| The Power of the Network |
Beyond safety nets, good governance, democracy, and Web 2.0, the world is becoming flatter and flatter… Every specialist sees it from its point of view.
In management, organizational structures were designed vertically and hierarchically. The limits of such structures were soon reached and matrix and ad hoc overlays were introduced only to fall short as well. Today, the 21st Century schools of management are calling companies to flatten their organizational structures dramatically to maximize collaboration among the talented workers who create today’s wealth – no matter what their rank is. (I am lucky to be working for a giant corporation which just started doing just that).
In political governance, kingdoms are now vestiges of the past and the largest economies of the world are democracies. In these countries politicians are reachable and accountable to their constituents.
In families, Dr. Spock started the liberation of children from the tyranny of parents, force feeding, and disregard. It seems that my generation suffered the most for having to raise children at the time of post Spock transformation… We were brought up to stand for teachers and grown-ups and not to speak before asked. We were brought up to upkeep the reputation of the family and the clan over our personal needs and interest. All this gone… My children and all children I know have now moved back to their favorite position at the center of the universe with healthily impolite and selfish ways.
In the Internet, websites and portals are now replaced by wikis, on-line communities, forums, and blogs such as Wikipedia, Myspace, Utube, Facebook, Mytribe, to name a few. Web 2.0 is how we officially call this phenomenon. People and especially young people over the world have cast their vote in favor of means for dialogue. Nobody is interested in just receiving orders anymore…
As a consultant, I was associated with many potentially meaningful projects for Lebanon. However, I failed to make a difference and my projects and long and hard hours of work went into oblivion. After a needed depression, I came to the following conclusion: “No matter how dedicated and honest you are, no matter how hard you work, you will fail if you are not part of a network dedicated to the same cause. The popular wisdom sums it well: “One hand does not clap”, “It takes 2 to tango”, etc.
WIT is a network of successfully talented young women and the men who support them, all dedicated to make their own lives and professions better using ICT as well as help those around them achieve the same. We can depend and rely on each other. We can complement each other. Each from their position of responsibility and power, we can make the energy wave light each of us and becoming stronger as it is passes from one to the other with the end result to impact where it is most needed.
Everybody is talking about the power of the network... but WIT is actually doing it…
You are welcome to join the network!
Salam Yammout
President, Women in IT
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| NewsLetter Outline |
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| MEPI Fellowship Program |
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MEPI is announcing its fully paid U.S. Legal and Business Fellowship Program (LBFP) that will be open to young women between the ages of 22 and 32 holding a graduate degree in business or law OR an undergraduate degree in any field with at least 3 years’ experience working in the business or law fields.
The program is a unique opportunity for young women to participate in a four-week MBA or LLM level executive education program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School or the School of Law. They will then work in a large U.S. company or top tier law firm in a four-month fellowship in one of several key cities in the United States.
If interested, please contact AMIDEAST (through phone: 01-989901 or e-mail : lebanon@amideast.org) and apply before November 12, 2007. Complete information about this program and the application process is available at the AMIDEAST website: www.amideast.org
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| Volunteers needed for coming attractions |
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To volunteer for the following activities, please send an e-mail to Joulia Boukarroum at director@wit.org.lb, or call the WIT office at 01-750442:
- WIT Call Center (described above)
- Computer Mania Day – Planned date 8 December 2007 in partnership with UNDP/ UNV on the occasion of International Volunteer Day. WIT will gather 200 school girls with their parents and raise their and their IT awareness level with speeches and hands on demonstrations.
- Moving the WIT office within Zico House from the first floor to the second floor. Because of the projects above, we will be having 4 full time staff and the call center before the end of the year and need more space.
- Maintaining and improving the web site
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| Rights and Responsibilities CD |
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The UNDP ICT Development for the Arab Region (ICTDAR) has selected WIT to write the content for a CD targeting Arab youth and having as objective to raise their awareness regarding their rights and responsibilities. WIT will develop the content around the topics of citizenship and working women as well as moderate focus groups to validate the content with activists, youth, and NGOs.
Start Date: 15 June 2007 Duration: 6 months
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| ICT training for Women |
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WIT has been selected as Lebanon lead partner for the Women in Technology Program by the Institute of International Education (IIE) www.iiesf.org West Coast Center. The program is funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the United States Department of State. The objective of the program is to train 500 women every year in:
a- Basic ICT skills through the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Curriculum
b- Professional Development Skills (resume writing, leadership, and basic communications) through IIE Curriculum
In addition, partner organizations selected to implement the program in Lebanon will be trained on “Business Planning for Sustainability”, a curriculum developed by IIE to run the trainer center in a cost recovery model. Partners will be located in Ain Remmaneh, Jbeil, Triploi, Abbadiyeh, Houla, and Baalbeck and will be announced soon.
Start Date: 1 September 2007 Duration: 2 years
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| Women Call Center |
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WIT first thought of this project because of its need to follow up on its activities with the beneficiaries. After our school visits and other activities, we noticed that some girls still had some questions and needed more time to fully take advantage of what has been advocated. Based on this initial need, WIT designed the project so that every girl or woman in Lebanon is encouraged to pick up the phone to talk about a concern, issue, idea, or question she has. The project will be implemented in partnership with several other NGOs, each able to provide advice and help in its area of interest (health, law, battered women, culture, business, etc.) The project is funded by USAID / AMIDEAST.
Start Date: 15 September 2007 Duration: 1 year
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| Congradulations! |
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Hiam Khachen, founding member and board member of WIT, has been promoted to the rank of Director at the Central Bank’s IT department. Hiam joined the Central Bank in June 1984 as programmer / analyst. She is now one of five female directors among a total of around 50 directors at the Central Bank. Mabrouk Hiam and 3a2beel el governorateship!!!
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