Workshop on Community Driven Rural Electrification:
“Technology Appropriation by Indigenous Populations”

IHTC2016 Logo
Special Interest Co-located Event – Presented by IEEE Canada’s Humanitarian Initiatives Committee

Friday, October 14, Half Day – 08:30 to 12:30

This half-day workshop seeks to:

  • Showcase the rural electrification programs from IEEE’s Smart Village and Light-Up (The World’s) Costa Rica.
  • Facilitate multifaceted interaction between participants and speakers representing rural and engineering communities
  • Answer the following questions:
    • What perspectives does the Solar Industry have on rural electrification in developing communities?
    • How can tech-savvy volunteers be inspired, enabled and connected with development projects in Latin America?
    • What are the social dynamics, governance models and global transformations in rural settings for technology-based development projects?
  • Discuss avenues available to achieve sustainable development of rural electrification through interactive round table discussions (World Café format)

Co-Chair:

  • Alfredo Herrera, HIC Canada chair

Registrations Closed

Draft Program:

  • Welcome
  • Introduction of presenters, workshop format and the World Café method
  • What perspectives does the Solar Industry have on rural electrification in developing communities?
  • Case-Study: Light-Up Costa Rica
  • Break (10 min)
  • How can tech-savvy volunteers be inspired, enabled and connected with development projects in Latin America?
  • What are the social dynamics, governance models and global transformations in rural settings for technology-based development projects?
  • World Café: Community impact and appropriation of technology
  • Closing remarks

Sessions

What perspectives does the Solar Industry have on rural electrification in developing communities?

Wesley Johnston is Vice President of the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), were he provides leadership for strategic initiatives, business strategy and oversees the finance and operations at CanSIA. Wes has developed significant expertise in solar energy markets, policy development and regulatory affairs and strong relationships with industry, stakeholders and all levels of government since joining CanSIA in 2007. Wes holds a BBA, (University of PEI), MAES (University of Waterloo) and MBA (Queen’s University).

Case study: Light-Up Costa Rica

Brian Minielly has a very diverse background and experience. His passion is to help people learn the things they want to learn to take charge of their own lives. That has taken him from helping farmers in Saskatchewan do basic maintenance on their huge diesel tractors, to teaching literacy skills and resume creation to adults ejected from the forest industry on the Bruce Peninsula, to teaching Indigenous youth in Costa Rica about electricity, tool use, and solar PV installation practices. Other projects include advocating for incorporating renewable energy and environmentally sound building practices in the construction of supportive and affordable housing units, and developing a youth employment programme in Jamaica to train high school graduates for entry level employment in the Solar PV industry.

Brian runs, paddles and bikes on the Bruce Peninsula where he lives overlooking Canada’s inland sea. He is a Queen’s U. graduate, has an M.A. in Communications from Stanford University, and did graduate work in Adult Education and Community Development at the University of Alberta. He has a certificate in Solar Electric Design & Installation from S.E.I. in Colorado.

How can tech-savvy volunteers be inspired, enabled and connected with development projects in Latin America?

  • Mario Aleman Mario Aleman,
    Nicaragua Section Chair at IEEE

Mario Aleman is an active and enthusiastic social entrepreneur with a undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering and a master’s degree in Photovoltaics with research experience and training in more than ten different countries. The motivation to become a change maker stems from being a student volunteer for many years in a renewable energy program in Nicaragua. The skills in engineering and the passion to create a social impact as a leader, were the main drivers to start a non-profit organization in 2006. A recipient of many social entrepreneurship awards, is a strong believer that passionate engineering ideas can help tackle many of the world’s needs. Besides Bright New Ideas and the Solar Lantern Project, Mario has been devoted to an education work with under-served and excellent students in Nicaragua, which consists of international scholarships and training in order to help them become a new generation of scientists. So far, since 2008, a total number of 15 students from Nicaragua have achieved an undergraduate experience abroad in the fields of science, technology and mathematics. The incubation project will follow with a graduate school opportunity towards the way of PhD.

What are the social dynamics, governance models and global transformations in rural settings for technology-based development projects?

  • Etienne Hainzelin Prof. Etienne Hainzelin,
    Invited Professor – School of International Development and Global Studies – Ottawa University. Advisor of Cirad President

Prof. Etienne Hainzelin is an agronomist by training, with a PhD in genetics and plant breeding, He has worked in a wide array of contexts and countries and held long-term positions in Ivory Coast, Réunion Island, Canada, Brazil and France, as well as on missions in close to 40 countries. Over time, given his responsibilities as a director of research, He became interested in the links between the social sciences and agronomics in general, with a special focus on the interaction between social dynamics, governance models and global transformations in rural settings. Over the past four years, He has worked as research and strategy director for CIRAD (http://www.cirad.fr/en), a research institute in France that has some 900 scientists working in partnerships across more than 40 southern hemisphere countries. CIRAD focuses on the prime issues surrounding the role of agriculture in southern hemisphere nations, both from the discipline’s traditional perspectives (production, transformation, food production and processing, etc.) and from its newer angles (environmental impact, ecological services, poverty reduction, land management, multi-functionality, etc.). At CIRAD, He has played an active role in recasting and redirecting the research issues and scientific strategies of the major French, European and international centres and institutes in the field.

World Café: Community impact and appropriation of technology

The World Cafe Logo
The World Café method integrated seven principles into a simple, effective, and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue: 1) Use a setting that is conducive to open conversations; 2) Have a host introduce the World Café process, the session’s context and the Cafe Etiquette; 3) Run twenty minute rounds of conversation, at the end of which each member of the group moves to a different table; 4) each round is prefaced with a specific question; 5) After the rounds, individuals are invited to share insights or other results from their conversations with the rest of the large group.