SMEX is thrilled to announce the return of Bread&Net, the annual Arabic-language unconference to strengthen and defend human rights in digitally networked spaces in the MENA region. Join us from 15 to 17 November 2019 at Antwork in Beirut!
We took your comments and feedback from last year’s inaugural Bread&Net to heart, and together with our dedicated advisory committee, we at SMEX have been working tirelessly to put together a more amplified, richer and engaging event for you.
Introducing New Themes for 2019
Bread&Net is an open space for discussion and strategy on the issues that are important to you and your work. In response to your invaluable feedback, we’ll be offering even more space to explore and take action on the topics that matter most for your communities with our new and improved program themes. This year, in addition to modifying several of our existing themes, we’ve also added two exciting new ones!
- Policy and Advocacy in Difficult Contexts
- Communities and Networks
- Culture and Knowledge Production Online
- Digital Security Education and Practice (New!)
- Autonomous Alternatives (New!)
Registration and Participation
This year, to better gauge and diversify our audience while staying true to our values, we will be introducing a paid ticketing system for Bread&Net. Registration will open in early June, and will be available only through our local ticketing partner, Ihjoz. Keep an eye out for more details from us on dates and deadlines coming soon, and be sure to check our social media for competitions, discount codes, and more!
Make Yourself Heard – Call for Session & Workshop Proposals Coming Soon!
This year, we are actively looking for people who can teach us new things about the way we behave with our digital security, and others who are looking for a collaborative space to workshop ideas–no matter how crazy or experimental they are–that can make an impact on our regional internet ecosystem. We are also looking for researchers who want to delve into the internet freedom community’s most pressing topics; and we want to see artists explain to us how they grapple with the digital sphere to create art.
Does this sound like you? Our 2019 Call for Proposals will be open from 15 June until 15 August. We at SMEX and our stellar advisory committee can’t wait to see what awesome new session ideas you have to share with us this year! Look out for a detailed announcement with instructions for submitting your proposals in the coming weeks.
Help us Make Bread&Net Possible
In a very short amount of time, Bread&Net has become a critically important safe space for the regional community of human rights defenders, journalists, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs and tech platforms to come together and collaborate around the most pressing digital rights and internet freedom issues in the MENA region. This event is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors and community partners, and every little bit helps!
Interested in being a community partner or a sponsor? Get in touch!We are so excited to see you all in November for Bread&Net 2019 – don’t forget to tell your friends to join us!