About
Girls'Net is a South African social and multi- media programme that gets girls actively involved in the use of technology for their development. Our aim is to use ICTs to help girls realize their full potential.
Girls'Net is a project of Women'sNet and was established in 2003. It builds on Women'sNet's past experiences of training 12-18 year old girls in rural areas in digital audio production training during 2002/2003. The training was supported by UNICEF, where girls produced audio spots on themes of their choice, with a view to raise awareness of their gender based experiences. The purpose of the girls' digital audio training was for each training session to generate 3-4 audio spots, produced by the girls, to be disseminated to community radio stations for broadcasting. The training involved basic computer training but the bulk of the time was spent taking the participating girls through a process where they decided which issues they wanted to produced radio spots on, wrote the scripts, recorded the spots, and finally edited the audio material on the computer. The audio spots were disseminated to the members of the National Community Radio Forum.
In 2003/2004, Women'sNet implemented the first phase of the Girls Tech Clubs initiative. The first phase of the project targeted girls in 4 provinces: Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo and Gauteng.
Focus
The aim of Girls'Net is to grow a girl social movement through the use of ICTs. Girls are the creators of digital and textual information. This information is disseminated digitally (currently Girls'Net link on Women'sNet website) and by script (through the Girls'Net Newsletter called Gist).
In principle, Girls'Net does four things:
- It opens up innovative opportunities of ICTs to girls
- It encourages girls to make use of ICTs
- According to the above, girls are able to be active participants in the "Information Age"
- In this way, they are able to speak on their own ‘issues' and be empowered
Girls'Net operates in the following spaces: Girls Tech Clubs, Girls'Net website developing), Gist Newsletter.
Our vision is for the Girls Tech Clubs initiative to facilitate the formation of small groupings of girls in all the 9 South African countries who will work together. The meetings are mainly for the mentor and the girls in a club to discuss issues affecting the girls and contribute ways of dealing with them. Girls also have the opportunity to access ICT tools as they learn how to apply them for their own development and hence take part in the social and global activism.
Gist production shows the events that the girls in different clubs get up to. Here, girls post poems or any other form of expression on a chosen theme. Through the website, girls will be able to communicate with others and access information on different topics affecting them. This is also a chance to use different ICT innovations.
Eva Ramokobala is the project manager of Girls'Net. Drop me an email (girlsnet [at] womensnet [dot] org [dot] za) or call at +27 11 429 0000
Main Activities over the years:
2003
Digital Audio Training:
The Digital Audio Production Project began as a partnership between ‘The South African Girl-Child Alliance (SAGCA) and UNICEF South Africa. They commissioned Women'sNet to deliver digital audio training to girls between the ages of 12-16. Girls from Limpopo produced audio clips that can be used by radio stations (both community and commercial) which show their specific experiences in relation to any given subject, from sexual harassment by teachers to child care grant and even forced young marriages. The training literally allowed girls' voices to be heard!
2004
Inception of Girls'Net :
Women'sNet launched Girls'Net to bring girls closer to information communication technologies and express themselves on a dedicated platform
Girls'Net ICT Camps:
The six day residential ICT camps took place in four provinces: Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal, and Limpopo and were coordinated with the help of local partners in each province. The camps successfully trained the participating girls in understanding the strategic use of ICT's for development. Through the training camps Girls'Net has made
a contribution to the generation of online information for South African adolescent girls providing information that is relevant to their intellectual, emotional, and /or physical development, including the social issues and challenges they face
2005
Take a Girl Child to Work:
This Cell-C initiative was taken up by the Gauteng Girls Tech Club- who took to the streets to interview women who work hard supporting their families by working in the informal sector as hawkers
Visual Literacy Project:
In June and July 2005 together with The Market Photo Workshop in Newtown, Girls'Net ran a workshop with girls through which they were taught basic photography and visual literacy skills. Girls from the Eastern Cape were empowered to tell their own stories, encourage and foster societal communication creating an awareness of reality of what is. The girls took a series of photographs exhibited under the theme "Journey of a girl through her village".
2006
SAWID (South African Women In Dialogue):
Members from the Gauteng Girls'Net club participated in the SAWID conference in July 2005 at the University of Pretoria. SAWID is a forum for ongoing dialogue among South African women to establish a common agenda for women's development. It is a forum for knowledge sharing on development issues in the country and continent. 2006 006
Putting Feminism on the Agenda:
From the 22nd to 24th of November 2006, Women'sNet, in partnership with the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits University and the University of Victoria - Canada - International Human Rights Project, hosted a workshop and a two day conference with the theme "Putting Feminism On the Agenda". The focus of the conference was to explore ways of promoting women's and girl's rights in South Africa. The girls discussed issues such as customary law, reproductive rights and violence against women in rural areas. The young women's comments brought together a collection of young South African women's opinions.
2009
Keep your chats exactly that!
Girls'Net has embarked on a campaign to promote safe and assertive use of phone chats and other forms of social networking tools. This campaign aims to empower young people to prevent them from becoming victims of harassment, bullying and violence when using the internet and cell phones. Additionally, we aim to help young people use these tools in affirmative ways to advocate for change on issues of concern to them.
