WAVEs across the Nation - Celebrate Digital Inclusion Day

Online, September 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Mumbai, 6th September, 2010 - When we hear the names of cities and states such as Aizawl (Mizoram), Gangtok (Sikkim), Guwahati (Assam), the first thought that comes to mind is that they seem remote and therefore unfamiliar. Today, two women have resolutely united all of India through a women's network, one in each state to use a shared platform for young women to voices their views. Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment (WAVE) was founded by Sapna Shahani and Angana Jhaveri to give women a modern day tool to empower themselves. Digital Inclusion Day on 22nd September is about using technology to facilitate social and economic progress. The tools and concept propagated by WAVE India helps to bridge the digital divide that exists in our society and among our regions.

WAVE were the first winners from India of the MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Competition in 2009. This was mainly due to their innovative use of the internet technology and interactive media for maximum impact and scale. Sheryl Grant at Duke University, an administrator of the awards, remarked, "WAVE is the gold standard amongst the Digital Media and Learning competition awardees of 2009".

The website www.waveindia.org was launched in March 2010 and has already received nearly 5000 unique visitors from 78 countries. The interest in their work is reflected by the statistics of video views on their own site (6600) and associated video site networks (32000) with an impressive 5500 views on Youtube alone.

Visitors' comments reveal the value of what the young women have had to say and show. "This is an extremely true painful state of so many women of our country...I want to appreciate all of them for being so strong and facing the society so boldly," says Almitra Gupta on Kashmir's 'Half-Widows' video. Says yet another, "Really a commendable service rendered to the poor. Keep it up" - Mohanraj on the Aashayein (Hope) video about teaching street kids. Of course kudos to the force behind the project are no less evident from this comment on YouTube, "The women behind this videoblogging are good...to do (videos) about those who (find it) hard to do something different."

The final word of course is from the girls themselves, "WAVE has come as an opportunity for me to bring out what I have within me... It feels so right," signs off Usha from Guwahati, Assam.

About WAVE

WAVE's mission is to encourage women around India to voice their perspectives on social change using a shared digital platform.

One young woman from every state in India was selected through non-government organizations and colleges for an innovative nine-month mentorship program, and provided with video equipment, intensive training and monthly stipends for participating in the project. The participants selected come from interesting backgrounds and reflect the spirit of the initiative - Lebul Nisa, human rights lawyer in Srinagar, Vinitha D'Souza who lives in a women's shelter in Mysore, Sarah Rindiki affiliated with Mizoram University, Kalki Subramaniam directs her own NGO in the field of transgender rights, Rama Barhat who's pursuing alternative education in Udaipur and others.
With its first-of-its-kind citizen journalism program, WAVE aims to share compelling videos that start conversations and builds bridges across global boundaries to enable the exchange of novel solutions. Videos from areas as far as Dehradun and Trivandrum will not only inspire action within the community, but also engage individuals and organizations working towards development, academics, researchers, and social investors.

WAVE, which was an inspired idea of Sapna Shahani (Director) and Angana Jhaveri (Mentor), took flight when their proposal won a grant from 2009 Digital Media and Learning Competition (DML) sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation and HASTACin the U.S.

In the future, WAVE hopes to maintain their annual mentorship program with continued support from philanthropic foundations, and also provide part-time employment to the graduates by running a grassroots production house on a social entrepreneurship model.

To view videos and further details, log on to www.waveindia.org

About the Founders

Sapna Shahani directs the WAVE project, overseeing the program in its pilot phase, producing the videos and working towards its sustainability.

Sapna worked at Berkeley Community Media, a public TV station near San Francisco, California in the United States, as a manager for almost six years. This is where she learned about using media as a tool of change and providing access for the ordinary citizen to voice their issues, thereby strengthening democracy by enabling community dialogue. She attended annual conferences of the Alliance for Community Media, where she realised that she was one the few Indians working in the community media field in the US. She researched Indian media policy at the graduate level at San Francisco State University and was keen to pursue work in India where this concept is still in its fledgling phase.

Four years ago, Sapna moved back home to Bombay and worked with media houses there for some time. She is thrilled to have returned to the community media world, and conceptualize WAVE, which has been so well received. She lives and works to make WAVE a thriving program at their base office in Goa.

Angana Jhaveri mentors the girls, enabling them to better communicate their perspectives online, produces videos, and is working towards WAVE's sustainability.

Angana Jhaveri has been a classical Manipuri dancer and a student of theatre in the US where she did a PhD on the Raslila Performance of Manipur. Since the last 20 years, she has been producing and directing films of different genres.

Her 10 happiest years in the field of film-making were in service to the video department of the SYDA Foundation, a community of spiritual seekers in NY, directing and editing their films some of which were for Prasad, the Foundation's charitable arm.

While filming the work of NGOs both in India and the US, Angana was inspired by projects that served the community and has pursued this interest working with Deep Dish TV, an activist community media outfit and now with WAVE as Consultant and Mentor.

About the MacArthur Foundation Competition
An annual effort designed to find-and to inspire-the most novel uses of new media in support of learning, the Digital Media and Learning Competition awards $2 million annually to innovators shaping the field of digital media and learning and is supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Being one of the stand-out winning projects of the 2009 competition, Sapna and Angana were invited to present their work on May 12 National Lab Day event organized by their funders in association with the White House, in Washington DC. The event was attended by the first-ever appointed Chief Technology Officer of the US, Aneesh Chopra, who discussed President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" initiative.

For further information on the MacArthur Foundation and the University of California/Duke University's Digital Media and Learning competition log on to:
www.hastac.org / www.macfound.org / www.dmlcompetition.net

News Release Contacts

Sapna Shahani 9922509310/ Angana Jhaveri 9820302412/ Teresa D'Sa 9765260430
Email: [email protected]