Tomorrow’s exhibit is the result of a year-long photo training with students from two Indianapolis high schools – Southport and North Central. Their photos document life in their new country, covering everything from school to home to play.The photographers will be on hand to discuss their images with the public. Don’t miss this special opportunity!

What: Project Einstein photo exhibition

Where: The Indianapolis City Market farmer’s market – 222 E. Market St, Indianapolis

When: Wednesday August 10th from 10:30am to 1:30pm

To learn more, read the press release and check out images from the spring photo exhibition at North Central High School, taken by my mom, Freddi Stevens-Jacobi.

Its an honor to be invited to speak at the White House . Its especially exciting to see an administration that understands the power of youth and works to pull in our voices.

The White House was pulling together 20 “awesome” youth leaders to discuss the future of international foreign aid. The conversation was between us, the head of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Raj Shah, and the internet. It was broadcast live on the White House website, with a realtime conversation happening on Facebook and on Twitter, hashtag #USAIDyouth.

For instance, in the Middle East, almost 65 percent of the regions’ people are youth. In many places, they’re stuck under oppressive regimes and increasingly frustrated by the lack of positive prospects for their future. In Egypt and Tunisia, this came to a head. Politicians around the world took notice. The US government is starting to realize that despite its large foreign aid packages, youth were not involved in the decision-making nor in the reception of this aid, despite being a majority of those affected by it.

A 48 starred flag, painting of George Washington, an eagle, and the golden chandelier lent the air of authenticity to remind me that this building has stood for hundreds of years and that this conversation can, at its best, change the course of history. 20 eager youth, experts in the fields of environment, health, security, and technology all sat with intense looks in their eyes. The groups varied from Truman National Security Project, National Center for Global Engagement, 350.org, Americans for Informed Democracy, Bamyan Media, The Millennium Campus Network, and others. We were ready to take up the challenge.

Many of the ideas bouncing around the room seemed to agree that there was a need to fund the best and most innovative groups, not the ones that were just the best at writing applications and getting funded. The tension is how to do that successfully while doing large-scale support and making sure that they money trail is transparent and trackable.

There’s also an interesting tension in the perception of this aid to the American people from which its coming. Recent debates about cutting the US economy have targeted wings of the government such as this foreign aid. It’s not surprising why, when the average American sees it as consisting of 20% of their taxes. The reality is that it accounts for less than 1%. There’s not much room for innovation when under fire.

It’s important to be able to see how investments in science, technology, education and math (STEM), as well as green technology, are going to have a positive impact on our own economic prosperity in addition to those people working their way out of poverty around the world. But for the innovative and impactful ideas, it’s the youth who are closest to the new solutions and can help usher them in with the right support.

We all went to the White House, and were excited and honored to have been invited, but not for the photo op, but rather to make some changes. I’m encouraged by the dialogue but hope that we’re able to.

Please see the video below and visit the USAID YouthImpact site for more information about the initiative.

“Einstein was a refugee, but he could still do great things.”

Since those humble beginnings, our digital literacy program has grown to now be in Bangladesh, Thailand, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, and in the USA to Indiana and New York City.

I’m excited to now offer our curriculum free for download. Working with IREX International on the Kazakhstan project, we were even able to have it translated into Russian and Kazakh languages. I hope that you find this helpful and please let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see in future issues so that we can incorporate it. As always, it’s Creative Commons license, so feel free to share and add to it yourself also! Just let us know so we can follow the awesome.

Project Einstein Manual

Little Brother - Burmese Cover

When brave people risk their lives for the greater good. When they’re accidentally giving an aggressive military a full roadmap to their extended contacts and friends, it’s unfortunate. Given Facebook’s recent breach of trust, allowing for more private data to leak out than people are comfortable with, there has been a growth in people knowing about their digital rights. This 21st century literacy is crucial.

But in places where data leakage is most risky, I’ve found that it’s also least understood. Cory Doctorow’s “Little Brother” is a compelling book about a teen and his friends who use technology to challenge an authoritarian regime. Using real-life technologies, the book is more than a thrilling story, but it can also become a viral training manual for activists who need to use technology to do their work and can start to do so more securely and effectively.

If you haven’t read the book yourself, I recommend buying a copy or downloading one for free to see what all the fuss is about. Why free? He talks about the benefits of publishing for free online over at the Guardian.

Thanks to all those that supported our Kickstarter campaign, I’m happy to bring to you the first in what will be our serialized release of “Little Brother” in Kachin, Karen and Burmese languages. To our partners at ABITSU for the translation. And thanks to Jonathan P. Berger for his cover design and overall inspiration.

Comments and questions from you are always appreciated. Our question is, when “Big Brother” is watching, who is watching back? This is another step towards answering it.

Little Brother - Kachin Cover

Little Brother - Karen Cover

A participant in Project Einstein Thailand

Digital Democracy is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Clowes Fund of Indianapolis, Indiana. The grant will support the launch of Project Einstein Indianapolis, a digital penpal program that teaches 21st century skills while facilitating cross-cultural dialogue. Project Einstein will connect young Burmese refugees and their classmates in Indianapolis with students in Burmese refugee camps in Southeast Asia.

We’ve been working with Chin and Karen refugees in Indiana since spring 2008, and I’m excited to be working with schools in my hometown, where thousands of Burmese refugees have been resettled. Our goals for the project are three-fold:

a) Create a space for the Burmese youth and their classmates to share personal stories and forge new friendships,

b) Create a map of community resources – charted by the young people – that will be available for Burmese refugees as they are resettled into the new communities,

c) Spark community engagement by offering opportunities for community members to learn the stories of the refugees and discuss concepts of citizenship, freedom and democracy.

Too often, resettled refugees feel divided from their new communities. Indianapolis-based youth journalism program Y-Press has reported on the situation, quoting a young refugee who said “I don’t really hang out with American kids so much because they don’t seem to like us. I thought people would welcome us, talk to us, hang around and have tea.”

We will be launching the project with two Indianapolis-area high schools in the fall. We are excited to facilitate the photography projects, connection with youth in Thailand and India, and community storytelling aspects of the program. We applaud the Clowes Fund for supporting the immigrant and refugee communities in Indianapolis, and are honored to be among their grantees.

About the foundation: The Clowes Fund is a family foundation established in 1952, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It makes grants in Indianapolis; Seattle, Washington; and northern New England to support human services, education and the arts. We are grateful for their support and excited to launch Project Einstein Indy!

A refugee from Burma displays his "Hoosier Works" card that connects him and his family to Social Services.

Government slogan in Ruili: “Speak Civilized, Act Civilized, Be Civilized.”

In 2008 Digital Democracy sent a team of researchers to China to investigate the state of Kachin youth in community-based and human rights organizations and their use of technology on the China-Burma border. The team conducted interviews with Kachin youth leaders and educators and led new media literacy and photography trainings. We are now releasing the results of that research and our recommendations in a new report.

For more information about our work there, please see the following report:
Digital Democracy China Report 2008

This report details the findings of their research, gives an overview of the Project Einstein curriculum adapted for Haiti and provides recommendations for how training young people will be a critical aspect of reconstruction, providing 21st century skills and an infrastructure of empowerment by monitoring aid and corruption.

Project Einstein Haiti

The project on the ground was led by two students at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Joshua Haynes and Chrissy Martin. Chrissy had this to say about her experiences:

Project Einstein Haiti developed out of a serendipitous meeting in New York with Mark.  I was leaving for Haiti in a few days to conduct research with youth on their attitudes towards finance.  Despite experience working on and researching financial inclusion and mobile technology, I didn’t know much working with youth.  As a result, I reached out to Digital Democracy, aware of their work with youth and digital photography.

I walked away from the meeting with a research methodology, four digital cameras, and the nicest phone I’ve ever used: a Nokia N97.  The Project Einstein methodology was an ideal way to accomplish my goal of understanding the youth attitude towards finance in an engaging and fun manner that would be rewarding for the participants as well as the researchers.

The two days that Josh and I spent with the twelve high school students in Gros Monde were extremely rewarding.  We spent time discussing the power of photography to tell stories, as well as time discussing how difficult it is to earn money in their community. I was extremely impressed by their enthusiasm and the ease at which they engaged with a technology that they had never used before.

I could not be more thankful that I had the opportunity to work closely with this group of Haitians before their country was destroyed just three days later.  A few pictures survived, although I regret that their photographs did not.  I can only hope that they will again have an opportunity to tell their story through digital tools that will allow the rest of the world to hear.

Because of tools such as photography, Twitter, Facebook, and SMS, Haitians have been able to contribute to the international coverage of their own crisis in a way that would not have been possible just a few years ago.  Mainstream media sources including CNN and CBS News have relied on these alternative sources for aspects of their coverage, giving voice to locals rather than relying solely on international journalists. In addition, new tools such as Ushahidi allowed international organizations to plan their response based on near real-time mapping of reports from Haitians through a wide variety of media sources. Amidst the devastation, I find hope in the possibility of leveraging these technologies to give Haitians a voice in their own reconstruction as well.

For more information about our work, please download the following report:

Digital Democracy Haiti Report 2010

In early January 2010 we partnered with Tufts University’s Center for Emerging Market Enterprises (CEME) to conduct research and a photography training with young adults in Haiti. Researchers Chrissy Martin and Joshua Haynes, using the Project Einstein curriculum, worked with young adults ages 18-24 to explore – through the use of digital photography – how these youth view money and finance in their society.

Several days after the completion of this training a devastating Earthquake shook the country. In this episode of DdTv, Chrissy discusses her experiences being in the Earthquake, witnessing first-hand the toll it took on the country and its people, and her reflections on the photo training that took place only 3 days prior. In addition, the emergency response through the use of Ushahidi, spearheaded by Chrissy and Josh’s classmates at the Fletcher School and our Co-Directors Mark and Emily, which helped get critical updates including information about missing persons, locations of danger zones and available aid to groups working on the ground.

Indonesian Journalists at Digital Democracy office

Not long into the conversation, Kristianto expressed that in Indonesia, citizen journalism is very lively but it’s the demonstrations that are a lot harder. A recent incident of accusations of malpractice against a hospital brought support from millions online but when it came to taking to the streets, only 8000 or so came out. We spoke a bit about all of our conceptions of activism, the role of information and the changing tides of “action” in a digital state.

Another concern was that in East Java, some Islamic organizations ban Facebook saying that it is against the religion and sometimes it goes so far as people being arrested for posting illegal material on the site, under libel laws. Part of a 21st century journalist’s toolbelt is not only knowing what sites exist that can help spread information, but also the consequences of harsher punishments. If information isn’t in a public forum, the conversations will often continue, but in a more dangerous space.

The conversation took a shift to the complications of working with different legal structures and the always important question of verification. Having just seen the Prachatai episode of DdTv, Herry mentioned that it seemed to him our philosophy was similar to a quote from Prachatai Editor Jiew, that “democracy is not the answer. It’s the path to find something.” It was exciting to hear him say that and really opened up a lively discussion on the continuing problem that many in Indonesia view US culture as either ” American Idol” or “Iraq War” and see much less of the innovation, creativity and community-led media that we were talking about.

Muhlis then chimed in that, “It seems ideology is no longer important. It’s about communicating and helping people and help themselves.” I couldn’t agree more.

Excitingly, it turns out that Kristianto is also the principal of a high school of 300 students in Lampung, who just received news yesterday that they will be getting an internet connection. He says that he wants the students to learn about the kind of democracy we’d been discussing. Hopefully we’ll be able to connect with him on that. I promised to bring bagels.

Indonesian Journalists at Digital Democracy office

Digital media & learning are intrinsically tied and Digital Democracy is looking to use free and open source tools to support the future of education around the world. One of these projects is called Roebling – Bridging international cultural and social divides among refugee youth and their classmates.

The Digital Media & Learning competition and conference was recently held and we were proud to submit an application, and thrilled to be one of the  contenders with the most comments. Thank you to all who have contributed. While commenting has ended, we want to be transparent in our process and learn from the skills that all of YOU bring to the table. If you weren’t able to comment then, please comment now. Your thoughts are extremely helpful as we move forward in thinking about how our programming can have the biggest impact.

Our proposal

Named for the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge, Roebling is the first educational platform targeting the tens of thousands of refugees that are resettled into the US every year. Empowering marginalized youth through community storytelling, Roebling connects schools in the US and in refugee camps through a multi-lingual platform that facilitates collaborative projects, equipping them with the tools they need to be 21st Century global citizens.
Internally, Roebling is a free and open source online portal built on Open Atrium, a Drupal-based content management system. The Drupal community offers thousands of add-on modules for student-led design and localization. Functioning as a secure intranet, Roebling is a lightweight safe space is a sandbox for students and teachers, with an easy and fun user interface. This online platform is coupled with a cross-disciplinary curriculum that emphasizes participatory learning and new media literacy, using mapping, photography, and video. Students share media, blog posts and homework assignments. Through the skills they develop, Roebling affects studentsâ!TM academic performance in math, sciences and the humanities and encourages civic participation through mapping cultural landmarks and resources in their communities.
Externally, Roebling encourages offline exhibitions and connection to social media. Projects finished can be filtered for interaction with online communities like Flickr, Facebook, Myspace & Twitter and virtual worlds like Second Life & Open Street Maps. Coding sites like GitHub will spread youth- initiated innovations, and interactive gallery exhibitions will allow viewers to text comments, bridging offline and online community involvement. Initial projects have been launched at schools in Haiti, Bangladesh, Thailand and South Africa. Roebling is piloting to connect a school in a Thai refugee camp with resettled refugees and their classmates in Indiana. Other partners include development teams at MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media and Eyebeam: Art & Technology Center, plus sponsorship from Nokia.

Comments

Written by Ejacobi 2 days ago This educational exchange has the power to transform students into engaged global citizens. Check out the work our team has already done …
Eyebeam – the leading center for art & technology in the US – is creating transformative projects that merge technology & art with new educational practices – http://eyebeam.org/
MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media is a leader in developing technologies that support community media - http://civic.mit.edu/
Digital Democracy has pioneered educational exchange, conducting trainings with refugee youth in Bangladesh & Thailand, and marginalized youth in South Africa & Haiti. http://digital-democracy.org/
How do YOU think refugees & their classmates around the world can be connected through technology ?

What is particularly compelling about this project is the connection between online collaboration and offline classroom-based curriculum. Students will have the full benefit of connecting to their peers around the world, while also connecting to the communities in which they live. By increasing interaction offline, as well as providing a connection to other communities globally online, this program limits social alienation/exclusion of these student participants/creators. The program provides a way for resettled refugees to become engaged with their new communities and culture, without losing the culture and sense of place from which they came. How do resettled refugees view their new communities? What can American and refugee students teach each other about their differing and similar world-views through the use of community mapping and the creation of video projects? It is with this program, that these questions will be answered. With the use of skills and technologies that are only now developing and improving, the program will provide a forum that will give these youth a voice, and enable them to be future leaders.
Written by Agoldberg 2 days ago Amazing work. I love how this project is using ICT tools and new media to develop youth diplomacy and engagement with the world. And Roebling, what a great name!! I look forward to seeing this develop…
Written by Emmalloyd 2 days ago This is a project based on the belief that through the spirit of openness, creativity and innovation are fostered, challenges are overcome and real change happens. The platform is a vehicle to share open source technology, skills and peer to peer feedback thus creating informed global youth who can participate in shaping the world they are inheriting. It aims to provide them with the tools, expertise and support to become not just consumers of culture but change makers. Roebling, built on cutting edge open source software is determined to break down borders, whether they be technological, financial or physical.
Written by Danwalmsley 2 days ago This project sounds amazing. I’ve worked building education software in Australia for many years, and this kind of open platform is the way of the future. Time and time again we saw closed platforms enter the marketplace with slick features, only to chain teachers, schools and kids to an inflexible platform that was quickly out-of-date.
A project like this will provide a great example to the world of how educational software _should_ be done.
Written by Mushon 2 days ago This project can switch reality on its head.
Refugee youth are dealing with the harsh reality of growing us away from their culture often misunderstood in a different and not always welcoming environments. Using communication technologies and constructive collaboration tools Roebling can turn a marginalized immigrant kid stuck in some small neighborhood to a leader in with a global outlook on her role and potential in life.
This is a brilliant and inspiring project. I do hope it gets the support it deserves.
Written by Leducmills 2 days ago A really inspiring project with a lot of potential to do good in the world – especially with such an interesting collaborative team – MIT, Eyebeam, and Digital Democracy all have their own strengths and together one would assume that this project is actually going to get out into the world and fundamentally change how refugees tell their stories and how other people receive them. Very cool.
Written by Pazonada 2 days ago What I especially like about this project is its potential to connect youth in completely different places by utilizing the latest technologies and allowing kids to do what they’re already doing — taking pictures, using phones, chatting, connecting with one another via social networks — but on a platform that aggregates that content for the purpose of bridging cultural divides. I would have loved to have had this as a teenager, especially the opportunity to connect with refugee youth in other countries as digital penpals. Great to see how kids will use this.
Written by Ewiles 1 day 16 hours ago I have 12 New York City high schools already interested in hosting it in their classrooms and developing curriculum with it. It would be a blessing to our New York City public high school youth if this project received the support it deserves. Our kids and our communities are eagerly waiting…
Written by TimBulkeley 1 day 14 hours ago I am a tertiary teacher who has visited the Mae La camp twice (a month in 2008 and three weeks in 2010) this project sounds great. Bearing in mind the social and physical conditions both in the camp and previously in Burma I hope that the plans include adequate support for the young people in Mae La to use the system effectively, and to maintain the infrastructure needed so that they can continue to use Internet based means of staying in contact after the competition is over. Please don’t misunderstand, I think the project is great and could have large benefits at both ends, I love the way refugees in Indiana will be involved I am just a little concerned that the project does not raise expectations that will later be dashed.
Written by Corrine 1 day 13 hours ago Beautiful project with endless potential, can’t wait to see what these kids are able to do with these tools!
Written by Bentonc 1 day 9 hours ago The most challenging aspect of Roebling may make the most powerful impact. When refugees flee to America, connecting with their community will likely be dangerous or at least technically difficult. When social structures and tech infrastructure back home are in disarray, the social media element of Roebling could be as vital for the refugees and those they left behind as the education component.
Written by Cjzed 17 hours ago As a teacher working with refugee youth and adults, I see this as a powerful tool for refugees now living in the US, especially students making the transition into public schools. It could also have great potential as an educational tool for non-refugee students and teachers. I’d also love to see this extended in the future to include adult education programs for refugees.
Written by Srduncombe 17 hours agoFantastic project. I hope it gets the support it deserves.
Written by Callaghan1964 15 hours ago Groundbreaking + very important – deserves every bit of support possible. Related pilot activities between hard-to-reach NYC/Liverpool young people and communities proved incredibly successful and truly inspiring for all those involved. Global hyperlocal is where its at…
Please fund this internationally significant creative initiative!
Written by Fungalicious 15 hours ago This is a very worthwhile project. An online and offline connection is important to secure participation. Open source module-based structure invites future community developments. This project deserves support to realize their goals! This is great. I look forward to seeing their result.
Written by Rbrown 13 hours ago This is a fantastic project – a great way to use new technologies to bring together members of the diaspora and empower students to tell their own stories and recognize the importance of the experiences. This initiative has the potential to inspire and support a generation of marginalized youth by bringing them together into supportive networks so that they can learn and enhance their own skills and confidence.
Written by Rid1O 13 hours ago This is an amazing project which will be looked down as phenomenal. A great way to bring people together.
Written by Ytorf 11 hours ago Really excited to see this project come to fruition, and to see what it does for these kids. It’s an engaging way to teach teenagers about emerging technologies and what it means to be a creator, not just a consumer. It will also be just as important for the non-refugee students in broadening their worldview.
Written by Robran 10 hours ago A beautifully conceived project that will have an extraordinary impact on the lives of young people. WHO
Written by Mounton 10 hours ago I’m a creative writing and literature teacher and really recognise the value of such an exciting project. It will certainly open up new worlds to the students and create wonderful opportunities.

Written by Natty148 hours ago With this project a new world of opportunities would be open for those who don’t get the chance to share their stories. this could be what we’ve been waiting for,m hope it gets all the votes needed.
Written by Lizslagus 7 hours ago Introducing youth to technology is not enough. However, a project that not only allows youth access to technology, but also encourages community, resourcefulness, creative/critical thinking and sharing via technology and literacy is a project that WILL have impact and make a difference in the lives of the refugee youth for which it has been developed.
In addition to this project’s beautiful commitment to open access and supporting youth to support themselves and their peers, I believe strongly in the partners involved. Each one engages in social issues via creative technological applications and solutions with heart and passion.
Written by Raydot 5 hours ago What a fantastic idea! When so many schools are having trouble figuring out their digital strategies, here’s a project that really makes sense. I think the potential for what could follow is endless — it could help inner city schools close the digital divide, for instance. Can’t wait to see what comes out if it.
Written by Treasurecrumbs 2 hours 58 minutes ago Highly capable, creative and ambitious team. Fantastic project.
Written by Pdip 2 hours 4 minutes ago This is a very promising and necessary project. I am pleased to see that the team has an understanding that this online initiative has to be synergistic with education groups in the trenches. This is by far the best proposal I have read, with the most appropriate use of technology as it applies to an “online pedagogy”.
I believe that education is one of the most sustainable practices we can invest in, and if I were in a better position to do so, I would help bank roll this project personally.

The Competition

HASTAC and the MacArthur Foundation are excited to launch the third year of the Digital Media and Learning Competition. Today, young people are learning, socializing, and participating in civic life in dramatic new ways and assessing information in ways never before imagined. They are reimagining learning on a daily basis and are engaged in what is called “participatory learning.” The 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition challenges designers, entrepreneurs, practitioners, researchers, and young people to put participatory learning to work on behalf of science, technology, engineering, math and their social contexts in the 21st century.

The Digital Media and Learning Competition, created in 2007, was designed to find “and to inspire” the most novel uses of new media in support of learning. Projects explore how digital technologies are changing the way people learn and participate in daily life. Awards have recognized individuals, for-profit companies, universities, and community organizations using new media to transform learning.

The 2010 Competition, launched in partnership with National Lab Day, challenges designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, practitioners and researchers to build learning labs and/or learning experiences for the 21st Century, environments that will help young people interact, share, build, tinker, and explore in new and innovative ways.