Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society

Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society provides free online training and Persian and English learning resources to Iranians. Tavaana – meaning "empowered" and "capable" in Persian – was launched in 2010 with a mission “to support active citizenship and civic leadership in Iran through education and civil society capacity building.” [1]

The initiative uses blended civic education via live e-classrooms, correspondence learning, satellite television, and social networks to provide Iranians with education on democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, civic activism, and more.[2] In addition to online courses, the site offers case studies, interviews, translations, public service announcements, e-books, and an online resource library.[3] TavaanaTech is a Persian-language service providing guidance on circumventing internet censorship and keeping safe online.

History

According to Tavaana’s website, the project seeks a “free and open Iranian society, one in which each and every Iranian enjoys equality, justice and the full spectrum of civil and political liberties.”[4] Tavaana was founded by Akbar Atri, a former student leader and drafter of a referendum for a democratic Iranian constitution, and Mariam Memarsadeghi, who previously headed Freedom House’s Middle East and North Africa programs.[5]

Tavaana was originally incubated as a project of the Center for Liberty in the Middle East through a seed grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.[6] In 2011 Tavaana became a project of the E-Collaborative for Civic Education (ECCE), a US-based non-profit organization with a mission to leverage technology to promote civic learning and democratic political life internationally.[7]

Activities

Tavaana’s instructor-led courses take place on a live interactive platform. Live sessions are supplemented by a discussion forum, podcasts, video lectures, readings, and assignments. Tavaana has trained over 2,400 students in live classrooms, with 10,700 more learning via correspondence since its launch.[8]

Tavaana produces video interviews with Iranian and international activists, such as Vaclav Havel and Azar Nafisi, and case studies on civic movements for human rights, democracy, and Internet freedom worldwide, including the Velvet Revolution and the American Civil Rights movement. There are also translations of democracy classics and texts written by Iranian civic leaders, pedagogic resources, public service announcements, and a virtual library of Persian and English resources.[9]

Tavaana partners with Iranian cartoonist Mana Neyestani to produce an exclusive series of cartoons titled “Moderation Place,” a satirical look at policies and political developments under Iranian President Rouhani.

Tavaana’s social network includes pages on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Soundcloud, and YouTube. Tavaana’s Facebook page has 350,000 followers as of December 2014.[10] Tavaana video programming is also broadcast several times weekly over satellite television stations including Andisheh, Raha TV, and Rojhalat.

Courses

Tavaana’s offerings include classes on democracy and human rights advocacy, citizen journalism, philosophy of law, NGO management, women’s rights, labor organizing, minority rights and the politics of inclusion, LGBT rights, the environment, and religious freedom. The project offers several digital safety and technology activism courses.[11]

TavaanaTech

In 2012, Tavaana launched TavaanaTech, an open platform for Iranian Internet users to ask questions about digital technology and online safety and receive updates on circumventing censorship, such as through Psiphon. TavaanaTech includes sections on digital safety, computer and Internet news, the Internet in Iran, social networking, and mobile phones and tablets.[12]

Partnerships

Tavaana has curricular partnerships with several civic education and human rights organizations. Through a joint initiative with Freedom House and the Albert Shanker Institute, Tavaana offers the Democracy Web e-course, translated to Persian. Tavaana partners with The Center for Civic Education/CIVITAS for the translation, adaptation and instruction of the Foundations of Democracy e-course and translation of other curricula.[13] Tavaana has also collaborated closely with the New Tactics in Human Rights Project, Heartland Alliance for Human Rights and Human Needs, George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, the Iranian Queer Organization, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Faculty

Prominent Tavaana faculty members include:[14]

Funding

The Tavaana project was launched with a seed grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Tavaana has since secured additional funds from the Department of State as well as funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Google, in addition to individual donors.[15]

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society". Why Open Education Matters. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Memarsadeghi, Mariam (November 12, 2012). "In the Here and Now: Civic Education in Advance of Democratic Transition" (PDF). Legatum Institute. The Future of Iran: Educational Reform.
  3. ↑ "Tavaana". Liefa Communications. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "About Us". E-Collaborative for Civic Education. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Mariam Memarsadeghi". Iran Human Rights Review. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Tavaana - Center for Liberty in the Middle East". Center for Liberty in the Middle East. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "A Letter from the Founders". E-Collaborative for Civic Education. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Tavaana's Fourth Anniversary". Tavaana. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Tavaana". DaanDirk. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society". Facebook. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Tavaana". Soundcloud. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Launch of TavaanaTech". Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Tavaana: New E-Learning Website for Iranian Civil Society". iCivics. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  14. ↑ "Faculty". Tavaana. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Tavaana's Fourth Anniversary". Tavaana. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
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