Switch!: Fostering women’s technical participation in the Internet industry in South East Asia

Summary

The Switch! project supports the career development of women and LGBTQI+ individuals in Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Viet Nam.

Details

Aim

The project aims at recognising and supporting the work done by women and LGBTQI+ technical staff working on Internet development in Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Viet Nam to build technical capacity in the field.

Context

The Switch! project builds on the foundations laid out by the SWITCH SEA project which improved the knowledge and skills of 100 women and LGBTQI+ technical staff to advance their careers in the Internet industry on Internet network management and operations in Viet Nam, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia.

The project does not just provide technical training. Each participant gets involved in developing a learning path that is unique to them, involving training but also professional certification and mentoring based on a personalized training plan. It also helps to expand their professional network of support.

Activities

The project uses local coordinators in the six countries to coordinate with the project participants.

Switch! National events

• Thailand National Event (5th-6th August 2023): Thai Switch! participants and their National Coordinator held the Thai National Event in Khao Yai, Nakorn Ratchasima Province. It was an occasion for team building, as well as sharing progress and knowledge they have gained during the project.
• Cambodia National Event (19th-20th August 2023): The Switch! project’s Cambodian participants recently held their National Event in Sihanoukville. It was a great opportunity for participants to share their progress, including updates on research projects and team building activities.
• Laos National Event (19th-20th August 2023): The Switch! Laos team held their national event in Vang Vieng, with 30 attendees (19 Switch! participants, a National Coordinator and eight other attendees). The event included discussions on gender and inclusion as well as project updates and of course team building.
• Philippines National Event (2nd-3rd September 2023): the Switch! Philippines team held their national event in Tagaytay City, where 33 participants gathered for team building to share their experiences. It was also an opportunity to get in touch with other Internet groups like PhNOG and the Internet Society Philippines chapter.
• Viet Nam National Event (7th-10th September 2023): The Switch! Viet Nam national event 2023 was held as a side event with Vietnam Security Boot Camp 2023 in Da Nang city. The Switch! National event had 32 participants including the National Coordinator, 20 Switch! participants, six participants from the previous SWITCH SEA project, two speakers and three other guests. The event was an opportunity for networking, team building and professional development discussions.
• Timor Leste National Event (16th-17th September 2023): The Switch! National events concluded with the completion of the Switch! Timor Leste National Event 2023. The event was held in Liquiçá. There were 31 attendees, including the National Coordinator, two organizers, a master of ceremonies and a Foundation staff member. The day included networking, team building and discussions around cyber security and digital transformation.

Other relevant links

• Switch! Cambodia
• Switch! Laos
• Switch! The Philippines
• Switch! Thailand
• Switch! Timor Leste
• Switch! Vietnam
• Meet the National Coordinators

Picture from the Switch! Timor Leste National Event 2023 (via APNICFoundation)