Friday, February 15, 2008

Mekong ICT Camp press release

The Mekong Sub-Region ICT CampPattaya, Thailand - Feb 25 to Feb 29, 2008
The Mekong Sub-Region ICT Camp is a five-day capacity developmentworkshop on information and communications technology for media groupsand non-governmental organisations in the Mekong sub-region. Thisevent will invite over 70 participants and facilitators mainly fromMyammer, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, to bring about aneffective use of information and communications technology and awidespread of ICT network in order to strengthen alternative media andnon-profits in the region as independent information source.
Participants represent media and NGOs working in the Mekong sub-regioncountries with a history of working with service and advocacy in NGOs,educational organisations, NGO resource centres, community centres,health information organisations, Media agencies and Alternative mediaorganisations.
The focus of the agenda will be on the following four areas:1. Information Management,2. E-Advocacy,3. Computer Network for development, and4. Promotion of the Use of Open Source Software among the Media Organizations and NGOs.
The workshop will take place from February 25th to 29th at ThammasartUniversity Learning Resort, Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand.Pattaya city is a famous beach resort located 147 km southeast ofBangkok and faces the Thai Gulf.
This event is organized by the Thai Fund Foundation and collaborative with a group of dedicated organisations: TRN Institute, Thai Volunteer Service, and Volunteer Spirit Network.
The Mekong ICT Camp is realized thanks to the kindest support from:the Open Society Institute, Southeast Asian Center for e-Media(SEACeM), the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Internews, CAT Telecom,Bank of Thailand, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau.
So far, two ICT camps entitled by AsiaSource have been held for NGOworkers in Asia. The first one took place at Bangalore in India in2005, and the second at Sukabhumi in Indonesia. The events were organized by Tactical Technology Collective. More than 400 participants from all over Asia attended the workshops. These events have played a key role to increase the number of ICT specialists in Asian NGO sector that can transfer their knowledge to others worldwide.
For more information please visit website: www.mekongict4d.org or contact to e-mail: mekongict4d@ict.or.th