Screenshot from the Community Groups forum.

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 opportunities for communities to fully participate online. Read here for previous editions of this newsletter.

Are you building a community network, a small local ISP, or interested in doing so?  Consider joining like-minded people at the #CommunityNetworks Group!

The #CommunityNetworks Group is “a learning community for organisers and operators of locally-owned networks, including community networks, cooperatives, and small-scale commercial operators.”  In this discussion forum, you can not only reach out to fellow group members for practical solutions to challenges at hand, but also share valuable knowledge with others engaging in a similar endeavor. Intrigued? Why not check it out yourself and see what’s going on in the community?  Current topics include the sharing of experiences and learning materials, as well as case studies from different regions around the world.

In celebration of the International Year of Indigenous languages 2019 (#IYIL19), Rising Voices has joined forces with our partners in organizing four rotating Twitter campaigns to highlight the work of indigenous language activists from across the world.  If you are curious about the current status of indigenous languages worldwide as well as what’s involved in their revitalization and/or promotion, please do follow our campaigns on Twitter!  And if you wish to learn more about our recent hosts, you would definitely want to check their profile posts as follows:

@DigiAfricanLang (Africa)

• Justin Sègbédji Ahinon on the Fon language, spoken mainly in Benin, as well as (African) language accessibility in the tech sector
• Aremu A. Adeola, Jr. on the Yoruba language, spoken in Nigeria, and language-related issues in the country

@ActLenguas (Latin America)

• Jeiser Suarez Maynas [es] on the Shipibo-Konibo language of the Peruvian Amazon
• Yamanik Cholotío [es] on the Tz'utujil language,  a Mayan language spoken in the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala

@NativeLangsTech (North America)

• Candace Kaleimamoowahinekapu Galla on the Hawaiian language of Hawaiʻi, United States
• Belinda Daniels on the Cree language, spoken in Sturgeon Lake First Nation, Saskatchewan, Canada
• Lokosh (Joshua D. Hinson) on the Chickasaw language of the Chickasaw Nation, originated in the American Southeast and located in Oklahoma, United States nowadays

@AsiaLangsOnline (Asia)

• Benson KC Fang on the Taivoan language, spoken in Taiwan
• Mulihay Talus on the Sakizaya language, spoken in Taiwan

Working with vulnerable archives that need to be digitized for preservation and/or accessibility?  The Endangered Archives Programme is taking applications for a new round of its yearly grants, aiming to support field researchers in this regard.  Please visit their site for further details.  Application due: November 11, 2019 at midday (GMT)

In memory of a late fellow reporter, Agence France-Presse is launching the 2019 Kate Webb Prize to honor local Asian journalists working against the odds for coverage of the Asia-Pacific region.  Photo, video, and text journalists: Please see here for details.  Application due: November 15, 2019 at midnight (Hong Kong time) (16:00 GMT)

Near the end of 2018, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) released a brief report on the not-so-apparent, yet significant, digital disparities across 61 low- and middle-income countries.  Their research helps inform the difference between internet access and meaningful access as well as what is at stake.  Please see here for the full report and here for the related data set.

Recently, A4AI has also shared their latest analysis on data pricing in 100 low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Americas, and Asia.  It shows that the average cost for 1GB data has marked a 11.24% drop, as measured against average monthly income in the regions studied, and has made the Internet more accessible for millions more.  For more details, please see here.

• Central American Migration and Communication Technologies: A Critical Approach to Network Infrastructures and Inequalities via the Global Media Technologies and Cultures Lab blog
• Why digital access is key to achieving equality via theguardian.com (Guardian News & Media Limited)
• Media as a Means to Transmit Indigenous Knowledge via Cultural Survival
• What’s next to preserve the linguistic richness of Indigenous Peoples? Beyond the International Year of Indigenous Languages via Völkerrechtsblog
• OER and creative commons can help preserve Indigenous language via the personal website for Christer Gundersen

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