Webwala Workshop Series: an invite from Comet Media Foundation, Mumbai

Greetings from Comet Media Foundation!

We want to warmly invite you for the computer creativity workshop tri-series that we are running – Webwala. The dates we have slated for the same are :

Webwala1: Nov 27th -29^th, Webwala2: Dec 17th - 20^th, Webwala3: Jan 8th – 13

This series is experimental and we hope it will soon develop (participant and content-wise) and lead into the Webwala course (three yr programme) in our soon-to-be-established New Media Institute in Mumbai – COSMOS.

But before we get into the details of the COSMOS course, let us tempt you to come learn with us starting this November!

Workshop Content:

v                        Introduction to Internet and HTML

v                        Web designing software

v                        Introduction to elements of design, graphic design and photography

v                        Aesthetic use of copy and content

v                        Designing and using databases

v                        Animation techniques, Advanced HTML

v                        Creating your web-site

Workshop Purpose

Right now we are hoping to:

-         build relationships with NGOs like yours by making you send us dedicated members of your staff (mentor),

-         introducing you to the content we will be dealing with at the Institute,

-         experiment with children from you organisations to see

o        whether our course is relevant, enjoyable and useful

o        whether these children will be interested in a full time course at a later stage

Ultimately, we require to link up with your NGO to sponsor young people who would take part in our long-term course in COSMOS.

To form a bridge between our NGO and yours, we specially request you to send a mentor from your organisation along with the learners.

Mentor Profile

This mentor will then select eligible youth from their institution who will subsequently be trained for 3 years in COSMOS.  To handhold the participants through this foundational period, we urge NGOs to send us mentors / advisors.  However, in some cases the NGO are already able to identify the future participants and we welcome/ d them on board from the start.

Mentor Profile

• A committed person from your institution, who is a responsible person with administrative and mentoring skills
  
  
• This mentor/ advisor must already be working with these young people in youth-oriented programmes and the participants must feel comfortable with her / him.
  
  
• This mentor/ advisor must have basic english and computer skills to ultimately guide the youth through their programme years.
  
  
• This mentor/ advisor will be the ultimate channel between the learning the Webwala-way through the duration of the course and your institution.
   

• Not less than 18 years of age

Learner Profile

• For the learners, we recommend you send a girl and boy for gender equality, who are committed and have finished their engagement with formal education (whether 10^th standard or further).
  
  
• The age group we are looking at therefore is between 16 and 21 years
  
  
• They should not have committed to a professional stream in life.
  
  
• They too (like the mentor) should have a working knowledge of english and computers and have access to a computer in your NGO

Is computer creativity relevant for the urban and rural unemployed youth?

COSMOS Course purpose

COSMOS, which will give a wide-ranging education in culture and communication with the technology and livelihood skills necessary to set up an independent practice.

This will enable participants to design their own personal web pages and to provide allied computer and Internet based services as a self-employed professional.

Thus, a graduate of such a course would be able to run a shop providing internet café services, desktop publishing services, website design, digital photo studio services, video making and editing services and allied activities based on computers and the internet, both independently and also for his/her community / organisation.

If you have any doubts, clarifications or suggestions, please do email us at cometmediafdn@gmail.com (cc: cometmedia@vsnl.net) and let us know. Also visit our website www.cometmedia.org to know more about our organisation and our New Media Initiative - COSMOS.

Do drop into our office to visit our book and toy store or even our library. We are at…

Comet Media Foundation, Topiwala Lane School, Lamington Road, Grant Rd (E), Mumbai 400 007. Ph: 2386 9052 / 2382 6674