In our April 2024 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Jordanne Elliott, a Project Manager in Jamaica, and Friend of the Show, Liselle Yorke, a Communications Strategist, originally from Tobago but based in the United States, the panel discusses:  Tech career insights, and the future of work in the Caribbean; Content creation for persons with disabilities; and Using the Internet to preserve our history.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!

Welcome to the April 2024 Community Chat!

If we were to strip our topics for today’s episode down to their key themes they would be digital inclusion and planning for the future.

Although it might appear that everything that could be said about ‘digital inclusion’ has been said before, that is not the case. Often, we have been saying the same things over and over again, but not broadening or deepening our understanding of the term and how it can be best implemented in our organisations, communities and countries.

When we hear the phrase ‘planning for the future’, our first thoughts might point to trends and predictions, but it can also point to safety precautions and measures, which underpin two of our topics.

However, let’s introduce our guests and provide some more insight into this month’s conversation.

 

Introducing our guests

Jordanne Elliott

As a mission-led Project Manager, Jordanne Elliott specialises in guiding tech organisations to forge meaningful impact in both the digital and societal realms. She collaborates extensively with teams, partners, and various stakeholders to breathe life into projects while keeping them on track. Her approach combines strategic oversight with a deep commitment to sustainability and innovation, ensuring that each project not only meets its goals but also contributes positively to the broader community.

Jordanne is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a degree in Information Technology. Currently, works as a Product Owner at the National Commercial Bank in Jamaica.

 

 

Liselle Yorke

Liselle Yorke is a mission-driven Communications Strategist with a deep commitment to sustainable solutions that benefit underserved communities. Based in the U.S., she has written about harnessing ICT for innovation in developing economies. She has 20 years of experience developing and executing communication strategies for non-profit organisations, with a particular focus on financial inclusion and social development.

Liselle has also consulted with and provided pro bono communications support to various organisations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the University of the West Indies Alumni Association. She earned her master’s degree in communications at Howard University and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the West Indies.

 

The topics discussed

First, as working professionals, we cannot get away from the changes that have been occurring in the workplace, which has accelerated as technology is being increasingly leveraged. Although we have done several explorations of the future of work on ICT Pulse and the Podcast, there is merit in revisiting the subject regularly to update our understanding and perspective. The topic, Tech career insights, and the future of work in the Caribbean, gave us that very opportunity, and with Jordanne on the panel, we were excited by the insights and views she could share as a younger professional.

Second, we are continuing the conversation about digital accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities. However, in some of those earlier discussions, which we have included among our select links, the focus tends to be on facilitating internet connectivity and access to suitable devices and equipment. Content creation for persons with disabilities, which is our second topic, is often not considered.

Finally, thanks to recent articles, we became aware that Aruba had backed up all of its historical documents, totalling over 100,000 items, to the digital library, the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library that provides free access to collections of digitised materials including websites, software applications, music, audio-visual and print materials. For our third topic, we discussed Using the Internet to preserve our history, because although this initiative in Aruba seems well-intentioned and a good thing, the panellists still felt conflicted.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  J Elliott;  L Yorke;  Ivo Rainha (Pexels);  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay);  fauxels (Pexels)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing Support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez