attendant to ICT in a most important but largely unknown part of the world. (Stafeev) and
• A document presenting the current "state of play" for a leader in supporting ICT use by women in local communities (Webb and Jones) .

The second issue which will appear January 1, 2005, will consist of peer reviewed papers on "Sustainability and Community Technology" presented at the recent CIRN Prato conference http://www.ciresearch.net/conferences on this subject. The papers will be revised and edited as per conference feedback and a second round of peer reviews.  The third issue scheduled for April 1, 2005 is currently soliciting articles. The fourth issue, scheduled for July 1, 2005 has the tentative theme "Gender and Community Informatics" and will be edited by Lesle Reagen Shade of Concordia University.

Each issue will include, in addition to peer reviewed articles, a Review section, documents and reports of CI significance, and commentaries on peer reviewed papers by leading CI practitioners and those with a policy interest in CI and related matters.

  To see the interim report, click here...

Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation

Employment Opportunity

The Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation is a unique legal services office in Thunder Bay.  The Corporation provides legal, paralegal, and law-related services, public legal education, research, and law reform services to the members of the First Nations of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN).  The Corporation functions as an Area Office of Legal Aid Ontario (LAO).  

This innovative legal service places substantial responsibility for the administration of justice and the provision of all legal services to the members of NAN, in the hands of First Nation people themselves.  The Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation is presently recruiting a full-time permanent Community Legal Worker for the Shibogama First Nations Council communities of Kasabonika Lake, Kingfisher Lake, Wapekeka, Wawakapewin and Wunnumin Lake.

Community Legal Worker

Working under the LAO Area Director and Legal Aid Coordinator, the CLW is crucial to the operation of this unique legal services corporation.  S/he will work with justice personnel and the communities to improve the administration of the Euro-Canadian legal system of justice, and assist clients and their families in various legal matters.  S/he will play a central role in the development and delivery of public legal education in the communities and assist in the development and implementation of restorative justice alternatives.

Qualifications:

• Successful completion of Secondary School and/or equivalent experience in a related field;
• experience with the Euro-Canadian legal system and knowledge of Restorative Justice alternatives;
• experience in organizing and delivering programs;
• ability to work in a cross-cultural environment;
• good command of the English language;
• ability to speak the Oji-Cree language fluently an asset;
• willingness to communicate with others about law-related and traditional issues;
• must be willing and able to travel.

Location:     Sioux Lookout, ON, with extensive travel to the Shibogama communities.
Salary:         Salary negotiable.
Closing Date:     Friday, October 8, 2004 at 5:00 p.m.

Please submit your resume and cover letter including 3 references to:

Mary Jean Robinson, Area Director
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation
86 Cumberland Street S.
Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 2V3

(Tel. 1-800-465-5581) (Fax 1-807-622-3024) Email: info@nanlegal.on.ca.  

Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Members of the Lakehead University Faculty of Education, graduate students and tribal council officials were briefed on KiHS...

The proposed transmission corridor linking northern Manitoba with energy hungry Ontario is one step closer to reality...

To whom it may concern:

I would like to address the matter of the Bar Association's resolution regarding the resident school survivors.

We the Sisters of the Four Directions have some serious concerns on the matter where in fact it affects directly to the surviors. Correspondence has been sent to the Bar Assication in the province of Manitoba.

We, the sisters of the Four Directions, feel very strongly regarding the comments were made by the Bar Associtions to be an inappropriate discriminatory resolution against our basic human rights as aboriginal women. We find it very offensive that a group people who did not experience the horrors of physical, mental and sexual abuse, would take it upon themselves to prejudge and consider the treatment we recevied  in those hell holes as a minor act.

At present we speak only on our behalf and we are saying to the Canadian Bar Assocation, we gave only permisson to only one lawyer and his assistant to defend the crimes committed against us NOT to all the members of Bar Association.

We are very tired of people speaking on our behalf and making resolutions and accords on our behalf without our knowledge or without us giving the permissions to do so.

We no longer allow members of goverment, institutions, associatons to devalue our  lives with their constant resolution and accords which we strongly feel infringe upon our basic rights to our freedom of thought and speech.

Letters are being addressed to other people including the national grand chief, the justice minister in Ottawa, etc. We would like some feedback from various parties who are affected by the system.

We are currently looking for support for our cause and will provide the mailing address when requested.

Yours truly,

Meeqwetch

Sisters (Chantelle) of the four Directions

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Message dated October 7, 2004

Open letter to Residential School Surviors/All interested Band Members

We are newly formed group of Aboriginal women ,naming ourselves Sisters of the Four  Directions. We have traditionally adopted each other as aboriginal sisters, working together to achieve for ourselves, also those we represent, better lives for today also for future generations. We are in strong protest of the past decisions, actions, also current decisons, action made, actions  taken on our behalf, on behalf of our ancestry, on behalf of future generals are detrimental to aboriginal people.

In the past, cold hearted decisions , action by those representing church goverment made, carried out in the same fashion, are now greatly affecting the continuation of  race of people who defined by Natural Law ( Aboriginall Parchment one, statement of Chief Kakepenaise, Great One ) a race of  people near to perfect, only flaw they possessed was that they cared too much, now the affects of this flawed  has caused in the past now, also will continue to create a castrophic, negative effect. Each of our generations are affected some deeply scarred some broken spiritually, others, lost souls trying to survive,some barely existing

As a matter of survival, psychological coping mechanisms were developed by our  ancestors, also ourselves. Are we going to continue to pass these survival methods on to our future generations. Question yourself. Are  these methods of survival working to our benefit. We suggest that they are  not. Our people are still facing high  rates of alcoholism, suicde, lack of self estem, identity crisis, drugs, family break ups, violence, malicious gossip towards one another, yet the vast majority of  our people live in denial of the fact that decisions made, actions taken against us are the real cause of these castrophic problems.

Genocide, yes we say it is, slow, tortuous, methodical sometimes swift acts of crime are being inflicted upon aboriginal by representatives of church, also goverments.

Remember, those of you who can, the history of your own community, the affects by others,which have created atmospheres of animosity, uncertainty, fear,survial mechanisms, feuds, which we are passing down to the future generations. From a near to perfect race we are on the brink of possible destruction, extinction.

Take a moment, an hour or more to reflect back on those occurrences  we mentioned, with a clear open, with honesty, truth, then perhaps psychological coping mechanismes will be released withing your selves.

Our Anicinakwe/Anicinable beliefs, also of our ancesty were are being destroyes, shattered, stripped from our ancestry,also ourselves, then we in turn burden our future generations with the same negativity. We are saying, NO demonstrating to those responsible, that we willl not allow ourselves to be integrated, assimilated into a system, designed to destroy aboriginalty.

Sure we  have piously been given back the right to our beliefs, values,but on the other hand, our governing system is being tested, self goverments? What form of self goverment? The administering to your kind, misery, apathy. To coincide with their goverment structures aboriginals have become the property, the  inheritance of provincial, goverments.

What will be the next process Assimlation be? Transferring of rights down to  your nearest the local municipality, or  the neighboring Mayors who in (( MOST CASES ARE RACIT TOWARD ABORIGINALS )) -Good Lord, Our Ancestry being ruled stated with the Queen of England, is the local goverment next door to your community to become Our Final Rulers- Rule of Law is stated in the Charter of Rights and Freedom, well, under whose law will the future generations be expected to abide by.

We the Sister of the Four Directions are saying NO and we will NO longer Tolerate thte  cold hearted decisions made, nor do we accept the actions taken against our race.

To date, we have protested against a cold hearted resolution, made on our behalf by Canadian Bar Associations, have made precise statements of protest towards Churchs, Aboriginal, Goverments, Provincial, also Federal Goverment.

Our  next plan of action will take place at a later date, will be advised when. This protest, will be against the Church. We will will demonstrate to, signify to those representations a precise message message stating, simply to them, what their decisions, action,action  have done to us. This a plan we call " A WALK OF PAIN"

We are seeking support either the way of standing with us, walking with us or by  contributing a monety donation (small or large) to direct deposit to "Sisters of the Four Directions" chequing account transit no. 08-327-003  account no. 100-543-8 Royal Bank Hargrave/Portage Aveue, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Whatever a support we receive will be greatly appreciated,also use constructively to address, not only our  plight, or those we represent, but probably also your plight. We not only acknowledge, but are to taking a step further, firmly. strongly,stating a believe in the supremacy of God ( Taken of Rights and Freedom.)

Meeqwetch from our hearts

Sisters of the Four Directions