Welcome to the fourth installment of report-backs from our community consultation calls! This report provides a summary of discussions centered around a crucial element of our summit: the participant experience. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, shared their experiences, expertise, and thoughtful feedback.
Purpose of the calls
On November 14 and 16, 2023, we hosted two consultation calls to reflect on and improve the RightsCon experience for both online and in-person participants. We welcomed a diverse mix of RightsCon newcomers and veterans during the calls, and invited them to share their participation highlights, challenges faced, and suggestions to enhance their experience.
Insights from the community
The feedback we received was both humbling and motivating. There was an overwhelming sentiment that RightsCon is a community-led event, acting as the connective tissue between diverse stakeholders, and a place where one can meet and learn f
We are excited to share the third installment of report backs from our community consultation calls! (Read more about our report backs on community support and the RightsCon program) This report provides a summary of discussions focused on mitigating barriers to travel to RightsCon. We are deeply grateful to members of the RightsCon community who generously shared their experiences and insights to inform our planning for RightsCon South Korea.
Purpose of the calls
In the open letter we published in August 2023, we reflected on our responsibility as event organizers to anticipate and work to mitigate the barri
Today we are excited to share the first in a series of upcoming reports from our community consultation calls, as part of our commitment to increasing transparency and incorporating community input into the redesign of RightsCon’s core elements. This initial report provides a summary of the discussions focused on community support. We are grateful to the members of the community who took time out of their day to join the calls and share their insights with us.
Purpose of the calls
On October 24 and 25, we hosted two community consultation calls with the goal of evaluating our current community support model, and gathering valuable feedback on how to refine our support mechanisms to better meet the needs of our growing community.
As we journey towards our first hybrid summit, RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023), we are reintegrating into in-person spaces and redefining our approach to online participation, with the goal to create a connected experience for our community. In view of this goal, increasing the accessibility of our summit remains an integral area of focus at RightsCon.
Through research and planning, we are working to thoughtfully design our spaces, both online and in-person, to account for the diverse needs, abilities, and priorities of participants. Our aim is to ensure that our spaces are safe, supportive, a
This June, we’re bringing back the RightsCon Studio, a place for you to hear directly from the leaders setting the agenda for human rights in the digital age across sectors, regions, and topics. The RightsCon Studio will serve as the mainstage and the centerpiece of our first-ever hybrid summit, connecting in-person and online participants, and hosting a diversity of perspectives that push the dial on cutting-edge conversations.
Featuring curated sessions on critical human rights and technology issues, in-depth conversations with prominent leaders and trusted experts, and highlights on the actions and initiatives led by the RightsCon community, the RightsCon Studio will showcase perspectives from key decision-makers with direct influence in pivotal sectors and industries, as well as renowned human rights actors at the forefront of building a rights-respecting future.
The RightsCon Studio will cover several topics of importance, including:
China’s role in the global surveillance tech ecosystem;
Protecting journalism and journalists in Central America;
Different stakeholders' roles in achieving a just transition in the tech sector;
Digital ecosystems that enable women’s participation in political life;
Alternative, liberatory approaches for the development and use of AI;
And many more.
The Studio will host three formats:
Fireside Chats (45 minutes) place 3-4 experts in conversation on a particular thematic or regional issue of relevance to the RightsCon community, and anchor the Studio program to community priorities.
In Conversations (30 minutes) are one-on-one interviews facilitated by the Studio
Are you ready for the record-breaking program that’s waiting for you at RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023)? Take a look at the session list, which we’ve just released!
Our first-ever hybrid program will feature many record-breaking numbers, but first and foremost, it will showcase our hybrid model, expanding accessibility and inclusion through virtual convening, while returning to the magic of in-person meetings, which many of our community members missed.
We received over 1880 proposals this year, a 60% increase from 2022, and a 30% increase from 2020, when we hosted RightsCon Online for the first time. The competition was steep, even with our 19 program categories and crucial input from 60+ Program Committee members. Along with this growth in numbers, we’ve also seen increasing diversification of voices in our community-sourced program, with greater representation of women and nonbinary folk, languages, and regions.
The program at RightsCon Costa Rica will feature:
The power of RightsCon is the community we bring together, and we want your help making sure the right people are in the room for RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023). We’ve partnered with Canva to create an expansive suite of templates and resources to help prepare for your RightsCon session and promote your participation with your network!
Whether you are joining us as a participant, session organizer, or speaker, you’ll find exactly what you need through our RightsCon promo kit - from presentations and email assets, through to image and video social media templates.
Canva is also empowering the RightsCon community with access to Canva Pro for free for 3 months! The discount will be shared with registered participants through the RightsCon Rundown, and can be redeemed at www.canva.com/redeem. Make sure to subscribe to the RightsCon Rundown if you haven’t already, to gain access.
Have you registered for RightsCon? Use our promotional templates to promote your participation at RightsCon on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And, if you are participating online
The RightsCon team is looking for volunteers to support our first hybrid summit, RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023)! If you’re interested in human rights and technology, and available to join us in person in San José, this is your opportunity to contribute to – and connect with – a growing global community.
Volunteering is an excellent way to gain event experience, build professional connections, and learn about pressing digital rights issues. As an official RightsCon volunteer, you’ll receive a virtual training session with our team, an official RightsCon t-shirt, and free lunch, coffee, and light snacks throughout the summit. Your volunteer team lead will work with you to assign shifts, answer any questions you may have, and find roles that you are excited about and confident to take on, including:
Summit set-up and tear down;
Room and hallway management (Q&A help, wayfinding, ushering);
Customer service information;
Event logistics support (check-in desks, info desk);
Beyond supporting during scheduled shifts, we encourage volunteers to actively participate in the program by joining sessions – whether workshops, dialogues, or roundtables – as well as creative and social eve
The Call for Proposals is the cornerstone of RightsCon’s community-sourced program and presents a dynamic snapshot of the state of human rights and technology. As RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023) approaches, we're taking a close look at the numbers of the Call for Proposals and sharing insights about the forces and factors shaping our first hybrid program.This year, RightsCon is breaking records across the board. We received an astounding 1880+ session proposals from 1195+ institutions – a 30 percent increase from 2020, our previous Call for Proposals record, and a staggering 60 percent increase from 2022.
