Taken after the Global Voices Summit in Cebu City, Philippines.
Dear friends and colleagues, Mabuhay! I am both happy and honored to be nominated as a staff representative in the Global Voices board.
I have joined [1] many elections in the past but the GV board election is perhaps the most special because no one loses. All the other nominees are outstanding members of the community and each one of them is offering an important perspective or program about the future of GV.
Last year, I celebrated my tenth year [2] as a member of the GV family. What I wrote [3] during that time still reflects my sentiment today. I am proud that I volunteered for GV and I am still committed to promote the noble vision and mission of our unique virtual community.
I am an activist based in Manila, Philippines. I have been the Southeast Asia editor of GV since 2008. I am also a regular contributor of GV Advocacy. I was able to join the GV summits in New Delhi in 2006, Nairobi in 2012, and Cebu in 2015.
I consider myself a senior member of GV but at the same time I feel that I never lost the enthusiasm of a newbie. There is always something new and exciting to discover about GV, whether it’s about the profile of its volunteers, the inspiring stories published by the community, or the growing relevance of what we do in improving our knowledge about the world.
I hope to bring this veteran GV outlook and newbie vibe into the GV board.
Taken during the Global Voices Summit in New Delhi, India
In the age of what mainstream commentators call ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts, ‘post-truth’ and other fancy descriptions of the current disturbing trend in the media landscape, the work of GV is a refreshing antidote that instantly empowers readers to understand the harsh realities of the present.
GV is in a position to sustain its decade-long online legacy and offer its work as a viable and necessary alternative to combat the rapidly deteriorating quality of information exchange in all media platforms.
What I like about GV is that it is always ready to improve how it fulfills its mandate. The GV board steers the direction of the group but the day-to-day work is largely community-driven. Enhancing feedback mechanism is therefore crucial, motivating individual members of the community is a constant challenge, and validating the real impact of GV in both online and offline spaces boosts the relevance of our work.
There is no simple formula in attaining these organizational goals but the community representatives to the GV board have a specific role in providing opportunities for group interaction and encouraging volunteer authors and staff to be more active in articulating their views.
We should continue what our board representatives are doing since I believe their laudable initiatives make GV more transparent. What I can offer is the decade-long experience of working with GV and the attitude of a new volunteer who wants to explore how existing practices can be maximized to achieve the vision and mission of GV with better impact.
Please feel free to contact me via my contact page [4], or Twitter: @mongster [5].
I am also campaigning for Kevin Rennie [6] for volunteer representative. He is a long-time member of the GV community, an outstanding team player, and a brilliant comrade of mine.
Members of the Southeast Asia team of Global Voices during the 2015 Cebu Summit.