Ce texte, aujourd’hui disponible en anglais, le sera très prochainement en français.

Communication team: Ricardo Gomez, Marina Urquidi, Daniel Pimienta, Franck Fourmental, Gustavo Marin, Philippe Amouroux, Francoise Holtz Bonneau

A small group of allies has been actively debating how to strengthen all these communication activities and tools for the purposes of the Alliance. As a result of this process, we have come up with the following ideas, which we put forward to all Allies, hoping to elicit your comments, suggestions, enthusiasm and participation. We invite you to comment and complement these ideas, and to help us find ways in which we can effectively communicate both among Allies and with others about our joint activities and collective dreams.

This text is the result of a collective process that began during the Assembly 97 in Brazil, and which has continued in remote discussions and group meetings during 1998. We draw from various documents and ideas related to communication needs and practices which have circulated in the past year. More than defining a charter of rights and duties for allies, we seek to understand the communication challenges facing the Alliance for 1999-2001.

Communication in the Alliance

The success of the Alliance depends not only on the enthusiasm and commitment of its allies undertaking relevant activities together, but on the existence of communication ties that ensure a strong, fluid and well structured flow of information. In order better understand the challenges of strengthening communication tools and practices in the Alliance, we suggest a map with four different kinds of approaches and activities. They are all inter-related, and we separate them only for conceptual clarity. As any conceptual framework it is imperfect and incomplete, but it helps us understand the challenges ahead.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of Communication in the Alliance

1. Reference Crossroads: these are the concrete instruments allies use for information and communication, through a variety of media. These tools and instruments constitute the crossroads of information and communication exchange between allies. They include publications, electronic forums & their archives, web site, machine translation, fax relays, databases, and other forms of information to allies. Technological convergence makes it increasingly possible for some to access and use most of these activities electronically, and they can all me managed and maintained with Internet tools; but we need to provide different supports (paper, print) to meet all needs and possibilities.
2. Interactions between Allies: These are the relationships and interactions by which allies share, exchange and use each other’s experiences and knowledge for collective action. Most notably, these relationships take place through meetings and remote discussions. These interactions between allies frequently use the tools described as Reference Crossroads, and their results are generally reflected in one or more of these tools (from a note in a database or a forum to a final publication).
3. Decentralization and training: Expanding and strengthening the Alliance means decentralizing activities and tools (to regional poles or working teams in different regions), providing human and technical support to facilitate participation in the Alliance, introducing new allies to the collective memory of the network, etc.
4. Reaching beyond Allies: we are aware at this point there is no clear inside/outside distinction in the alliance, so the notion of ‘external communication’ we have been using since Bertioga may not be appropriate for now. But we need to address communication practices that will help us go beyond ‘preaching to the converted’. Here we refer to communication activities and human interactions intended to reach out to potential new allies and partners, to influence decision- and policy-makers, and to reach the public opinion at large (possibly seeking to use mass media directly or indirectly).

These four axes synthesize what we see are the main challenges in the communication needs of the Alliance in the years to come. They represent a set of tools (the left hand side, including the Reference Crossroads and Decentralization and Training) and a set of relationships or practices (the right hand side, including Interactions Between Allies and Reaching Beyond Allies). Schematically (although the match is incomplete and imperfect), the tools should help us strengthen the relationships. On the other hand, the four axes also represent a focus on strengthening collective dynamics and exchanges (the upper portion) as well as on consolidating and expanding the reach and scope of the Alliance (the lower portion).

Communication Processes

In our view, based on the above understanding, the Alliance needs to strengthen three different communication processes: building its collective memory, documenting its achievements and progress in a data bank, and stimulating collective discussion and action. Each of these processes would help to strengthen communication in the alliance in different and inter-related ways, even if emphasizing one aspect over others. In other words, these processes would help to strengthen in different ways the Reference Crossroads and the Interactions Between Allies, as well as the Decentralization and Training and the Reach beyond Allies. The order in which they are presented is irrelevant.

• Collective discussion and action: The Alliance is brought alive by its allies working together to reflect and act about the future of the planet. Debates and exchanges of experiences, both face to face and remote, are organized around a shared agenda that maximizes their reach and scope.
• Documenting progress and achievements: Consolidating the collection and circulation of information resources produced by and for allies in the form of books, reports and other documents. These form a decentralized web of resources that can be linked together by an open-architecture database, maintained by decentralized poles and openly accessible (possibly with different layers of access to create, modify or read different sections depending on the user).
• Building the collective memory of the alliance: This includes revising, updating and disseminating the founding texts of the Alliance and other important landmarks in its process of development. Also, collective memory is sustained with active access to a dynamic, decentralized and updated database of allies.

Strengthening Communication Tools

In order to strengthen these communication processes, the Alliance has been using different tools, instruments or activities. Some of them need extra attention and dedication make them more relevant and effective for communication in the alliance. After closer analysis, and taking into consideration present and future needs, we identified which tools and activities are on a higher immediate priority for the Alliance’s advance:

1. Databases: the most urgently needed communication tool in the Alliance is an integrated set of databases with open architecture and decentralized maintenance. Upgrading the directory of allies, and perfecting a database of experiences (to include ongoing experimentation with fiches de suivi, publications, reports and other documents, shared agenda, archives of electronic forums and, ideally, a gateway to DPH). This integrated database should be available and accessible online (with possibility of password-protected areas, machine translation, and decentralized maintenance and data entry), include an open text search engine, and could feature a way to include traditional keywords and labels for structured searches.
   
   This item will be handled by Gustavo & Philippe, who will prepare terms of reference and seek technical expertise for the design and implementation of these tools. It is understood there are many powerful open-architecture, web capable database software packages commercially available, and we will not need to create a new one from scratch. Although managed and accessible on the Internet, we need to ensure contents will also be available to non-networked allies.
   
2. Forums: ranking second in need for immediate attention, discussion forums need to be archived and moderated. Archives constitute an online, automatic, organized and searchable database that needs to be linked to the other databases (above) and to their search engines. Experience shows that a listserv is not enough to maintain virtual communities active and engaged, and that the role of a moderator is increasingly important. Forums are an important tool for the Alliance, but they will require active moderation in addition to further work in machine translation if we are to take advantage of more of their potential.
   
   The COM forum will put into practice an experimental methodology for moderated remote discussion, collective work and automatic translation as part of the MISTICA project carried out by FUNREDES in Latin America. This methodology, once refined, can be expanded to include other remote discussions and forums.

   Daniel and Marina will prepare a proposal for the active management and moderation of the forums, including the possibility of their transfer to Funredes server. The proposal will include a relay mechanism to reach non-networked allies.

3. Web Site: The web site of the Alliance (http://www.echo.org) is growing and now features a "What’s new" section that keeps up-to-date information about activities in the alliance. The creation of a "web editorial team" is suggested. Franck has been playing the role of ‘webmaster’, although more time would be needed to perform that role better, especially as more allies, chantiers and working groups gain internet access and want to set up their own on-line information sites. The Alliance cannot provide web hosting or design to all chantiers; each will be expected to solve it locally, building links to and from the general site, and possibly be included in the search engine. A clearer map of the site to navigate through the growing number of links will be needed. Also, the web site should include electronic versions of all Alliance publications, including Caravan. Management and maintenance of the web site can eventually be decentralized. A web-to-email relay should be installed for allies with only e-mail connectivity.
   
   FPH is currently discussing with BikeAbout, an organization in USA, for the strengthening and maintenance of the web site.
   
4. Print Publications: Allies are publishing a growing number and variety of documents, meeting declarations, adaptations of the Platform etc., in addition to Caravan and other regional newsletters. This diversity will continue to be encouraged.
   
   Electronic versions of these publications should be linked on the web site.
   
5. Meetings: Thematic, regional or collegial meetings will continue to be organized at the discretion of allies. The organization of the 2001 Assembly will slowly move to the top of the priority list.
   
   In due time, the communication team will seek the best ways to support the International Orientation Team for the Alliance which will be conformed soon, in particular for the activities related to the preparation of the Assembly 2001.

The working group in communication will continue to act as a resource for the Alliance, coordinated by Ricardo Gomez. Its main tool is the COM forum, which is open to all allies to subscribe and participate.

Communication in the Alliance is an ongoing process. All Allies are part of this process, and we all contribute to it from our own areas of reflection, intervention and action. We cannot force any communication system or procedure upon allies, but we can facilitate processes and remain open and sensitive to emerging and changing needs, resources and possibilities in order to contribute to the strengthening of the Alliance.

Ricardo Gomez (ricardo.gomez@writeme.com)

IDRC PO Box 8500 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3H9 Canada

fax +1(613) 567 7748