31 January 2011

Launch of SAHA's new PAIA DVD and PAIA Workshop Guide

Since April 2008 SAHA's Freedom of Information Programme (FOIP) has developed its Freedom of Information Project, Capacity Building in the Community-based sector (PAIA) to become one of the lead organisations in South Africa offering multi-level training and capacity building to organisations and individuals who can most benefit from using PAIA. Through the project, SAHA aims to empower individuals and organisations from targeted sectors to understand and utilise the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) as a strategic advocacy tool. Through this project FOIP has developed two new educational products to facilitate our training and the training of other organisations working with PAIA.

PAIA Workshop Guide

The PAIA Workshop Guide was developed through the community training. During this training SAHA realised that there was no comprehensive training manual that covered all the relevant areas of requesting information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). Instead of using a series of loose documents and PowerPoint presentations, training can now be coordinated alongside this manual. The Workshop Guide can also stand alone as a table-top reference guide for anyone trying to practically engage with PAIA in their everyday environment.

This PAIA Workshop Guide was made possible through the generous funding of the Ford Foundation.

PAIA DVD

The PAIA: Case Studies from Civil Society DVD is an interactive training tool which outlines the key issues around PAIA. It is hoped that this DVD will be used by organisations and individuals to learn about PAIA and facilitate the training of others in the use of PAIA. By showing how normal citizens have interacted with PAIA, it is hoped that this DVD will bring to life the possibilities PAIA presents as a strategic advocacy tool.

It is hoped that the FOIP PAIA DVD that is currently being developed will be a useful associated learning instrument and will work alongside the PAIA Workshop Guide and the PAIA Resource Kit to create a comprehensive package of educational tools on PAIA implementation.

The PAIA DVD was made possible through the generous funding of the Claude Leon Foundation and the Open Society Foundation for South Africa.

LAUNCH DETAILS

Your Right to Know Meeting Poster, the Coalition for the Right to Know, SAHA Poster Collection al2466_0567

To introduce these two new educational products, SAHA will be launching the SAHA PAIA DVD: Case Studies from Civil Society and the PAIA Workshop Guide in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town in the month of February. In a brief training session, SAHA will introduce organisations and individuals to two new interactive educational tools that outline the key issues around the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 and can be used to inform training and use of the Act.

Durban

Date: 11 February 2011
Venue: Centre for Civil Society Training 602, Level 6, Memorial Tower Building, King George V Avenue, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Glenwood, Durban.
Time: 9am to 12.30 followed by a light lunch.

Johannesburg

Date: 16 February 2011
Venue: Training Centre 6th Floor, Human Rights House, 29 Princess of Wales Terrace, South African Human Rights Commission, Houghton, Johannesburg.
Time: 9am to 12.30 followed by a light lunch.

Cape Town

Date: 18 February 2011
Venue: Training Room, 3 Caledonian Road, Black Sash National Office, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Time: 9am to 12.30 followed by a light lunch.

RSVP: To attend the event, send your confirmation to foip@saha.org.za before 8 February 2011. Please note that space will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis, with a preferred limit of two persons per organisation.