Stories about Feature from November, 2011
Blogging Positively: Tweeting World AIDS Day 2011
Please join Rising Voices' "Blogging Positively" community to share on Twitter how your local community is observing World AIDS Day on December 1. We invite you to use the hashtags #BlogPos and #WAD11 to help provide a global snapshot about this day of commemoration.
Languages: Online Activism To Save Chakma Language
The Chakma language is an Indo-European language spoken by approx. 310,000 people in southeast Bangladesh and another 300,000 in India in the Eastern parts of India. It is written using the Chakma script which is dying because many Chakmas do not have the opportunity to learn their language in schools. But Chakma people are using social media and web technologies to preserve and spread their language.
Ukraine: Harm Reduction Activists Report Small Accomplishments
The work of the activists of the Association of Substitution Therapy Treatment of Ukraine is focused on making live of the patients of opiate replacement therapy more comfortable, helping them to better integrate back into society. Because of the efforts of the Association and other harm reduction NGOs with the support of international organizations, the situation in this area is slowly changing for better.
Januária: Extra, Extra, Read All About It!
As the culmination of the Rising Voices grantee project Friends of Januária, a special-edition newspaper called the “Folha do Norte” (Northern Page) was published providing an opportunity for more local residents to read the stories about local issues produced by the citizen journalists.
Languages: Promoting Indigenous African Language Films
An effective way to preserve indigenous languages and save them from total extinction is to encourage the production of indigenous language films. The 5th Festival of Indigenous African Language Films was held from 2-5 October 2011, in Akure, Nigeria. Making of films in indigenous languages will expand the coding, documentation, and communicative capacities of the languages and link African diaspora to their roots.
Ukraine: Blogging Personal Stories of Real People
The focus of the bloggers from the Association of the Substitution Treatment Advocates of Ukraine is to discuss the issues that affect their lives the most. Today in Ukraine the only place where substitution therapy patients can receive the medications are special Methadone sites. But what happens if a patient is sick and is not able to personally come to the distribution site to receive the medication, or even when his medical conditions require staying at a hospital?
Languages: Conversations in Cherokee with a Wolf
He is a wolf puppet named ᏩᏯ and he plays a starring role in a series of YouTube videos designed to find a fun way to encourage the use of the Cherokee language and to share the culture through communication.
Under-Represented Languages Dialogue Underway
The online dialogue “Using Citizen Media Tools to Promote Under-Represented Languages” is currently underway and will last through November 22. This week-long event hosted by New Tactics, Indigenous Tweets, and Rising Voices allows for dialogue about personal experiences and strategies in ensuring that their language is better represented online.
Languages: Preview of Online Dialogue on Global Voices Podcast
In the November episode of the Global Voices podcast, the topic of discussion focused on the use of languages that are hard to find on the internet. The podcast also previewed the online dialogue “Using Citizen Media Tools to Promote Under-Represented Languages” that Rising Voices is co-organizing beginning on November 16.
Ukraine: Finding Comfort and Advice in a Forum
A discussion board of the web-site Motilek.com.ua run by Ukrainian non-profit organization and RV grantee Drop-in Center unites people living with drug addiction where they can share advice about issues held in common.
Languages: Acting for Nishnaabe Revitalization
Barbara Nolan loves to put her acting skills to good use as a way to develop more speakers of the Nishnaabe language. As a central focus of her efforts, Barbara and John Paul Montano produce short immersion-style dramatic videos complete with costumes, sound effects, and sets, which can be found on her YouTube channel.
Languages: Let's Tweet and Speak in Quechua
Those wanting to learn the Quechua language now have the option of receiving daily tweets with vocabulary lessons and quizzes. The Twitter account @hablemosquechua or "Let's Speak Quechua" has been developed by a team at the Escuela Lab in Lima, Peru to reach interested learners of this Andean indigenous language.
