Click here to see the schedule of the event.
Click here to see wiki documentation of the sessions.

The Local Context Global Commons lab at the iSummit '08 is the place where regional issues facing commoners around the world will be discussed and debated, where successes will be showcased and strategies shared

In the run-up to the iSummit we've been very busy working with partners as diverse as  Wikipedia, Wikia, Global Voices, Asia Commons, FGV, Alternative Law Forum, iCommons and Cultura Libre, and we've created a programme that will, for the first time ever, provide a space where the voices from the Commons in the Global South can be amplified at the event.

The goals of the Local Context Global Commons lab are:

• Showcasing voices from the Global South and improving regional understanding of the commons in different local contexts;
• Improving regional collaboration and cross-regional collaboration by getting the word out about commons issues that are locally critical but also globally important or that could benefit from global solidarity;
• By facilitating discussions between people withing geographical regions (such as Asia Commons members) and between regions;
• Developing practical plans for how to implement 'openness' in the public sector, in multilingual projects, for cultural heritage and in development publishing.
  

In Session 1, lab participants will be introduced to the current Local Context Global Commons project, a project by writers and activists in South Africa, Brazil and India to highlight local commons initiatives and trends. Participants will then have the opportunity to present their own local work and insights that they have had into how the commons relates in particular local contexts and start developing the goals and outcomes for the lab.

Session 2 will look at what information and research is being currently produced on the commons, what standards are being developed for wide-scale production of research (LCGC, ccWiki, Overmundo, Global Voices, KEI Online, Open Democracy). Analysis of how community-centric these models are and what gaps still need to be filled, will also take place.

Using the experiences of the Global Voices team as case studies, Session 3 will look at the challenges of working in the multi-lingual Internet both in terms of content and language. This session will also take a look at creating useful tools and strategies for organisations who wish to translate or use translated content, and pair projects who have expertise and experience with those who need them.

During Session 4, participants will analyse the successes and challenges in community-centric publishing using a variety of case studies including 5 Minutes to Midnight, the Pattern Wiki, Scribd, Pratham Books, and Connexions. Participants will study what the common success factors and points of failure were, and how the gaps from the previous session can be narrowed.

Session 5 will be an examination of several case studies from Amsterdam, Australia and Europe where State-Owned Memory Institutions and government have opened up access to public sector information. The rest of the session will be devoted to developing step-by-step how-to guides and checklists for developing nation organisations (and others) who are working on opening up access to this information in their own local contexts.

Finally, Session 6 will be a time to reflect on all the lessons learned and shared in order to perfect the Open Publishing checklist and prepare for the final report-back.

Pic by tom-b on flickr.com, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0