As we move through the 21st century, our social, economic and environmental challenges are evolving and becoming more complex. These challenges stem from, and reside at, the intersections of more than one discipline. On the other hand, Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) is becoming ubiquitous and transcending these disciplinary boundaries.
The emerging social, technological, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century and the opportunities of the digital revolution means that there also needs to be a gradual shift from traditional, physical volunteerism to more contemporary, digital contributions. In order to tackle these challenges and re-align our resources with the shift, a strong pool of digital volunteers that can understand data and use technology is needed. However, very few initiatives have addressed this shift and moved ahead with the trend of digital volunteerism. Thus there is a dearth of trained resources who can contribute, conceptualize and advocate on technology for development and problem solving.
A DIAL (Digital Internship and Leadership) program is a three months long extensive internship program that equips young (under)graduates with a broad understanding of open data, technology, civic learning and prepares them to be the next generation of leaders in open data movement. DIAL is one of the capacity building initiatives under Digital Volunteers initiative.
‘Digital Volunteers’ is a platform initiated by Kathmandu Living Labs that encourages, empowers and engages Nepali citizens, (particularly youth) willing to contribute their digital skills for the digital development of Nepal.
Each cohort of DIAL receives rigorous training on a wide range of digital tools with particular emphasis on OpenStreetMap (OSM). In addition, they will also receive mentorship on career and leadership development from a group of national and international experts.
Digital interns contribute to expand a free, editable, digital map of Nepal using OpenStreetMap. The core tasks include:
Digital Interns have the flexibility of working from their homes or any other place they prefer with occasional fieldwork and scheduled meet-ups at KLL. However, they need to be physically present during the first week of their internship for orientation and training. Their mentors will keep in touch and follow the work online throughout the internship period.
Three Months.
We have successfully concluded 3 DIAL cohorts. We will let you know when cohort 4 starts. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can check out our blog posts from cohort 2.