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.

]]> http://digital-democracy.org/2010/04/06/launching-project-einstein-indy-with-support-from-the-clowes-fund/feed/ 4 http://digital-democracy.org/2010/03/03/launching-china-burma-border-report/ http://digital-democracy.org/2010/03/03/launching-china-burma-border-report/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:30:23 +0000 Gabe Hopkins http://digital-democracy.org/?p=1501 Ever since Digital Democracy began working with Burmese populations we have believed that it is essential to have a completely comprehensive understanding of the country and the challenges it faces. This means going beyond the well-understood populations living on the border with Thailand to understand conditions on the ground inside Burma and along all of it’s international borders.

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.

Flowers left at Google headquarters in China

In August 2008, Digital Democracy conducted research with Burmese community groups operating in southern China, near the Burma/Myanmar border. While researching the use of communications technologies, one young Kachin man explained the difference between the Internet in China and Burma, stating, “To me the web in China is totally free.” Censored though the Chinese web may be, his statement helps us keep in mind the complex realities – and differing degrees – of modern communication tools.

This fall, Digital Democracy submitted testimony to US Congress at the US-Helsinki Commission briefing, “Twitter against Tyrants: New Media in Authoritarian Regimes.” In our statement, we stressed that repressive regimes thrive on the distortion of truth, and the need for better understanding of how communications technology is used on the ground by grassroots organizations. We emphasized the critical need for dialogue on security, new media literacy and the meaning of freedom of speech.

Just 24 hours after Google announced a shift in their China policy, a conversation of this nature is well under way. With their statement A new approach to China, the Fortune 500 company has openly described the difficulties of operating within the country, conforming to China’s censorship policy and facing cyberattacks on their users.

“We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech.”

We read Google’s statement as not just an update on attacks on its server, but an attempt to develop a more responsible approach to complex issues of freedom of information. From a company whose motto “don’t be evil” has often been met with cynicism (and serious privacy concerns) we applaud this beginning of a debate on freedom of information.

One concern we hope to closely monitor is what impact this decision will have on the end users in China. Our Congressional statement made four recommendations based on the idea that in the current information age, knowledge is power. However, as our Burmese colleague in southern China reminded us, even restricted information can play a valuable role. We hope to hear from friends and colleagues what effect Google’s decision has among Internet users in China. Amidst the uncertainty, we’re compelled to revisit our recommendations to the Helsinki Commission.

1. Security continues to be a priority and access to information can continue to happen anywhere in the world when accessed with knowledge of the right tools.
2. Local partners continue to have the best information about ICT realities on the ground in any particular country, and it is critical to connect and dialogue with them on their needs.
3. Tools should be developed and adapted to address changing circumstances.
4. Education is critical. Reducing barriers to freedom of information requires an evolving new media literacy.

Ultimately, we view Google’s move as a teachable moment in a global conversation about our individual, collective and corporate responsibility in supporting freedom of information. From Yahoo!s previous missteps handing information to Chinese authorities, to Facebook’s founder recently declaring that the age of privacy is over, Google’s step is an important one, and one we hope will raise the conversation of secure methods every internet user should employ. We are pleased to see that Gmail now defaults to encrypted access, an important protection. We hope other companies will consider similarly appropriate steps, and hope that more will contribute their thoughts to an honest and open dialogue about responsible ICT practice in the year 2010 and beyond. As we wrote,

“A lack of legal infrastructure prevents US corporations from protecting new media users in repressive regimes. Site owners are culpable for content in foreign states, even when data is physically housed on US soil in data farms, and legal frameworks have not yet been fully established for US companies to protect end-users.”

How momentous will Google’s decision be, ultimately? Will this moment be a turning point in the US, China, and our relations between both countries?  In China, the following meme is spreading quickly:

90后：今天我翻墙，看到一个国外网站叫Google的，妈的全是抄袭百度的。00后：翻墙是什么？ 10后：网站是什么？ 20后：国外是什么？

People born in 90s: Today I stepped out of the Great Firewall and saw a foreign website named Google. Shit, it is all but a copy of Baidu.
Born in 00s: What do you mean by stepping out of Great Firewall?
Born in 10s: What do you mean by website?
Born in 20s: What is ‘foreign’?

We’re working on our own bridge, for educators to connect students around the world. Partnering with MIT Center for Future Civic Media and Eyebeam, Project Roebling – named for the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge – is the base for Project Einstein, our photography-based digital penpal program to connect refugee youth abroad and in the US.

Built on Development Seed’s OpenAtrium, Roebling provides a secure space for students to share photos & video and complete assignments given by their teachers. Using Roebling will promote digital literacy among the students as they learn to blog and share information online. For teachers, Roebling allows a safe space to share curriculum and lesson plans.

We are thrilled to be partnering with MIT and Eyebeam on this project, and excited to get feedback from our pilot users this spring!

Mark presenting in Second Life

Mark presenting in Global Kids on Second Life

Mark presenting on Second Life

Why investigate Second Life? New media literacy is critical to education in the 21st century. Is Second Life a tool that can be harnessed by educators?

Read more of Mark’s thoughts on his blog.