Creating Local Connections (CLC)

This programme is based on the notion that making TIG fully relevant to young people around the world - that is, creating a truly multilingual and multicultural global community - involves expanding outreach into local communities and providing content in local languages. To that end, CLC's strategy is to combine meaningful use of information and communication technology (ICT) with in-person, community-based activities.

As part of "Creating Local Connections: Russian Youth Online", TIG's global team of Russian e-translators began the process by working to translate TIG's website into Russian. Click here to view the global portal in Russian language; click here to view the multilingual Russian TIG website. Youth participation was central to this effort; organisers said, "To develop a vibrant and engaging version of TIG in Russian, we are also soliciting contributions from young journalists, writers, poets, and artists whose work relates to Russia." Around 600 new members joined the TIG online community during the first month of the active promotion of the youth portal in Russia.

In Russia, the local team of TakingITGlobal is working to assist youth in developing and implementing youth-led projects by introducing them to online tools, new technologies, and informational resources with a view to create an online community of youth organisations in Russia, to develop joint actions and initiatives, and to promote an international dialogue and cooperation. As part of this community, workshops for Russian youth focusing on such areas as leadership, capacity-building, media, and technology are being developed. In addition, a National Youth Essay Contest - "What I Would Like to Tell the World About Russia" - was held among Russian youth aged 15 to 30. According to organisers, over 300 submissions from different parts of Russia were received; "essay contestants demonstrated their active social position and their desire to make a difference in their communities".

In all of the 12 countries in which CLC is to be implemented, partnership will central to the effort to create a community around a locally relevant youth empowerment and education technology tool. Cooperation was central to an event held in August 2004 to explore strategies for implementing CLC in the Ukraine. Organised by the United Nation's Focal Point for Youth in Ukraine and growing TIG Ukrainian membership, this event drew representatives of Ukrainian youth non-government organisations (NGOs), international non-profits, a Ukrainian new ICT company, as well as youth media representatives. One young attendee reflecting on the event wrote, "now the time has come to form strong coalitions and institutionalize TIG to guarantee strong basis for dialogue with national and global actors playing in the local youth field..."

CLC is part of a larger effort to reach more non-English speaking Internet users. TIG has developed technology that allows its online efforts to be translated by teams of virtual volunteers around the world. In addition to the Russian language version developed through the CLC process, the online community has been launched in French, Spanish, and Arabic. The latter version, launched in December 2004, involved translating the main sections of the international portal into Arabic, with a monthly newsletter, bimonthly themes that explore different social issues, and various opportunities being made available in that language. In addition, an initiative is underway to create a Vietnamese-language TIG community; click here for more details. In addition to these web-based efforts, TIG is encouraging its members to run open-space "Open Forums" in their communities, meeting in schools, community halls, and other public spaces to explore TIG's monthly themes from a local perspective, then sharing the results with other members of the global online community.

Youth, Technology.

"As TIG has grown there is tremendous pressure to provide more intensive programming at the local level. Young people are demanding training, support, recognition, financing, voice, and opportunities to get involved in their local communities. Our services are only as relevant as they are accessible to people in languages they speak, and through a format they can access, and implementing programs to bridge the gap between the online tools and offline work will play a critical part in increasing the effectiveness of the TIG network."