NetSquared, an initiative of TechSoup.org - ginet

Thanks for supporting the Genocide Intervention Network!

quixotic — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:26:42 -0400

Thank you to all those who supported the Genocide Intervention Network's proposal for the NetSquared Mashup Challenge! We were honored to be nominated by the community as a 2008 Featured Project for our proposal to upgrade and extend the DarfurScores.org website:

The Genocide Intervention Network seeks to create a new website, modeled on our successful Darfur congressional scorecard, DarfurScores.org, tentatively named GenocideScores.org.

Our current plan for the site — which could change as we explore different options and hear feedback from our members — has four main components:

Collecting together anti-genocide data, not only on Darfur but on each of our areas of concern. Instead of being limited to only legislative records, each state would list its status on other anti-genocide initiatives like Sudan divestment and genocide education.
Provide clear illustrations of legislative status. Instead of just hearing about a bill when a member of Congress does (or doesn't) vote for it, we'll be tracking bills as they move through each chamber.
Cross-index a bill's status with a member's location. When the latest bill on genocide prevention is up for a vote, anti-genocide activists whose members of Congress represent key votes on the legislation will be able to receive automatic alerts.
Provide embeddable badges or widgets for activists to place on their profiles, blogs or websites. At a glance, both you and visitors to your website, blog or social networking profile will be able to see how your state and legislators are doing on the question of genocide. And when urgent action is needed, these badges will be automatically updated with a special link to take action.

Now, we want your feedback. If you have a chance, read through our proposal for DarfurScores.org and leave a comment — tell us what you like, what you think could be changed, what we're overlooking. Remember that this is all about our core mission: empowering individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. We hope this project will result in a valuable new tool, and we'd love to have your input!

—Ivan Boothe, Internet Strategy Coordinator for the Genocide Intervention Network

P.S. If you're interested in the work we're doing, follow us on Twitter!

Like the Genocide Intervention Network? Come work for us!

quixotic — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:03:58 -0400

The Genocide Intervention Network is a small, non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C., that works to mobilize an anti-genocide constituency in the United States and Canada to raise the costs for inaction by politicians in the face of genocide. GI-Net empowers individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide, in particular by protecting civilians in Darfur, Sudan.

Because of increased momentum and support, GI-Net is currently hiring for several positions:

N2Y2 Con: Tech Innovations with GWNL, GINet,

evonne — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:45:30 -0400

Hi, Evonne Heyning here liveblogging from the Tech Innovation room at N2Y2 for the last session of Tuesday's event. During the break we had a great discussion on participation in these sessions; for those of us who are in the audience there have been many questions on the backchannel on how the audience can be more effective participants in this process. Billy @ TechSoup and Jean ~NurtureGirl~ Russell had some great comments on ways that VCs, foundations, busiensses, nonprofits and technology gurus can come together to add value to these discussions.

Please note that we are liveblogging here; not every word is here but I'll get as much as possible along the way.

The Genocide Intervention Network's conference introduction to NetSquared

quixotic — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:50:39 -0400

The text of my "speech" to the NetSquared 2007 Conference.

The people of Darfur are not destined to fight. The peoples of Rwanda, of Bosnia and Guatemala, of Cambodia and Armenia, the Jews of Europe were not a lost cause. Nor were they simply a natural disaster, to be met with blankets and gauze. Who would have suggested that the appropriate response to Auschwitz was bags of rice?

Yet that is our response to genocide. Humanitarian relief organizations are doing vital, breathtaking work — but it’s up to us, as members of the human race, to work to change the situations that necessitate that humanitarian relief. The pattern to date has been ad-hoc groups coming together around a particular conflict, creating some noise and holding some demonstrations, and then fading away just as quickly when the mass atrocities lessen.

The Genocide Intervention Network was established to give our members a more lasting voice, a more permanent effect on the situation — to create a permanent anti-genocide constituency, that makes political inaction in the face of mass atrocities all but unthinkable.