Plans for Dadamac Day - Thursday November 4th October 31, 2010

Hi John - This is great

Dadamac is  local and practical, through all that you are doing "locally" ie in practice on the ground  in Nigeria (not just at FF - but all of your interests, involvements and vision). present, past and future. Holistic, interconnected. Please use Dadamac Day to share that vision with your team at FF and in UK

Dadamac is global through what we do on the Internet, and through F2F meetings you attend internationally, and I attend in London (and occasionally eslewhere)

I hope you will chair. The agenda can be less formal than usual - just a framework to help us get some structure to the time.

We want to make the most of the knowledge and experience that everyone from FF is bringing - you know best what that is, and how comfortable people will feel about contributing.

The focus for Dadamac Day has changed. In previous years the focus of the TT anniversay (Dadamac Day) was on celebrating the fact that the UK-Nigeria collaboration was not limited to when we were F2F in Nigeria - but it could continue on line. That reason for celebration is history now - because we meet every week.

When you and I first worked together I came to Nigeria. I was the visitor in your "home". Now, thanks to the Internet people in your team in Nigeria can be visitors to my "home" - not my home in the UK, but my home on the Internet.

That is the shift we are trying to do through First Thursdays. I think Dadamac Day this year should be celebration of how far Dadamac has come in becoming a trail-blazing truly glocal organisation.

Looking at the people who will attend -

1.John Dada - I would love your glocal perspective

2.Kazanka Comfort - how does Comfort see FF microfinance programme in the context of worldwide approaches - what woudl seh like to see for teh future of micro-finance - at FF, in Nigeria, in Africa, in the world... what lessons? what vision? what constraints? how best to overcome them - that kind of thing. The micro- finance programme was the start of everything - and seems to underpin many of the  the present FF activities. How does Comfort see things? (BTW in UK we are often confused by relationship between FF micro finance programme and FF the registered charity, and all of the activities that turn up on the weekly UK-Nigeria agenda.... maybe Comfort could help us to understand what is under the umbrella of what.)

It would be good to get Zittnet's perspective  too - if Bala can't be there who do we get it from? Maybe Chollom? Maybe a focus there on practicalities and constraints and help that is needed to enable it to grow and flourish as it hopes to.. 

What of Attachab - for an eco-perspective: permaculture and apporpriate tech? who can give us an insight there?

Yakubu Ezekiel - how do we best get his perspective when he is not used to attending our meetings, and is not so comfortable expressing himself in written English. He is special in my memory of good people I have worked with when I have done training sessions at FF - he has always shown a proactive and insightful approach when he has been on my courses. He didn't just give back what he was given - he added to it. His work with blogging during the Self Directed Learners course for example (experimenting and teaching others) as well as work during the Teachers Talking course for trainers.

and two more students of the academy. Wonderful that they will attend too - I leave it to you to decide how best to include them.

We will have a full agenda (and we have not even mentioned health, welfare or livelihoods yet)

We will not have much time for discussion with outsiders - they may need to leave detailed Qs and As for later, (by email etc, or at subsequent First Thursdays, or even by paying for their own "online hour with Dadamac")  Perhaps it is a benefit that we are announcing at the last minute. A late announcement means we are probably too late to bring many guests along - probably this time one or two of "the right people" will be much better than more who are not so interested.

Anyhow I will share the announcement appropriately (I have just mentioned it to Chris Watkins of Appropedia) and will share the  archive, and blog about it, and so in the end it will probably work better if we do not have too many guest actually with us during the meeting  to worry about.

Input from Dadamac team in UK to give global perspective - there is so much - probably I will try limit it ivnvitations to "Coalition of the Willing" and people connected with ICT4Ed and ICT4D and related collaborative work and people already connected with Dadamac (Unfortunately most of the info on "Coalition of the Willing" is in videos. I wonder if there is sufficient interest among any people at your end to make it worth getting Elanie to send videos over on DVDs. )

Pam
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Skype chat with Chris Watkins:

Pamela: Chris I am wondering what time it will be for you next Thursday when it is 10.00- 11.00 in Nigeria (GMT+1)
[31/10/2010 1:56:33pm] Pamela: I will be  on Skype with John Dada and his team in Nigeria and others. We will be celebrating Dadamac Day with a glocal theme.
[31/10/2010 1:57:05pm] Pamela: If you could be there we would love you to be a guest
[31/10/2010 1:58:44pm] Chris Watkins: I'm 6 hrs ahead of that, so 10-11pm is 4-5am
[31/10/2010 1:59:07pm] Chris Watkins: sounds good... if I can be awake and alert :-)
[31/10/2010 2:05:29pm] Pamela: Would you be willing to wake that early?
[31/10/2010 2:06:15pm] Chris Watkins: willing, in theory, yes... I'll need a very early night
[31/10/2010 2:06:21pm] Pamela: May I copy this to John so he knows of your interest - and we will all understand if you do not make it.
[31/10/2010 2:06:27pm] Chris Watkins: sure
[31/10/2010 2:06:43pm] Chris Watkins: thanks - I'm definitely keen
[31/10/2010 2:06:46pm] Pamela: Your positive response is a great encouragement
[31/10/2010 2:06:49pm] Pamela: Thanks
[31/10/2010 2:07:10pm] Chris Watkins: I always have trouble with waking/sleeping hours...
[31/10/2010 2:07:44pm] Chris Watkins: I'm installing a new alarm on my phone - have been living without an alarm for a long time.
[31/10/2010 2:09:10pm] Pamela: If you like you can suggest something on the agenda that you would like included in our discussion - just in case you don't wake up in time It will be a skype chat so we can send you the archive afterewards.
[31/10/2010 2:09:36pm] Chris Watkins: ah, nice.
[31/10/2010 2:09:50pm] Chris Watkins: what's on your existing agenda? do you have a copy?
[31/10/2010 2:10:22pm] Pamela: I can send you a copy of the email I just sent John
[31/10/2010 2:10:38pm] Chris Watkins: great, thanks
[31/10/2010 2:22:49pm] Pamela: email on its way .... and can I publish this along with the email I sent John (when I add it my posterous open letters at http://dadamac.posterous.com/) ...  that way people will get the pictue of how it is gong to work.
[31/10/2010 2:23:30pm] Chris Watkins: cool