Net Tuesdays or Net2 Local gatherings provide a chance to connect locally with all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change. There are new groups forming every week: Join in!
Connecting Refugees harnesses online social networking and mobile technology tools to aid refugees in resettlement. Our goal is to connect and impact the world's most disenfranchised people to others outside their refugee community and those who serve them. Our project is global in scope as refugees are all over the world along with the people who serve them. Often refugees struggle with learning about their new country, adding undue stress to an already stressful situation. Our project connects these refugees with others who share stories, video, photos, and their experiences about settling in the new country and enables refugees to connect with one another. Through these connections we will help ease fears and anxieties about resettlement and foster global connections. Our project will also connect humanitarian aid workers with resettlement resources and others going similar work. Both refugees and aid workers will be able to upload their own content to our project Ning site (http://connectingrefugees.ning.com) making it a continuously updated resource that is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and available in one place. The Ning web site can be accessed through an Internet browser (i.e., Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera Mobile, etc.) and via a web site designed for mobile phones (http://connectingrefugees.ning.com/m). In addition to the online social network, our project will purchase Internet-ready mobile phones to distribute to refugee camp workers to spread access to the network and enhance connections.