RV Newsletter: Amplifying the voices of Native American language activists on Twitter

llustration mashup created by Eddie Avila, utilizing the bird icon by Sara Novovitch, ES and the languages icon by Erik Arndt at the Noun Project.

Rising Voices note: Our biweekly newsletter provides a summary of our recent blog posts about all aspects of digital inclusion including access and adoption of digital tools, as well as different ways and opporunities for communities to fully participate online. Read here for previous editions of this newsletter.

In the spirit of the International Year of Indigenous languages 2019 (#IYIL19), Rising Voices and the Endangered Languages Project are joining efforts on a new social media campaign: @NativeLangsTech.  This rotating Twitter campaign aims to engage Native American (U.S.) and First Nations (Canada) communities in amplifying their voices, sharing their stories, and promoting their languages.

Roy Boney, a language activist of the Cherokee Nation, will be the first of many to host the @NativeLangsTech Twitter account.  Aside from Roy, you will also get to learn about the Munsee/Lunaape language, the Gwich'in language, to name a few, from a roster of language digital activists based in Canada and the United States.

As one of our readers, you might be familiar with two other similar initiatives of ours already: @ActLenguas (for indigenous languages in Latin America) and @DigiAfricanLang (for indigenous languages in Africa).  But if you are curious about indigenous languages in the United States and Canada and/or how language revitalization is done in the age of internet and technology, please take our invitation and follow these brilliant language activists on @NativeLangsTech!

MORE FROM THE RISING VOICES BLOG

For this issue, we’d like you to meet two recent hosts of our rotating Twitter project on African language digital activism (@DigiAfricanLang)!  We would like to thank Dámilọ́lá Adébọ́nọ̀jọ (aka Ìyá Yorùbá) for sharing with us her work on the Yorùbá Language and Siya Masuku for his work on the isiZulu language.  Please read the Q&A posts to learn more about them and their work!

Meanwhile, we continue on bringing you republished articles from APC’s GISWatch, which focuses on community networks.  In this issue, we’d like to present you with an Italian experience, where a community of hackers put their skills to work and help bridge the gap in one of the European countries that has the largest digital divide.  Want to learn more about the challenges they are facing and/or similar initiatives in Italy? Please read along.

CONTESTS & COMPETITIONS

Running a not-for-profit grassroots organization aiming to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding for a more inclusive society, in terms of faith, age, gender, etc.?  Looking to make a bigger impact? United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), partnered with the BMW Group, is seeking eligible applicants for their Intercultural Innovation Award.  Please see here for details.  Application due: May 31, 2019 (5pm EDT)

UPCOMING EVENTS & CONFERENCES

The 7th African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG 2019) is calling for application.  This is a six-day event of intensive learning and knowledge sharing on internet governance and related issues, tentatively scheduled to be held in early September.  Please visit their site for eligibility, updates, and other details.  Application due: June 1, 2019 / Location: TBD

TOOLS & RESOURCES

Do you ever wonder how many Latino news media outlets there are in the United States?  You can now find out with this interactive Latino News Media Map created by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY).  [English / Spanish]

ADDITIONAL READINGS & LISTENINGS

 

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Thanks to Eddie Avila for contributions to this newsletter.

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