A big part of our work is around the marginalized communities—we co-create technical and educational resources, and work closely with communities in helping them amplify their voices using media development as a tool.
The Marginalized Community Council’s logo features “Sarjom Baha”, the sal flower that is dearly loved by the Munda communities of South Asia. It symbolizes the beginning of a new season. The idea of this council emerged during a conversation with our dear friend Anasuya Sengupta. Subhashish Panigrahi CC-BY-SA 4.0
In the last few years, a need for a common platform—to address digital activism related issues for many marginalized communities—has emerged through many discourses that we have been a part of. This working group will be our first step towards bridging that gap. We have had some internal discussions with marginalized speakers from various communities mostly based in India, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka to collect feedback. Based on those inputs, we are excited to announce that we will be formally kicking off this group on August 9, 2019 which happens to be the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a day initiated by the United Nations to celebrate the diversity of indigenous peoples around the world, and have a platform to discuss about relevant issues among the key stakeholders.
Visit the official page of the Council
Key activities of the Council
- Discuss about the common issues that are a hindrance to digital activism in marginalized languages (indigenous, endangered and other underrepresented languages)
- Identify areas that need immediate intervention and key stakeholders who could contribute in bridging those gaps
- Publish recommendations to address these common issues
- Contribute towards similar initiatives around the world including the UN/UN-affiliated campaigns like 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL)
Who can be a part of this group?
This group is open to, but not limited to, leaders from marginalized communities around the world who are active in conservation and protection of marginalized languages and cultures; use of technology and advocacy to grow such languages particularly on digital platforms and the Internet; representatives of key stakeholders of marginalized rights (government departments, NGOs/nonprofits, academia, and civil society). You’re most welcome to apply if you’re someone who is not a native speaker of any marginalized language but is deeply involved in the aforementioned marginalized topics.
I’M eager to join this group. I had submited form two times and not getting any responses from the group. I kindly request you to notify me what was my lackings to join this group and get conformation about my membership?
Hi Deewash, I believe that we have responded to you personally on this. If not please write to us and we will do so. Just so you know that your application is well received but sometimes it takes us longer to make a final decision because of many factors. We appreciate your patience.