What role should this Social Network play in the friendship?

[Jen Hughes]

20% of visitors to Suai Media Space are coming here but not signing up. Can you suggest why or what you are expecting when you come here? What would you like to see here? What role do you think this social network should play? Would you like to see more of the youth of Suai? Would you like to see more photographs of Suai? or Would you like to see more of the friends from Port Phillip who are active here? Would you prefer to use Facebook? MySpace?Something else? My concept is simply for us to introduce ourselves to the youth of Suai and for them to introduce themselves to us. What do you think?

[Mauc Taroy]

Hi, there
The reason I join this group is because I want to know more about the youth from Suai and I also want to know people (foreigners) who help Timorese community.

There many ways of helping Timorese youth. One of the ways is providing information and any oportunities for our young Timorese from Suai to be able to study English or continue their further studies via scholarship. Having said that I would like to see Suai Media space to have lynk to:
any scholarships available for young Timorese
Any cultural exchange between the youth from Suai and Australia
Any aid that might bring some of our youths to study English in Australia, etc.

[Jen Hughes]

Hi there,
Have you seen the responses from Helen Hill and Ann Wigglesworth about English Learning and scholarships? These two women both teach and work in International Development specialising in East Timor.
It would be interesting to hear more about this from the youth of Suai who wish to learn English.

One of the ways this social network could be useful is for us to introduce who we are, what our work is and what our skills are. Groups could form around the needs, dreams and networks of those involved.

I would like to see Egy and other young people from Suai come into this discussion and that will hopefully happen when they get free access to broadband next month. What do you think?

[Jen Hughes]

Thank you Mauc. Some good ideas there. Let's invite Helen Hill from Victoria University to join us here I think she could help us with some of the links you have requested. Ann Wigglesworth could too. Ann is already a member but she is busy finishing her Phd presently. I'm sure she can help out when she is not so busy.Jen

[Helen Hill]

Jen, I have just seen your message, as I have just been setting up my own Ning group to promote discussion between those in Melbourne and those in Timor and elsewhere on our forthcoming conference in Dili in July, the Transforming Timor-Leste conference from July 4th to 7th (the first two days are Expos).
I have just been talking with Jenny Green at lunchtime today about the plans for teaching English in Suai to the high school teachers. This is an excellent idea, but there is a bit of a problem throughout Timor that many people think that English is the only thing they need to be learning to get a scholarship. There is an even greater need for science and maths teaching in the schools, I fear, Most of the jobs which could be created in Timor at its current level of development are really in food preservation, food processing, transport, financial services, communications, retailling, marketing, economic analysis, nutrition, cuisine, occupational health and safety, preventive health etc. all of which require some background in biology, chemisty, physics, mathematics and also a knowledge of the Timorese economy. Learning English will not necessarily teach you this, although some of it could be done through the medium of English. Students at UNTL benefit if they have a good level of English as they can read widely many of the publications in English related to their courses. But the truth of the matter is that few Timorese secondary students reach a sufficient level of English to study in an English speaking country unless they have had a native speaker of English in their school, or they speak English at home with their parents or have worked with an English-speaking NGO or business. Radio Australia does do an on-line course of English and also, I think, one on the radio, it is worth investigating, I sometimes get emails from them. If you want to raise your level of English sufficiently to study in Australia or another English speaking country you need to surround yourself with English television, radio, books, magazines etc. in addition to doing a course. (This is general advice for learning any language by the way). The website on English learning is actually from the Australia Network, which is TV, not radio, its at http://australianetwork.com:80/learnenglish/vodcast/ I think some of their programs are broadcast on TVTL.

[Jen Hughes]

Thanks Helen for your thoughtful comments based on your extensive experience. And thank you for providing the link to the ENGLISH learning on the AUSTRALIAN NETWORK. And yes, the Friends of Suai initiative to teach English teachers in Suai seems to be advancing well. It should be in full swing by the end of the year I think.
Good luck with your social network for the conference.
chees Jen

[Jen Hughes]

25% of visitors to Suai Media Space are coming here now but I can't tell how many are signing up. Not that many, that's for sure because we are getting nearly 400 visitors a day on Suai Media Space. One role this Social Network could play is for groups to form around needs of the youth of Suai. I have emailed Helen Hill to ask her to join but nothing so far. I might give her a ring to follow up information about education scholarships.

[dheblo]

Hi folks, I just joined this group. Let's share things that will be very useful for the Suai people. I think the existence of this group is for the Suai people right? Or only for the youth? Why only for the youth? So, put yourself in and be among them through this network.

[Jen Hughes]

Welcome Dheblo.
The idea is that if we assist the youth of Suai get skills and knowledge in the media arts it will help the people of Suai in many different ways. The Friends of Suai was set up in Port Phillip (my neighbourhood) as a community-to-community friendship to assist the people of Suai in their recovery. As I am a documentary-maker I bring my skills and networks to that friendship. It is a way of focussing my work and making it manageable. The Friends of Suai are funded by the Council of Port Phillip (local government) and donations from the community. People who live in Port Phillip also like to assist by giving their time and skills. The Port Phillip Council contributed funds to this project two years ago. Now it is voluntary and I am fundraising elsewhere while the Friends of Suai are providing funds for a photography workshop this year and we are working with Ergilio to develop a program for the future. The Centre for International Journalists is also doing training in Suai and they are delivering a satellite which will bring Suai on to Broadband next month.
that's about us tell us some more about yourself. Jen

[dheblo]

Thanks for the reply Jen. I am from Jakarta Indonesia and a volunteer for a Korean NGO that works for peace and education. We have a field work in Timor Leste too. Every year, we hold a program called Peace Camp. It takes place in Dili, Los Palos, Suai, Oecussi area and in Metamauk (NTT, border area Indonesia). I joined Peace camp three times. And on 2007 Peace Camp I was in Suai. There, I met Egi and Chamot and other friends. Also Marcus and Chilli (Cayden Mowbray), they were doing some kind of training for the Suai youth. Still now I'm working with this organization but different field work. I am now in Pakistan. Before I was in Aceh for two years.

[Jen Hughes]

Wow Dheblo you are having such an interesting time and thank you for working towards peace - I hope people join you. I also know Marcus and Chilli. I helped organise their visit and workshop in Suai. They did some good work. I was just thinking about them this morning on my walk. I must email them and ask them to join us here. Did you know Egy put up some photographs of the Peace Camp in Suai on the main site? I'll check the URL and put it in the text box. We would love to hear a story from your stay in Suai - all in the name of peace. Have you got any photos of the workshop? Jen

[Jen Hughes]

I just asked Jude Conway to start a History Group. Pedro has photos of the time of the referendum in 1999 he is going to share. I am hoping Jude might too. Lee has some but she is in Tassie at the moment and her photos are in Queensland I think. What about you mob from Suai ? Chip Hendrickson (surname?) has some photos I have to find his email and invite him to join in this group. Jen

[Jen Hughes]

Hi Ann,
As long as we are alert to the spammers we can delete them and ban them. Thanks for letting me know. Jen