Status:
IGF Theme(s) for workshop: Access and Diversity
Main theme question address by workshop: How can women be empowered in all dimensions of their life through access to the Internet and information?
Concise description of the proposed workshop:
This workshop will undertake a consideration of how the internet and access to information can empower women economically, educationally and politically at different stages of their life.
The workshop will begin with an introduction to the results of a survey conducted with a wide cross section of women of different ages and different cultures with the specific purpose of informing the workshop.
The survey results will be presented holistically, revealing the different uses of the internet by women of different ages and women from different cultural perspectives and to consider what some of the influencing factors might be. Partners will also be able to share other relevant results at this point, including the upcoming APC study to be conducted at the AWID Forum.
The workshop will hear from the participants how the specificity of women's lives and realities make their experiences online different from that of men in general, and what specific opportunities for empowerment they have engaged with.
A moderated discussion will allow the panelists and audiences to consider in more detail three specific types of empowerment, and will feature key speakers drawn from the internet industry, civil society, youth delegates and the public sector. It will include the drawing in of relevant case studies as well as offering delegates from the floor the opportunity to share their experience as well as reaching out to remote participant groups in advance of the session to ensure their inclusion.
The session will conclude with an analysis of what has been learnt through the session, and what important lessons need to be factored into the Internet Governance debate moving forward to make sure that this important voice is heard.
The proposed structure is as follows:
1. How women use the internet at different ages
2. How the specificity of being a woman makes for a different online experience
2a. Consideration of Economic empowerment
2b. Consideration of Educational empowerment
2c. Consideration of Political empowerment
2d. Consideration of what other types of empowerment we should be thinking about, such as community empowerment.
3. Conclusions/what we have learnt/moving forward
Background Paper:
Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:
Lucinda Fell – Childnet International
Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes
Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshops2011View&wspid=76#report
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/index.php/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshopsreports2009View&curr=1&wr=33
Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:
- Nicola Douglas – Youth Delegate, Member of the UK Youth IGF Project
- Becca Cawthorne – Youth Delegate, Member of the UK Youth IGF
- Members of the NetMission Youth Delegation (Hong Kong)
- Members of the Nordic Youth IGF Project
- Chat Garcia – APC
- Jac Kee – APC
- Alice Munyua – ICC BASIS and KICTANet
- Delegate tbc – Council of Europe
- Delegate tbc – Yahoo
- Delegate tbc – Facebook
Name of Remote Moderator(s):
Hannah Broadbent – Childnet International