Folks, the Dept of State is serious about “21st century diplomacy”, getting
Internet tech and social media training to places like the mideast. Here’s a
new effort which I feel will be a big deal.
The U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen initiative is now accepting cultural
and technical mentors for its cutting-edge international exchange program that
will bring the power of global business, technology, and education together to
empower women and girls. TechWomen will pair female mentors from the greater
Silicon Valley area with 38 women from communities with predominantly Muslim
populations.
These “TechWomen” will participate in a professional mentorship and exchange
program at leading technology companies beginning in June 2011. Mentor
applications are open until March 25, 2011.
For more information and the online application please visit the TechWomen
website: http://www.techwomen.org/get-involved/
TechWomen is a public-private partnership of the Department of State’s Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs implemented by the Institute of
International Education in San Francisco in partnership with the Anita
Borg Institute for Women and Technology.
Craig Connects 
Thanks, Craig, for your support of TechWomen. We are thrilled to implement this exciting initiative on behalf of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs! It’s going to be an extraordinary group of women from Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, West Bank and Gaza. Now we are looking for Bay Area technical women to serve as mentors!
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It’s excellent that this opportunity is available, but I really wish it was also offered at a more moderate scale. For example, I am not a Silicon Valley tech expert by any means (rather, a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist and educator), but I would love to do a technology and media workshop with low-income, working class communities here. They are far behind in terms of using technology and social media.
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