Using Paciviced.net online

This "post" (article) is to introduce you to the different features of our network's online presence and how it can be used. What's here will grow in response to comments or questions and as the site evolves.

How do I get back here, or tell others where to find us?

You can simply use the address paciviced.net in the address bar of your web browser. That address will take you to the front page, which you can then add to your "Favourites" list.

What type of website is this?

Paciviced is a "blog" which is short for "web log". Blogs are online diaries where the writer - who could be an individual or organisation - expresses their opinions for the world to read and react to. We're using a blog hosting service called Blogger because it's free and easy to set-up and use, and control of the site can be changed between people and countries without technical hassles. The downside is that files such as documents, spreadsheets or .pdfs (digital copies of papers or books) cannot sit directly on the blog for "downloading" (where you open or save a copy of the file for use when you are offline, or not connected to the Internet). But, plenty of us have websites that can host downloads, so we'll simply link to them off this site.

How do I find content I'm looking for?

• The latest posts will be at the top and visible on the "homepage" (front) of the site which always displays the latest five postings.
• If you remember the title or approximate date of an earlier post, then the Archive (in the right margin) shows you the titles of all posts from the current month and allows you to drill by year and month to find the content you want.
• Every post has one or more of the Content categories assigned to it at the bottom. You can click on a category at the bottom of any post or in the right margin to display all the posts that belong to that category from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom. Try clicking Website help category on the right and it should show you a list of posts including this one. Click Show all posts at the top of the list to return to the normal view. The Content categories used will evolve with the site. For instance Resources is currently used for anything from strategy guides, to case studies, to training opportunities. In time it might be appropriate to break Resources down into these or similar categories.
• You can also search the entire blog by entering a word or phrase from the post in the search box on the top left of the website in the blue bar and clicking "Search Blog" button next to it. Try searching "UNDP". Click Show all posts at the top of the list to return to the normal view.

How do I get back to the homepage?

You can click the banner Paciviced.net anywhere in the site and you'll return to the front.

What are the other features in the right margin?

• About Paciviced.net gives an overview of what the network is about. "Links" (underlined words which you can click on to take you elsewhere in the site) in these paragraphs take you through to a description of the founding workshop, a current list of members, and the Code of Conduct.
• Resource banks and best practice are links to key sites which members find valuable in their civic education work. Feel free to nominate others by email.
• Events which are coming up of direct relevance to civic educators will be listed and linked here either to the event website or a post on this website. Please suggest events which should be listed by email to the Paciviced.net address.
• Members' organisations and network partners lists websites that relate to the individual members of the network or our partners. Members should feel to free to ask that a website destination relating to them be changed, particularly as websites change.

What are the other features in the blue bar at the top?

• Flag blog is something you shouldn't need to use with Paciviced.net. This reports offensive material to Blogger (bearing in mind anyone can set up a blog using their technology). If you have concerns about any content on the site you should e-mail facilitator@paciviced.net
• Next blog will see you leave Paciviced.net and start a journey through what's called the "blogosphere". Who knows what you'll find and when you'll get back?!
• Create blog and Sign in are there for you if you want to create, post to, or manage your own blog. It's pretty easy to do!

How do I leave a comment on a post?

Click on Comments at the bottom of the post, see what others have said, add your remark, and then click the anonymous option before submit (This means you don't need to enter a username or password). On the same page the system will have asked you to prove you're not a "spambot" (a computer program that crawls through websites looking for opportunities to post advertising) by repeating a codeword it displays. You should check your comments carefully, as they go live immediately. Remember, comments must be consistent with the spirit of our Code of Conduct. Comments will be removed from a post if the person commenting asks, or if the comment is addressed by a new or amended article, or if there is a clear Code of Conduct issue. The facilitator is emailed everytime a comment is made.

What is the little envelope for at the bottom of posts?

This allows you to email a link to the post to anyone else. Just click on the envelope and fill in the form provided.

I want to have something discussed, or tell everyone about a new resource or event, etc. How do I publish a post to Paciviced.net?
Email your post to facilitator@paciviced.net and it will be put live.

Who's the current facilitator?

Peter Northcote and Helena Catt from the NZ Electoral Commission are sharing this role. The Suva meeting agreed that this role should shift around the network over time.

I have another question...

Great, leave a comment on this post or e-mail facilitator@paciviced.net and we'll get back as soon as we can.

What should be in our online code of conduct?

One thing we need to agree early in our online life as a network is the Code of Conduct that we might use to manage our participation. If people want to make some suggestions on what should be included, then we'll distill this into a draft for a further round of consensus building.

As a thought starter, the Code of Conduct we developed for Suva last month called for:

• Open candid discussions but with respect
• Punctuality
• Mobiles on silent: Penalty = Sing
• Encourage participation from all participants
• No jargon & acronyms unless spelt out
• Take into account multi-lingual group: ok to ask for repitition, clarification or for a speaker to slow down
• No right/wrong/good/bad questions or queries
• Begin and end each day with an opportunity for silent prayer/reflection

What's appropriate for our online network life?

Let's use this discussion topic as a way of getting used to commenting and exchanging ideas in this forum.

So, even if you don't feel you have something to add, please do say something so you can practice with the system. Click on "Comments" at the bottom, see what others have said, add your remark, and then identify yourself using the "Other" option (you don't need to use the "website). The system will ask you to prove you're not a "spambot" (a computer program that crawls through websites looking for opportunities to post advertising) by repeating a codeword it displays.

Peter Northcote

Paciviced.net membership

Paciviced.net's members are civics educators working in the Pacific. Our employing organisations and other network partner organisations (including donors) also take an interest in, and sponsor, our involvement in the network.

All you need to join the network is to send in your details, profile (and hopefully a photo) and you're a member. There are no fees, and no obligations imposed but to follow the Code of Conduct that's being developed - and to contribute your questions, thoughts, resources and best practice that might help others!

Following are the names and profiles of current members. Email addresses will be supplied to members directly from time to time, rather than appearing on this site. (This is to help everyone avoid "spammers" (con artists and computer robots that send unwanted advertisements, "get-rich-quick" schemes etc to email addresses found on websites).

Could current and intending members please email facilitator@paciviced.net with a brief profile (and photo if possible) which will be added to this article? How you write your profile is up to you but it should include at least your: name, organisation, country, job or project title, areas of civic education work or interest.

• Alakisio Sela, Fiji Civic Education Program, Ministry of Education



• Alistaire Legge, PIANZEA Secretary, Australian Electoral Commission



• Andrew Trawen, PNG Electoral Commission



• Antonina Ortega, UNDP Pacific Sub Regional Centre, Fiji



• Apolosi Bose, UNDP Regional Rights Resource Team, Fiji



• Blandine Boulekone, Transparency International Vanuatu



• Claire Thoms, UNDP, Fiji



• Dame Carol Kiddu, PNG Parliament



• Elizabeth Cox, UNIFEM, Fiji



• Garry Wiseman, UNDP Pacific Sub Regional Centre, Fiji



• Graham Hassall, Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development, Development and Governance, University of the South Pacific, Fiji


Hi, I’m Helena Catt, Chief Executive of the NZ Electoral Commission. We have a role in providing education and information on electoral matters, which we interpret broadly. Some of our current focus areas are education for citizenship in schools and working with trainee journalists. Another current area of work is gathering together research that helps us understand who does not vote and why. Before I came to work of the Electoral Commission I was a political scientist at the University of Auckland.


• Henry Ivarature, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat



• Jeannette Bolenga, Democracy and Electoral Studies Program, Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development, Development and Governance, University of the South Pacific, Fiji



• Jude Davesi, Solomon Islands Parliament



• Monica Fong, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat



• Pate Nunu, Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development, Development and Governance, University of the South Pacific, Fiji


Kia ora, I'm Peter Northcote, Communications Manager at the NZ Electoral Commission since December 2003. My work includes working with teachers and the news media, developing resources, maintaining website content, and designing and project managing election information campaigns. My background's in public relations, advertising and journalism. A lot of my work has been related to the education sector.


• Sadhana Sen, Democracy and Electoral Studies Program, Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development, Development and Governance, University of the South Pacific, Fiji



• Sakenasa Varea, Fiji Elections Office (formerly)



• Theresa Sing, Fiji Elections Office



• Tina Harihiru, Solomon Islands



• Vanessa Lolohea, Youth Parliament, Tonga



• Warren Cahill, Solomon Islands Parliament.
  

Job and contract opportunities

This article will be updated from time-to-time with general information about sources of possible job or contract opportunities that may appeal to Paciviced members. You pursue any of these opportunities at your own risk. Members and non-members may nominate other opportunities through the comment function below the article. Specific job or project opportunities will receive their own article.

• IFES is encouraging registrations for its consultant database.

Civic Education - UNDP Practice Note

[This is a sample resource posting, please provide information on others that will be of interest.]

Written in 2004 for UNDP staff, this 40-page four part guide available online in .pdf format is likely to be useful for anyone working in civic education, particularly in developing and gaining agreement to strategy, building partnerships, and developing initiatives. The following description draws on the resource's Executive Summary.

Part One defines Civic Education as learning for effective participation in democratic and development processes at both local and national levels. It goes on to describe the three core elements of Civic Education - Civic Disposition, Civic Knowledge and Civic Skills - and emphasizes the inherent relationship between Civic Education and Human Rights.

Part Two focuses on the practicalities of Civic Education programming. Prior to any programme design the importance of understanding Civic Education needs, and what is being done to address those needs, is stressed. The section then presents six possible ways of engaging in Civic Education: three of these address Civic Education within different thematic areas (electoral assistance, crisis prevention and recovery and HIV/AIDS) and three are modality based. Where possible each engagement option has been supplemented with working examples drawn from a variety of countries. For ease of reference a table setting out sample activities for each of the options has also been produced. This section also identifies capacity development priorities for consideration in Civic Education programming. Part Two concludes with a discussion of the importance of developing mechanisms to measure the impact of Civic Education programmes and presents a checklist of points to consider when programming in this area.

Part Three focuses on building progressive partnerships with a number of different actors. The range of likely partners is set out: national governments, civil society organisations, the private sector, the media and political parties, and some of the principal issues arising from working with them are highlighted.

The final section of the paper, Part Four, signposts additional resources and further reading.

Pacific civics education workshop promotes good governance

Sharing Pacific experiences of civics education is the focus of a workshop of 25 participants drawn from six countries being held in Suva this week (Weds 25 – Fri 27 Oct 06).

The organisers say that having citizens who are aware, informed and engaged in the civic and political life of their country is one key to maintaining a stable democracy.

"Civic education is central to the promotion of good governance in the region," says Garry Wiseman of the UNDP PSRC, "as it helps ensure that all people are heard."

"This workshop is also timely in light of the recent Forum Education Ministers’ Meeting which among other directives requested the Forum Secretariat to progress civics education. It is also timely in assisting the Forum Secretariats work to develop strategies to support participatory democracy as set out in the Pacific Plan’s objective on Good Governance," adds Dr Henry Ivarature, of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

"Participants will share and discuss seven different projects to help develop a definition of civic education relevant to the Pacific, work out what approaches work well, think about what the priorities should be in our different countries and if there is any advantage in forming a Pacific civics education network," says Ms Sadhana Sen, from the Democracy and Electoral Studies Program of the Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development and Governance at the USP which is co-ordinating the event.

Lead facilitator Dr Helena Catt of the NZ Electoral Commission says the strength of the event was the sharing of experiences and learning from what had already been done.

"No one has all the answers, but we’re all in this together,
so it’s good to be sharing and picking up on each
other’s experience," she says.

The examples of civic education being reviewed include: a civic education book created for Vanuatu schools and public workshops, an internet-based teacher resource to help New Zealand primary students explore decision-making in taking action on social issues, the Tongan youth parliament, village level civic education in the Solomon Islands, a pan-Pacific human rights training program for para-legals, and voter education in highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The workshop is being hosted and funded by the UNDP and USP, with funding support from the European Union, and program leadership from the New Zealand Electoral Commission.