On December 2nd and 3rd 2021, Fundación Multitudes and U.S. Embassy Santiago virtually hosted TechCamp Chile to promote good governance and counter disinformation. The TechCamp also focused on how disinformation and violence targets women and minority representatives in the political process. These topics continue to be pertinent to Chilean society. Massive protests against inequality transpired in 2019; Chileans have since elected delegates to draft a new Constitution. With reform taking place alongside the recent presidential election, solutions to disinformation as crucial as Chile determines the political landscape of their future.
Paulina Ibarra, executive director of local implementing partner Multitudes explained that TechCamp Chile was created to raise awareness about the impact of disinformation, particularly on women and indigenous peoples who participated in the recent election or are impacted by constitutional reform. Including a partnership with newspaper La Tercera, TechCamp Chile is creating a platform for media partners to integrate their point of view while collaborating with civil society. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
TechCamp Chile had broad participation with leaders from civil society, NGOs, businesses, and schools from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the United States. Trainers included María Laura Ruggiero, an Argentinian storyteller and professor specializing in immersive media, Patricia Reyes, an expert lawyer in legal informatics, Carla Dearing, the Democratic candidate for Louisville Mayor, Sebastián Rivas, General Audience Editor at La Tercera, Katya Petrikevich, Co-Founder and International Director of Participation Factory, and Romina Garrido, a renowned Data Protection Lawyer.
The multisector, multinational TechCamp brought technology solutions to issues of media literacy, democracy, and human rights in Chile. As a platform for the Summit for Democracy “Year of Action” commitments, 60 leaders accessed tools and strategies to monitor, engage, and evaluate public debate on social networks throughout this transformative time. Beginning in 2022, a series of programming opportunities will become available through the TechCamp Chile network. Read the press release from media partner – La Tercera – here.
