The Association for Progressive Communications has been working online since the late 1980s so it’s no wonder that a wealth of experience has been captured regarding how to best do social justice work online.
APC is a non-profit organisation and network with staff and members based in more than 30 countries. They communicate daily with each other from computers in their homes and offices – APC’s executive director types out of an office in her Johannesburg garden!
Author Margarita Salas interviewed 60 people in the APC network about their experiences working together online – the good, the bad and the complicated – and shares their recommendations and views in a new guide called “Closer than ever: A guide for social change organisations who want to start working online”.
“This guide is organised in a sequence that follows the level of importance that the people interviewed placed on each issue,” says Margarita. “The first chapter is about people, because there was general consensus among the interviewees that the most important issue about working online for social change is getting the right people involved in the work — people with leadership, commitment, know-how and creativity that can become the true driving force.” Other chapters focus on processes, tools and good practices.
Margarita Salas lives in Costa Rica and produced this guide when she was working at APC member Sulá Batsú, member of APC in Costa Rica since 2008. The guide has been produced thanks to support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).