It is an honour for me to be part of this great event in Vancouver, where I believe we are making a difference, not only locally but also virtually.
Social media is helping to to reach people who didnt know about us before
Here is the news release
March 30, 2011 (Vancouver). The Vancouver Public Library, NetTuesday and CoopCulture are pleased to host #NETCulture: Stories of Culture and Diversity in Social Media on Tuesday April 5 from 6:45pm onwards in the Alice MacKay Room of the Vancouver Public Library, Main Branch.
From the outside, digital interaction appears to be cold and inhuman. Given a choice, humans would obviously rather be hugged than poked and society is now living in this paradox in that social media has not only provided an opportunity to be “closer to the people that we are far away from” but perhaps also “farther away from the people that we are close to.” These two conflicting realities exist side-by-side but it’s now apparent that the internet does not steal humanity, it simply reflects it. For example, it was Youtube that gave a generation of young Iranians; a democratic voice and at the same time, is able to teach a Chinese-Canadian, the required etiquette for attending his Punjabi friend’s wedding.
This evening, #NETCulture: Stories of Culture and Diversity in Social Media will focus on the use of social media such as facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Youtube and others to connect cultures and the world while strengthening identities, roots and friendships.
The keynote address will be delivered by Ms. Kety Esquivel via skype. Ms. Esquivel is currently the VP of Digital Strategy at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Amongst her many accomplishments; she directed the Latino outreach for Democrat Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign in 2004 and has worked as the New Media Manager for the National Council of La Raza – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the US. Her commentary has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Wall St. Journal Online, PBS, XM Radio, CNN, and many others. Kety will be discussing the Hispanic community experience with blogging. In Kety Esquivel’s words, “multicultural social media looks at difference and acknowledges we are not all the same.”
Following the keynote address; a number of local speakers will each take the podium each for 7 minutes. The speakers include Ms. Jordana Mah, with of Schema Magazine, Ms. Paola Viviana Murillo and Ms. Norma Ibarra, both from Latincouver.ca, Ashok Puri, retiree and world traveller, Mr. Ray Hsu and Ms. Zi-Ann Lum from waytooazn.com; Mr. RJ (Rafael) Aquino and Mr. Jay Catalan from Tulayan and Ms. Veronica Heringer of madameheringer.com. Heringer states “Coming from Rio de Janeiro to Vancouver 2 years ago, I realize there is a lot of potential in an event such as #NETCulture. Vancouver has a big mixture of cultures and for a newcomer, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I believe that this event can make newly arrived like myself feel that we are welcomed and gives us a platform to further understand each other.” Following the 7 minute speeches, all of the speakers will come together for a panel discussion moderated by Elijah van der Giessen of Net Tuesday and Ajay Puri from CoopCulture.
“We are flipping the buzz words multiculturalism and social media on their heads as people from diverse communities are interested not only in how to use these tools but on how these tools help them connect, share their stories and have a voice - we hope to illustrate this through the speakers stories at this event” indicates Ajay Puri, chief organizer of the event.
#NETCulture: Stories of Culture and Diversity in Social Media takes place on Tuesday April 5, 2011 at 6:45pm in the Alice MacKay Room of the VPL Central Branch. Following the event, attendees are invited to continue the conversation with the speakers in an informal setting at the Kingston Taphouse and Grill. Due to limited space, please visit www.nettuesday.ca or netculture.eventbrite.com to register for the two free events.
Net Tuesday hosts monthly events that serve as a great opportunity to convene local communities to share ideas, learn from each other, and even collaborate on projects for real world impact. These gatherings provide a chance to connect for all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change in your local community. Members of local groups represent nonprofit organizations and foundations, government agencies and service providers, designers and developers, innovators and social entrepreneurs. www.nettuesday.ca
Speaker Bios -
Keynote Speaker: Kety Esquivel
Bio:
Ms Esquivel is currently the Vice President of Digital Strategy at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. She directed Latino outreach for the Clark Presidential Campaign. Her work has taken her to China and Ethiopia with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. She spent three years coaching executives on human capital and diversity in the US, Canada and Latin America. She worked as the New Media Manager for NCLR, the National Council of La Raza – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Kety graduated from Cornell University where she served on the Board of Trustees. Her commentary has been featured and quoted in stories for the Huffington Post, Wall St. Journal Online, HITN, PBS, XM radio, CNN, Televisa and Univision. She will be tuning in via Skype.
Paola Viviana Murillo
Bio:
Paola is Colombian born, and the Director and Founder of Latincouver, an organization that much like Paola, is passionate about promoting Latin American business and culture. Paola has over ten years of global experience delivering successful events, advertising, product launches, marketing, and public relations. Her experience in cross-cultural communication has helped her organize more than 30 events; all aimed at helping people connect through business and culture.
Presentation Summary: See below.
Websites:
http://www. Latincouver.ca
www.mirrai.ca
twitter.com/Latinmirrai
twitter.com/latincouver
—
Norma Ibarra
Bio:
Norma was raised in Mexico and moved to Vancouver in 2009. She has degrees in Marketing and Tourism and has been involved in working with youth for many years. Norma has volunteered to help organize several Mexican events in Vancouver and it is through this community involvement that she came in contact with Latincouver and Paola Murillo. She has now taken on the role of Social Media and Digital Coordinator at Latincouver, a leading social, cultural network and business portal for the Latin American communities in Metro Vancouver.
Presentation Summary (for Paola and Norma):
“Sombrero, Salsa & Social Media”
Paola V Murillo and Norma will be discussing common stereotypes and how they created a virtual plaza to connect Latinos and educate local Vancouverites about Latin America. They will also discuss how they help create virtual connections through the Latincouver.ca website and have them translate into successful events offline.
Websites:
http://www.Latincouver.ca
—
Veronica Heringer
Bio:
Veronica Heringer is a Brazilian journalist with a special passion for advertising. She is currently a Community Cultivation Manager at DDB Canada and the writer behind MadameHeringer.com, awarded in the Ex-pat and Media & Journalism categories of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards.
Presentation Summary:
In the mist of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Veronica Heringer learned that social media was more than a tool to promote her employer, but also an effective way to find new friends, create powerful professional connections and instigate multicultural discussions. Veronica will be sharing her findings and some valuable lessons learnt along the way.
Websites:
Blog: http://madameheringer.com
Flavours.me: http://veronicaheringer.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/vheringer
—
Zi-Ann Lum
Bio:
Zi-Ann is a freelance writer and Editorial Intern at the Vancouver Observer. She is Editor-In-Chief of UBC Perspectives Magazine and also works as the Outreach Coordinator for Schema Magazine. Zi-Ann has been working at UBC for the past year developing strategic plans to build and shape intercultural dialogue and discourse at UBC.
Presentation Summary:
Ray and Zi-Ann will be speaking about their experience using new multimedia to challenge and create critical thought and dialogue. They will speak about how they were able to harness local and national attention, using social media, to a subject that has turned into a national debate about multiculturalism and inclusiveness.
Websites:
http://ziannlum.com/
Bio link: http://www.vancouverobserver.com/contributors/zi-ann-lum
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ziannlum
—
Ray Hsu
Bio:
Poet-schmoet. Ray Hsu is a rockstar who happens to write books. Ray describes himself as the neighbourhood kid who gets everyone to build a snowfort. His catchphrases include, “What can I do to help?” and “You know, what would be cool is if…” Ray is author of Anthropy (winner of the Gerald Lampert Award) and Cold Sleep Permanent Afternoon. At last count he has published over a hundred and twenty-five poems in over forty journals internationally. He taught writing for over two years in a U.S. prison. He now teaches at the University of British Columbia, where he collaborates across disciplines, districts, and dinner tables.
Presentation Summary:
Ray will be speaking on Way Too AZN: half class, half revolution, half party
Links:
thewayofray.com.
—
Jay Catalan
Bio:
Jay Catalan was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada in his teens. He co-founded Tulayan along with RJ Aquino to cultivate better understanding between established Filipino Canadians and more recent Filipino immigrants through community workshops. Jay Catalan is a co-founder of The Network Hub, Vancouver’s longest running coworking space, launched in 2006.
Websites:
http://www.tulayan.com
http://flavors.me/tagalog
http://www.thenetworkhub.ca
http://www.twitter.com/JayCatalan
—
Rafael (RJ) Aquino
Bio:
RJ Aquino co-founded the community organization, Tulayan (which means ‘to bridge’ in Tagalog) with Jay Catalan to reintroduce young Filipinos living in Vancouver to their culture, heritage and history and create a positive cultural identity for the Filipino community at large. An emerging community organizer, RJ is also on the board of directors with the explorASIAN Society and is on the COPE Executive (Coalition of Progressive Electors).
Websites:
http://about.me/rjaquino
http://www.explorasian.org
http://www.cope.bc.ca
Presentation Summary:
Jay and RJ will be speaking about how social media has inspired their work within the Filipino community, how they use it to spark engagement online, and the importance of cultivating these relationships offline.
—
Ashok Puri
Bio:
Ashok immigrated to Canada from India in 1969. After briefly working in engineering in Winnipeg, Ashok went on to become an entrepreneur, launching a tours and travels business and also opening a restaurant. Ashok has been actively engaged in the Indian community, helping launch the first ever Indian TV program in Canada and working as a radio host for several years. Ashok is a retiree and continues to work in the community; volunteering with a local NGO to help new immigrants adjust to Canadian culture and life style.
Presentation Summary:
Ashok will be presenting his travel experiences, couch surfing in Nepal, Mexico, China and India. He will share tips on how to become a member of the global couch surfing community. Ashok will also share his perspective on social media and the internet, and how, at the age of 67, sites such as Facebook and YouTube have helped him make a new family of friends, while re-connecting with long lost friends and family.
—
Jordana Mah
Bio:
Jordana is a part of the Senior Editorial team at Schema Magazine, a national online publication. She works as the Senior Coordinator for Social Media and Special Events, spearheading Schema’s social media strategy and helping plan events and source content for the editorial sections. Schema Magazine focuses on topics of pop culture and identity to represent the viewpoints of the 1.5 generation* and beyond Canadians.
Presentation Summary:
Jordana will be speaking on how Schema has used social media and the web to highlight people, events, and issues that speak to the generation that does not fit into a single category defined by race.
Websites:
http://www.schemamag.ca/
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigrant_generations#1.5_generation
