Latest 'tech for good' news
Welcome to our quarterly news. It’s great to be able to keep you up to date with our latest work to bring information and services to hard to reach communities in Australia and the Pacific.
Thanks for taking the time to read and share. Please keep in touch.
Julie, Sam, Brendan, Tom, Jimmy and Jeet.
Hitnet heads West
It was wonderful to finally visit and spend time at Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) in WA. GRAMS recently installed their second Hitnet Hub and this one includes a free Wi-Fi hotspot for community users. An important part of the trip was to gather locally produced content for their ‘My Place’ channel and their Tackling Indigenous Smoking team have been busy producing some fun and engaging videos to encourage the community to quit the smokes.
A lively and productive co-design session for the Wi-Fi mobile landing page, also took place with many staff coming along and making great suggestions. You can take a look at what they came up with, by clicking here. We will shortly be returning to GRAMS to conduct digital skills training around the Hitnet Hub and Wi-Fi, making sure everyone can safely and effectively get online.
Celebrating our Indigenous Languages at the Puliima Conference
Julie and Jimmy (see top photo) recently attended the Puliima ‘Indigenous languages and Technology’ conference hosted in Darwin on Larrakia Country. This was a significant gathering of over 500 delegates from here and overseas, during the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages. Through our content partnership with First Languages Australia, the national peak body, we were encouraged to present and host an exhibit at the biannual conference. Read Julie’s article about this special event, here.
Soloman Update
Our Tech4Dev project, ‘An on-ramp to the new digital economy in the Solomon Islands’ has completed its first phase. Two tough outdoor ‘Mobile Max’s, have been built and are being shipped to the Solomons with delivery expected later this month. Our technology partners, Field Ready have visited the Max’s on the factory floor and begun their R&D to develop the solar panels that will power Max off-grid in the Solomons.
Meanwhile, Solomons-based consultancy Earth Water People have chosen the first
of the Max sites, with Barana Community in Guadacanal, where these photos were taken during a 'technology baseline mapping' session. ‘Mobile Max’ will be an important part of the Barana Community Nature and Heritage Park and strengthen local conservation and eco-tourism efforts.
He will be installed outside of the recently built visitor information centre, where he will be accessed by both locals and visitors. We look forward to providing further updates in the coming newsletters, but check our social media accounts for more up-to-date posts.
Leveraging Pacific Connections
With our Solomon Island project underway, new opportunities are arising to engage with different organisations and forums to showcase our work and become part of the digital ecosystem emerging in the Pacific. Julie attended and presented at the Pacific Connect Dialogue organised by the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships at Parliament House in Brisbane in June. To learn more about this Dialogue and the digital work happening in the Pacific, read Julie’s article here.
Hitnet's Advisory Board - supporting and amplifying our work
Our five wonderful advisory board members all gathered for the fourth time in Melbourne recently. It’s been especially valuable to have Nickeema Williams travel from remote Woorabinda where she is working tirelessly to setup employment opportunities in the Arts. Ange Ferguson has made time from her busy global work schedule to bring us the latest from the world of emerging technology, and Ian Patterson from our trusted network partners at HumanIT has been providing helpful guidance as a business owner and technologist. Colette McInerney has brought her expertise in International Development and working with NGO’s to the table, and Cameron Neil continues to provide much needed support around our business modelling and scalable social impact.
It’s been a pleasure to work with all of these talented people and we will review and reconnect in the coming months to decide what’s in store for 2020. If you’re interested in becoming a Hitnet Advisory Board member feel free to email an EOI to our CEO.
The Top Fives!
We collect and collate usage data from our 50 national Hitnet Hubs, each quarter.
Here are the Top 5 most popular channels on our network, for the past quarter.
Be Deadly Online - fun cyber-safety animations explaining the pros and cons of being online.
Wayz - videos created by the young people of Kuranda highlighting positive friendships.
Hep C - Hip hop song and animation warning of the perils of this disease and how you can catch it.
Kids Matter - animations with a focus on kids mental health.
Music channel - music videos from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bands.
The Top 5 community 'My Place' channels were viewed in: Woorabinda, Lockhart River, Aurukun, Kununurra and Pormpuraaw.
The Top 5 most used Hitnet Hubs were spread across the country in Woorabinda (QLD), Kalgoorlie (WA), Kununurra (WA), Saibai Island (QLD) and Tennant Creek (NT).
Downloads
Click on the links below to download some recent reports and articles:
Latest information on Mobile Max
Solomon Islands Project Summary
ALIA Incite Magazine - check out Mobile Max Pilot Project article on page 26.
Mobile Max Pilot Project Report
Hitnet Annual Highlights Report 2018
Hitnet Strategic Plan 2017 - 2021
Staying up to date
We distribute these newsletters every few months but if you want to stay more up-to-date with what we are doing, why don't you like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
If you would like any further information about our products and services or the information in this email, please contact our CEO, Julie Gibson on julie@hitnet.com.au or 0400 501 186.