One Web. For All.
Nathaniel James, OneWebDay
Ask Nathaniel James your questions about digital inclusion at our next Ask the Expert session.
Founded by Susan Crawford, who now advises President Obama on science, technology, and innovation policy, OneWebDay is a global event that is celebrated every September 22 since 2006. OneWebDay provides an opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of the Web for positive change, to take action to protect what they value most about it, and to educate the public and policy-makers on the social, economic, and political impact of the Web.
The Internet and the Web are changing every institution and impacting every aspect of life. Because the Web shifts the balance of power in our global society and local communities, even those who never go online live in a constantly changing world. Unfortunately, these issues rarely break through the noise barrier. We hope OneWEbDay can change that and help to build a global constituency of people who care about the health of our 21st century communications environment.
This year's theme -- One Web. For All. -- is all about digital inclusion, digital literacy, and working to close the many digital divides we face in our global society. OneWebDay organizers will call attention to efforts that work to ensure that anyone who wants it has access to the Internet and the skills they need to engage, powerfully.
Our network of participating organizations and volunteers believe that the fight for digital inclusion is now on the cutting edge in the long struggle for social and economic justice. Access to a fast, affordable, and open Internet is essential for every child in school, every entrepreneur with a new idea, and anyone who wants full access to government and the democratic process.
The Web is valuable because of the decentralized network of people who make things happen online. We want to build an effort that looks, feels, and works like the Web -- a diverse, decentralized engine of human creativity that delivers value by pushing power to the edges of our network of organizers and partners. We believe in enabling the creativity and leadership of our volunteers, rather than directing activities and sending out marching orders.
We are putting some ideas and tools out there to catalyze that creativity. We have partnered with Mozilla Service Week, which is September 14-21, to inspire our folks to organize digital literacy trainings and other efforts that help connect marginalized communities to online resources and build the corps of technology volunteers. After people serve, they should celebrate their achievements on OneWebDay!
We are working with the Media and Democracy Coalition and other policy wonk allies to call on everyone to voice their boldest ideas for closing the digital divide. They are planning a fun panel in Washington, DC to showcase a diverse range of these bold ideas, and OneWebDay, with some help from our sponsors at Democracy in Action, will host an action tool on our Web site to help people communicate their own bold ideas to their representatives.
What excites me the most are the projects people are coming up with on their own.
In San Diego, they're throwing a dance party and featuring a VJ/video performance artist who will mash up the OneWebDay logo with compelling imagery. While they're having fun, they'll take some time to talk about Internet policy and highlight the work of local digital inclusion advocates.
In Milwaukee, they're spreading knowledge about the current state of copyright and what it means for artists by screening the film Copy/Bad Copy, featuring appearances by Girl Talk, Danger Mouse, and Lawrence Lessig.
In Los Angeles, they"re hosting an event called "Access to Teknowledgy" for parents, teachers, students and staff at a local school.
On the other side of the world, OneWebDay organizers in Manila are rocking out at their "OneWebDay Jam and Awards Ceremony," where they will host a battle of the bands and recognize the winners of contests for young bloggers, artists who submit pieces on the digital divide, and entrepreneurs.
There's even going to be some early morning OneWebDay Yoga to start the day with some balance and energy!
You can get a sense of the scope of global OneWebDay plans by visiting our map where new cities are coming on-line all the time.
If you would like to get involved, there is still time. OneWebDay is Your Day -- use it to promote and enhance all the wonderful work you do. You can join or start a local organizing group and get a lot of support and resources at our organizers' social action network, http://my.OneWebDay.org. You can check out the service opportunities at Mozilla Service Week's special page on Idealist.org. You can submit a post about your experience with the digital divide on our OneWebDay Stories blog. You can send an Op-Ed to a local newspaper about local digital divides. Or you can surprise us all with your own great ideas for celebration, education, and action on September 22. Please check out our Web site, send me an email, and follow us on Twitter @OWD.
Happy OneWebDay!
