Venues

EVENTS, DATES & VENUES:

VENUES

Workshop on Sudanese Internet Content -- 28 - 29 January -- Mamoun Beheiry Centre
Forum on Knowledge Sharing -- 30 January -- Ewa Hotel
Masterclass on Knowledge Audits -- 31 January -- Corinthia Hotel
Reverse Brainstorm Session on Virtual Work -- 1 February -- Sudanese Businessmen and Employers Federation

Saturday, February 4, 2017

THANK YOU



On behalf of the Sudanese Knowledge Society, I wish to send a heartfelt note of appreciation to each and every one of you who were part of making the series of events on “Managing Knowledge in a Connected World” (Saturday 28 January to Wednesday 1 February 2017) the success it was. This success is not discussed here in terms of numbers who attended or level of engagement of participants. Those exceeded our expectations from the comments we got so far. But while we work on the reports, let us indulge ourselves in the success and excitement that we feel and want to share with you which is more about what we might be able to build on top of what we achieved together.

This post is primarily about two things. First, to thank Organisers, Sponsors, Teams, Guest Speakers, Presenters, Discussants, Exhibitors, and all Participants, as well as many others who provided support behind-the-scenes; and second, to convey to you some of our initial first steps after the series ended as well as to invite your interest and ideas.

This series covered a range of areas pertaining to knowledge management (leading to improvement in its production) in this day and age with focus on the Sudanese context. For the series to happen, our foremost gratitude goes to the collaboration of organisers and the generosity of sponsors of the various events in the series. They provided the foundation onto which the valuable substance from presentations, commentary, questions, and ideas, poured in for us to collect. The team is working very hard on doing just that and it goes without saying that without the planning team and volunteers putting up the time and effort, we would have nothing to report.

Please stay tuned for the workshop’s report, and summaries about the various other events, as well as photos. The documentation (including presentations) will be published on the series’ blog and a notification email sent to participants. This is a laborious task because of the multiple events, teams and sources that need to come together. We will see how connected we are in this small exercise 😊

Now, let us quickly recap the past week …

First, we explored our internet content, what exists, how it is stored, governed, and used, as well as met with some of our local innovators. This was at the Workshop on Employing Concepts, Experiences, and Innovation to Enrich Sudanese Internet Content (28 – 29 January) organised with Morgan for Information and Communication Technology, H.A.M. for Information Technology, University of Khartoum, Future University, National Information Centre, and World Bank - Sudan and sponsored by the National Information Centre, Morgan for ICTs, Sudani, and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums.

Second, we teamed with DAM (HRM Forum) to explore knowledge sharing in organisations (30 January) within their regular forum program and get to know their of community of HR professionals, and with Global Compact Network Sudan, to support the dissemination of information on Navigating the Minefield, the book co-edited by our Series Guest Speaker Paul Corney that offers practical ideas for those introducing KM in their organisations.

Third, we held a Masterclass on Knowledge Audits (31 January) that attracted 14 participants from a diverse set of organisations who received certificates from Knowledge et al. Thanks to the vision of participants and their respective organisations, that we have this new topic (and may be profession) on the table of some of our leading businesses, civil society organisations, and academic institutions.

Fourth, not last, we ended the series with a Reverse Brainstorm Session on Virtual Teams and Communities (1 February) in collaboration with Education with Borders, a dear group and local hero for the Sudanese Knowledge Society. We thank the Federation of Sudanese Businessmen and Employers for availing a free venue for this activity and their staff for taking care of us. We could not have asked for a better ending to the week, a youthful and upbeat note, in addition to sharing ideas to improve our virtual teamwork.

Where do we go from here?

1.   There are a number of recommendations drawn from the workshop with regard to ICT Policy and Information Ecosystem. This will be our starting point once we have them assembled. We will invite you to participate (online) to add to the ideas generated at the workshop, as well as solicit experts’ comments on what was produced. We hoped when we started the planning that the product of our congregation (only possible with your continued support and a trans-disciplinary inquiry) will consist of:
a.    A (draft) policy, that takes into consideration the multiple perspectives we heard from, such as education, health, environment, law, culture, etc., may be using a co-creation approach that Azza Karrar told us about; and
b.    An (appropriate) ecosystem model perhaps using some of the ideas about business models offered by Osama Khair.

2.   It is possible to establish communities-of-practice/interest around the main topics explored in the series: ICT Policy, Information Ecosystem, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Audit, and Virtual Work. Once we work out the logistics, we will explore this route with an open invitation to join one of these would-be-useful communities in our local environment.

3.   We will diligently follow with our guest speakers the possibilities they opened for us. We are very happy to see that Taha Osman will be working with organisers and students over the coming year, and Paul Corney organising virtual sessions to practice some of the reverse ideas generated. We will also work with both of them, and all of you, on the 2018 KM Series.

4.   Your ideas are very welcome … please feel free.


We thank you again for joining us, sharing in the mishaps but also in the fruits that came out of this collective effort. In the meantime, we invite you to share your reflections and takeaways from any of the events you attended on this link.

Warm wishes,

gada


Gada Kadoda, Ph.D.
2017 KM Series Coordinator
Sudanese Knowledge Society

Saturday, January 7, 2017

ABOUT SERIES


This series targets information users and producers with focus on the Sudanese context.  We will consider our information environment and ask what content is important, and how to get people to contribute to and use it. We will explore specific questions, such as what knowledge is valuable in organisations and how to get people to share it. We will also consider knowledge representation approaches and technologies, and discuss contemporary phenomena like social media and the rise of virtual communities. The story of how this series came together is one about a connected world, an “orchestrated serendipity”. Let us hope we continue to discover ways to improve the ways we connect, on the ground and virtually.

While the planning for this series is led by the Sudanese Knowledge Society, its realisation is the product of a collective effort involving other entities and many people. We want to thank co-organisers of the various events and who made the series possible. They include: 


Our deep gratitude to sponsors of the events that include The National Information Centre, Morgan for Information and Communication Technology, Sudani., DAM (HRM Forum),  Global Compact Network Sudan, the Sudanese Businessmen and Employers Federation, and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums.

We also want to thank our guest speakers, Mr. Paul Corney (knowledge et al) and Dr. Taha Osman (Nottingham Trent University), for travelling to be with us. Between their different perspectives on knowledge (where one is more focused on knowledge produced through interactions between people and the other on making meaningful representations of this knowledge), we are set to have a more whole view of the issues involved in the connections between knowledge and people, connections of knowledge to query, process, or to another piece of knowledge. 

The Sudanese Knowledge Society is grateful for the planning teams who are volunteering their time and effort to provide a comfortable and stimulating setting for the different events.

Schedule of Events in Series

28 – 29 January
(full days)

VENUE:  
Mamoun Beheiry Centre, Alamarat, Khartoum


SPONSORS: National Information Centre, Morgan for Information and Communication Technology, Sudani, and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums

ORGANISERS: Sudanese Knowledge Society, Morgan for Information and Communication Technology, H.A.M. for Information Technology, University of Khartoum, Future University, National Information Centre, World Bank Group

TEAM: Marwan Awad, Nada Mahmoud, Wigdan Seed Ahmed, Yahia Holi, Ihab Shoully, Muhammed Essa, Hamdi Salah, Mohamed Elmoj, Baderldin Mekki, Salma Mamoun, Yousif Abushara, Nada Amin

PARTICIPATION: Free. Registration Required.

30 January
(7 – 10pm)

VENUE:  
Ewa Hotel, Nile Street, Khartoum
SPONSORS: DAM, Global Compact Network Sudan
ORGANISERS: DAM (HRM Forum), Global Compact Network Sudan, Sudanese Knowledge Society
TEAM: Limya Dafalla, Naser Bur, Rayan Nimir
PARTICIPATION: Free. By Invitation.


31 January
(9am – 5pm)

VENUE:  
Benghazi Conference Room, Corinthia Hotel, Nile Street, Khartoum
ORGANISERS: Sudanese Knowledge Society and Knowledge et al
TEAM: Hana Elsadig, Hanadi Elshayeb
PARTICIPATION: Fees Required. See Registration Information.
1 February
(4 – 7pm)

VENUE: Federation of Sudanese Businessmen and Employers (Facing Alsalam Rotana Hotel)

SPONSOR: Sudanese Businessmen and Employers Federation
ORGANISERS: Sudanese Knowledge Society and Education without Borders
TEAM: Sahl Yasin, Eman Mhamadin, Assad Mohammed, Enayat Salih
PARTICIPATION: Free. Registration Required.



Gada Kadoda, Ph.D.
Series Coordinator