Since its launch in April of this year, the Latin America 2024 Bootcamp, organized by TEDIC in partnership with La Política Online and with support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the intersection between human rights and information and communication technologies (ICTs). This program, now in its ninth edition, has been designed to equip human rights defenders and journalists with theoretical knowledge and practical skills for effective activism in the digital age. In this blog, we summarized of our main activities and the resources developed throughout this project:
Exploring critical digital rights issues: a collaborative learning journey
Between May and June 2024, a series of training sessions and mentorships were held, culminating in the publication of 5 articles. In total, we conducted 9 asynchronous classes and 9 live Q&A sessions with experts in the field.
Our teaching staff included highly experienced individuals such as Veridiana Alimonti from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Amalia Toledo from the Wikimedia Foundation, Eduardo Carrillo, Maricarmen Sequera, Luis Pablo Alonzo, and Araceli Ramírez from TEDIC, Jamila Venturini from Derechos Digitales, Maximiliano Manzoni from the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and Patricio Porta from La Politica Online. Each panelist provided valuable, up to date content and successfully captured the interest of participants, contributing to the success of the training phase of the project.
The beneficiaries of this Bootcamp included human rights activists from various fields (environmental issues, online activism, sexual and reproductive rights, among others), as well as journalists from different media outlets across several Latin American countries. This significant diversity of profiles and knowledge allowed participants to share their experiences, enriching the learning process within the various sessions.
The training phase covered topics such as privacy and data protection, freedom of expression and content moderation, foundational concepts of artificial intelligence (AI), internet shutdowns as a censorship tactic, online gender based violence, the intersection of ICTs with environmental rights, digital security for activists, skills for effective advocacy with a focus on communication, and we concluded with a masterclass on style editing for producing research articles.
A diverse and committed regional group
During the call for applications for the Latin America 2024 Bootcamp, we received a total of 120 applications from activists and journalists across Latin America and the Caribbean. After a rigorous selection process and due to the limited available places, we selected 10 participants to represent diverse groups and nationalities within our region:
- Angela Meza Echegaray – Perú 🇵🇪
- Kosset Anahí Mamani Coaquira – Bolivia 🇧🇴
- Alma Areco – Paraguay 🇵🇾
- Noelia Gómez – Argentina 🇦🇷
- Natalia Ruiz – México 🇲🇽
- Katherine Pennacchio – Venezuela 🇻🇪
- Alfredo Velazco – Ecuador 🇪🇨
- Alma Xóchitl Zamora Méndez – México 🇲🇽
- Kianay Anandra Pérez – Cuba 🇨🇺
- Matías Samir González Torrealba – Chile 🇨🇱
Published articles
After completing the training phase, we proceeded with the development of a mentorship and follow-up program for 5 groups aimed at producing and publishing informative articles on various topics. Each group received personalized guidance, a crucial process for the completion of their research projects.
These articles were published on the websites of La Política Online and the TEDIC Bootcamp page, extending the reach and impact of the Bootcamp beyond the immediate beneficiaries. The topics covered by these articles include (titles translated from their Spanish version):
- Digital Conservatism: The Search Engine Strategy to Hide Information About Abortion – Noelia Gómez.
- Facial Recognition Advances in Football Stadiums in Latin America – Matías González, Alfredo Velazco, and Alma Zamora.
- The Expansion of Data Centers Worsens Droughts and Accelerates Global Warming – Natalia Ruiz and Angela Meza.
- Digital Blocking: Which Countries Use This Strategy to Curtail Freedoms? – Katherine Pennacchio.
- How Online Gender-Based Violence Laws Are Silencing Dissenting Voices – Alma Areco and Kosset Mamani.
Informed activism for more effective advocacy
The 2024 Bootcamp successfully brought together and shared the experiences of various activists and journalists from across Latin America, each facing distinct political, economic, and social realities in their respective countries. The diversity and breadth of the group provided enriching perspectives and deepened the collective understanding of regional challenges and opportunities.
By empowering participants and amplifying their voices, the Bootcamp aims to create lasting influence and capacities within the various beneficiary groups it targets. It also seeks to highlight the importance of critical journalism in addressing human rights challenges in the digital age and the need for robust public policies to mitigate the negative impacts of technological advancements in Latin America.
The asynchronous classes are available on our platform for those interested in self-certifying in these topics. We believe this is an excellent opportunity to access valuable content and stay updated on the most relevant issues in digital rights, technology, and activism in Latin America.
Additionally, we invite everyone to follow our updates for more information, resources, and future learning opportunities.