Open Press Release -- MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION!
Dear all, this is an effort to have an "open" press release. Please contribute your quotes, pictures, thoughts, statistics, etc. Share what you learned, how you benefited, etc!
The related pages:
Main page:
http://www.barcamp.org/OpenSesame+BarCamp-Lebanon
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35846696@N02/
Session Notes:
http://www.barcamp.org/OpenSesame-BarCamp-Lebanon-notes
*** Press Release – For Immediate Release ***
OpenSesame BarCamp-Lebanon
Saturday, February 28, 2009, 10am-4pm
American University of Beirut, Nicely Hall
More info available at: www.barcamp.org/OpenSesame+BarCamp-Lebanon
Media Contacts:
David Munir Nabti, RootSpace (03-138-770, innovate (at) therootspace (dot) org)
Sami Tueni, Naharnet (03-311-588, sami.tueni (at) naharnet (dot) com)
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OpenSesame BarCamp-Lebanon Organizers and Sponsors:
Organizers: RootSpace (www.therootspace.org), Naharnet (www.naharnet.com)
Sponsors: VISP (www.visp.net.lb), Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), element^n (www.elementn.com)
Host: American University of Beirut, Olayan School of Business
Co-Organizers: Creative Commons, Youth Shadow Government
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To help promote "openness" in various contexts (social, innovation, politics, business, education, and more), RootSpace and Naharnet joined forces organizing the "OpenSesame BarCamp-Lebanon" in Beirut on February 28, 10am-4pm, at AUB. Over 65 people came despite torrential rains and hale to discuss open source technology initiatives, collaborative problem solving, Creative Commons and intellectual property in Lebanon and the region, tech tools for promoting transparency and good governance, open business models, Arabic on the web and collaborative sites (like Wikipedia, etc), and more. (More information about the specific sessions available online on the other pages listed above.)
"Openness" provides many benefits in education, society and social development, technology, innovation, government, the business world, civil society, arts and creativity, intellectual development, and much more.
In addition to participants from Lebanon, participants from Syria, Jordan, Bahrain and Yemen attended this event, the first of its type in the Arab World. “BarCamp” is simply an "open source conference" intended to make gatherings of people much more fun, interesting, and beneficial than a typical conference (look at www.barcamp.org for more information). Prior to the day of the event, the organizers (RootSpace & Naharnet) proposed a theme for the gathering and people suggested session ideas online (anybody can join the website to add information or contribute ideas). On the day of the event, the first activity for everyone in attendance was to collaboratively create the schedule for the rest of the day.
In addition to this dynamic event, RootSpace and Naharnet set up a system for participants to blog and document the latest updates throughout the day, so that people not at the event or in other sessions can all learn from what was happening in each session.
This event is part of RootSpace’s core work of promoting the development of a sustainable knowledge-based economy in Lebanon (and the region), largely through promoting social innovation and social entrepreneurship. RootSpace and Naharnet partnered with many organizations and companies who share their vision in reaching out to society and spread these efforts, such as VISP, Microsoft, Olayan School of Business (AUB), Creative Commons and the Lebanese Youth Shadow Government.
This initiative by RootSpace and Naharnet is a precedent in the IT industry in Lebanon, bringing to the forefront a topic of great importance and will play a major role in the future of IT.
Many of the participants found the event so beneficial that many already started discussing future plans for similar such events, including BarCamps on specific topics (such as Creative Commons and intellectual property, ICT in education, ICT in improving Lebanese politics, digital mapping & GIS, ICT tools to help civil society efforts, green energy, Arabic on the web, and more). Plans are being developed and will be publicized soon.
Several of the sponsors have long been working passionately in the field of “open source” and fostering innovation in tech use in Lebanon and the region:
About Microsoft: The Microsoft platform has long been used to develop and host open source applications, with more than 79,000 open source applications using Microsoft platform technologies. Almost 200 projects have been started by Microsoft product teams releasing code, ranging from WiX, the Windows Installed XML toolkit to AIDS vaccine research tools from Microsoft Research.
About VISP: VISP, an Internet service provider in Lebanon, runs all its systems on open source, and is trusted by many (in the public, security, and private sectors) as the most secure Internet provider in the country.
About element^n: element^n is a web developer with an innovative user-centered approach to design and web development, based in Lebanon and working throughout the region.
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Testimonials:
"Lebanon has the potential to become a technology and innovation powerhouse in the region, and the world, and we saw that at this event. We just need to create a climate of openness and support, and events like this to bring people together to push technology and innovation forwards." (David Munir Nabti, CEO of RootSpace, and co-organizer of "OpenSesame BarCamp-Lebanon")
... ADD YOUR OWN TESTIMONIAL HERE!
