After acknowledging the members of the AC editorial committee, Paul Allard proceeded to the award presentation for the best French and Spanish films in the Alternative Channel competition. The films were judged on their "persuasion, awareness raising, values, message, rigor and originality"; in short, on their promotion of AC's call to understand, and not just believe.
Paul's persuasive powers fell short of inspiring Guillaume to rousing song, so Paul nearly broke into a "Singin' in the Rain" inspired tapdance himself as Rigoberta Menchu broke the seal on the envelope. Fundación Adsis's short video of that name was judged the overall winning Spanish film.
AC Forum Video Contest Winner 2008 (Spanish):
Matthew Eisigner's film À la découverte de l'homo took the award for best French film.
Mr Allard then effusively thanked the various parties whose efforts allowed the day to be a great success. He was careful to particularly note the folks from ACT Responsible for their "international contribution to responsible advertising".
Plans have shifted as concerns the words from Rigoberta Menchu: my colleague is preparing a French translation of the press conference. When this is done I will then translate exceprts into English. At the moment she is working furiously but do look for this transcript in the coming days.
NEXT FORUM: North America, November 2008.
From Barcelona I send my thanks to all of you who tuned in, and I bid you good night.
AC FORUM 2008: Responsibility: Media and Companies
17.11 — We are preparing to kick off the final panel of the day here in the main hall. We are pleased to welcome Daniel Wermus of Média 21, Bernard Robert-Charrue of Dev.tv, Vicente Domingo of Humania TV and Xosé Ramil of Fundación Chandra/Ekoos.
I will also be making a run down the stairs over this hour to check in on the Web 2.0 workshop led by my colleague Lise Guennal, who maintains the French version of AC Blog, and Pablo Salzman of rethos.com.
14.05 — The other members of the press have converged on the lunch room where I will soon follow, but I wanted to take advantage of their absence (and the easing of the stress on the bandwidth) to send off a quick dispatch here.
The subtitle of this seminar ("The Spot") which has just closed derives from this name popularly given to the video spots which the participating organizations produce in their efforts to raise awareness.
In the course of the discussion, the participants showed how their messages, when produced and distributed properly, can play an essential role. It is appropriate that this follows my comments on Mr Lamb's presentation. I asked Mr Lamb what we can do to overcome social-political inertia and society's inherent resistance to changes which may be needed to address global issues. Mr Lamb responded that the only way to address the inertia is with a stubborn persistence. It should not be the objective to shock and awe in an alarmist fashion (though at times these tactics may be effectively employed), but rather to present the message everyday anew.
Mr Lamb said it best: for emphasis and inculcation it is best to say what you are going to say, say it, and then say what you've said. If the "spots" adopt this approach, we may begin to realize change in oncoming generations.
We will be back at 15.00 to catch Rigobertu Menchu's speech. It is not to be missed.
AC FORUM 2008: Social Networks, ICT and Worldwide Mobilization
11.24 AM — A lively coffee break on the Casa's terrasse has been truncated by a hearty whistle and I can hear the translation microphones crackling to life again in the hall. Sit tight; here we go.
Hit the link below. I am now on the floor of the main hall before the panelists.
The first featured debate is now being opened and I have a slight alteration of the program to announce. Unfortunately Vicente Verdú has suddenly been unable to join us and Margarita Riviere has taken the stage in his stead. She is a journalist who, like Mr Verdú , has been a regular contributor to the influential Spanish daily EL PAÍS.
The link to this interview will familiarize you briefly with her work (transcript is in Spanish).
We are officially at the three-day mark folks. I will be en route to Spain tomorrow night, and we will go LIVE FROM BARCELONA in the early hours, for some of you, of Wednesday 30 April 2008.
The scale of this gathering dedicated entirely to new media of information, communication and networking is in many ways unprecedented. Our panelists and guests are amongst the most influential driving forces of their respective fields.
If you've ever wanted to pose questions to some of those figures in the vanguard of our new participative society, or to observe live what will surely be fired debate amongst them, the time of your calling is now.
China recently demonstrated its willingness to brutally suppress stirrings of Tibetan sentiment. Angry protestors in Paris and elsewhere then seized the occasion of the Olympic torch’s passing to express their ire toward the hosts of this year’s Games. Some foreign dignitaries have acknowledged that they will not attend certain events, and others have refused to confirm that they will travel to Beijing at all. The big B-word has been vocalized.
Across our world central governments seek to sedentarize formerly nomadic and pastoral peoples and to incorporate them into the state structure. This is done most often for the reduction of perceived threats from the periphery. In Israel, this endeavor includes several other dimensions.
See how a women's association hopes to secure a better future for its people, while many others prefer simply to forget.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
AC Forum Featured Debate: Technologies of Mobilization
This is the fourth of our series profiling all the workshops held this year at the Alternative Channel Forum on Social Networking and Responsible Media. Each workshop features leading experts on the most interesting and controversial issues related to the new media's responsibility to social awareness and humanitarian causes. Register to attend now, or join us for LIVE BLOG coverage beginning with the first panel and lasting all day.
11.00 will see the curtain drawn on the day’s most technologically-focused debate, Social Networks, ICT & Worldwide Mobilization. The panelists will discuss the technological aspects of new media’s ability to mobilize and empower worldwide. Our guests will converge on Barcelona from the globe’s reaches near and far.
Jordi Duran is with the Alternative Channel associated organization and our co-host iWith.org. This foundation seeks information and communications technology (ICT) solutions for non-profit organizations.
Joining us from London is Kevin Darling of Amnesty International. Mr Darling will showcase and elucidate his Facebook campaign Reach out for Kenya.
Amy Weesner comes to Barcelona from the Office of the Chief Information Technology Officer at the United Nations Secretariat in New York.
Finally Johan Farid Khairuddin joins us from Kuala Lumpur as representative of the Asia Pacific region. His blog best showcases this young man’s highly mobile and protean style of engagement; he is best known as a radio DJ in KL.
The debate will be moderated by Josep Lluís Cano, a lecturer at Barcelona’s renowned business school ESADE and author of the recent book Business Intelligence: competir con información (Compete with Information).
Have an opinion about the role of technology in establishing the frontiers of new media? Would you like to ask our panelists a question? Leave a comment and we'll seek answers in Barcelona on 30 April.
The subtle difference between pure social development and social-political sustainability is very central to the pursuit of sustainable development. Just as economic development accomplishes little if the achievements heralded are unsustainable, so too must social enrichment go hand in hand with a concerted effort to ensure its persistent viability.
Open, contested political arenas offer the only means to this end—arenas that are contested by you. These three phenomena endanger the sustainability of our social-political processes; they beg for our devoted attention.
Rethos.com Alternative Channel’s positioning on sustainable development. With more than 250 non-profit partners, 2,500 citizen journalists and several leading companies, Rethos.com is an active media channel devoted to social change.
Rethos is currently available only in English but will soon be adapted to French. Alternative Channel is available in three languages (French, English, Spanish), and has more than 300 non-profit partners, as well as several independent media outlets and companies.
This partnership strengthens Alternative Channel’s unique position as a specialized media channel dedicated exclusively to sustainable development. It offers businesses, citizens and non-profit organizations a platform to communicate internationally and participate in reducing the human footprint on the environment.
Alternative Channel Forum , April 30, 2008, Barcelona
Already, the Alternative Channel Forum is a great success! Add your voice to this monumental movement. Participate in an international event for sustainable development. Transcend international borders online and attend web-based conferences and workshops. Be among the first to take part in this unique meeting to understand and debate global issues and responsible communication.
Already many participants! Registration available on-line:
The Alternative Channel Forum: a not-to-miss international meeting, in partnership with Dev.tv and Iwith.org
More than 15 nationalities
More than 50 leading lecturers, international NGOs representatives, professionals from the media & communications sectors, among them our Guest of Honor Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and the testimony of Wangari Muta Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Every hour a new debate, conference and simultaneous workshop will be animated by professionals, on the subject of «Social Networking and Responsible Media".
An "eco-responsible" Alternative Channel Forum with One Media
OneMedia wishes to take part in the Alternative Channel Forum as it is a communicative event related to a sustainable development. OneMedia provides a new eco-responsible communication tool called beamzone® . It enables users to broadcast informative content on mobile phones using Bluetooth technology.
The message is spread in an environmentally responsible manner, respecting a "zero paper" policy. For optimal visibility and viral marketing, programming and videos can be viewed and forwarded to others via mobile phone.
REMINDER: The sustainable development video contest deadline is april 13, 2008! Do not wait to send your video on alternativechannel.tv !The best video in French and Spanish, judged by a panel of experts, will be awarded 8,000 Euros.
Welcome to the Alternative Channel blog, your international Web-TV focused on sustainable development and humanitarian causes. Check out our French and Spanish sister blogs. More...
