Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad A.C. (REDES A.C.) is a Mexican civil society organisation that was founded in 2004 with the aim of “weaving networks of collaboration between individuals, communities, organisations and territories in the field of community-centred and Indigenous communications.”
Its main objectives are to foster an enabling environment for communication processes to be developed, strengthened and sustained, and to create the conditions to enable Indigenous peoples to have their own means of communication, aligned with their own principles and values, as well as to have access to non-Indigenous media without discrimination.
REDES A.C. has been a member of the APC community for a number of years, particularly as an active partner in projects, publications and other activities aimed at fostering digital inclusion through community-centred connectivity. Now the organisation has decided to even further strengthen these mutual ties by becoming an official member of the APC network of member organisations. APCNews spoke with REDES A.C. to find out more about this move.
Why did you decide to join the APC network?
REDES A.C. has been actively participating with APC and other member organisations during the last few years, and we felt it was important to formalise this partnership, because we believe it is strategic in order to continue weaving networks of collaboration around community-centred and Indigenous communication processes at the regional level, in particular, as well as at the global level.
What do you think you can contribute as a member, and what do you expect from APC?
At REDES A.C. we’ve been working to help create an enabling environment for communication processes to be developed, strengthened and sustained. Specifically, we’ve focused our work on accompanying Indigenous communities in the exercise of their right to communication through legal support and policy advocacy around regulatory issues, the design and implementation of community-centred communication strategies, training and technical and social capacity building, and the creation of their own audiovisual content as a means to strengthen language and cultural diversity in their territories.
Throughout our years of work, we have considered it very important to systematise our experiences and methodologies through publications produced in collaboration with APC, and we would like to continue sharing our learnings with other members of the APC network and community, to continue enriching and strengthening autonomous and sustainable communications processes.