Image by Mohamed Hassan from PxHere. Used under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

Rising Voices note: Our monthly newsletter provides a summary of our recent blog posts about all aspects of digital inclusion including access to 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.

So we’ve made it to the month of September. Hope you are keeping the momentum going, dear readers.

At the beginning of this issue, we’d like to share an open call for proposals made by mySociety, via TICTeC Action Lab #4, part of their TICTeC Labs programme. If you care for civic tech and are good at storytelling, we think this is a great opportunity for you to shine, while helping forward a cause!

Application due: September 14, 2022

Embarking on the IDIL2022–2032 journey with language activists from around the world, Rising Voices and partners are bringing to you another round of our rotating Twitter campaigns. Curious about indigenous, minority, endangered, or under-resourced languages, plus how the internet and technology play a role in their promotion and revitalization? Come follow us and hear what our guest hosts have to share!

@ActLenguas (Latin America)

• Hilaria Cruz [es] on Chatino, spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico
• Rodrigo Petatillo [es] on Yucatec Maya, native to Mexico and Belize
• Radaí David Pérez Oleta [es] on Tseltal (a Mayan language), spoken in Chiapas, Mexico
• Gladys Camacho Rios [es] on Quechua, spoken in southern Bolivia

@DigiAfricanLang (Africa)

• Wali Tshibola Ntumba on Tshilubà, native to Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Surajo Teete on bringing the Fulfulde language, native to Western Africa, into the digital world
• Doaa from the Nubian Voices on the initiative and their efforts in preserving the language, spoken in Egypt
• Alhassan Alidu on preserving the Moore language, native to Burkina Faso and neighboring countries, with digital tools

Along this line, and in celebration of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day (August 9), we’d love to share with you five songs, by five indigeous musicians from the Americas, about their identities. → “Five songs to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day”

As a user of the Internet that connects us all, have you ever felt powerless, working with its status quo day in and day out? Now, NLnet is inviting you to join fellow users in taking back the power by keeping the Internet trustworthy, reliable, and open for everyone. If you have a project idea, submissions are now being accepted. Further details can be found here. Submission due: October 1, 2022 at noon (CET)

Meta Research has announced its 2023 PhD Fellowship Program, intending to support promising doctoral students engaged in innovative research (in the fields of computer science and engineering) through their education and beyond (details here). Application due: September 20, 2022 Note: This is a global program and students from all around the world are welcome to apply

Working on your own community network projects? Want to hear about how it’s done in other parts of the world and what other community network practitioners have to share? Please join the conversations happening at the 6th Community Network Xchange (CNX) 2022 for first-hand accounts on successes and challenges from the network builders. Remaining sessions: September 29 / October 29

Meanwhile, the community-led Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2022 is around the corner. If you’d like to join community leaders and stakeholders in a conversation on affordable and sustainable Internet access for the Indigenous communities across North America, we’d recommend that you sign up early and be informed. Date: October 24–28, 2022 / Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 

• Strategy on running Wikimedia communities of Taiwanese Indigenous as presented by Wikimedia Foundation via YouTube
• Website accessibility and inclusive design (Hi Res version) as presented by American Psychological Association via YouTube

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