Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society

Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society provides free online training and Persian and English learning resources to Iranians. Tavaana – meaning "empowered" and "capable" in Persian – was launched in 2010 with a mission “to support active citizenship and civic leadership in Iran through education and civil society capacity building.”

The initiative uses blended civic education via live e-classrooms, correspondence learning, satellite television, and social networks to provide Iranians with education on democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, civic activism, and more. In addition to online courses, the site offers case studies, interviews, translations, public service announcements, e-books, and an online resource library. TavaanaTech is a Persian-language service providing guidance on circumventing internet censorship and keeping safe online.

According to Tavaana’s website, the project seeks a “free and open Iranian society, one in which each and every Iranian enjoys equality, justice and the full spectrum of civil and political liberties.” Tavaana was founded by Akbar Atri, a former student leader and drafter of a referendum for a democratic Iranian constitution, and Mariam Memarsadeghi, who previously headed Freedom House’s Middle East and North Africa programs.

Tavaana was originally incubated as a project of the Center for Liberty in the Middle East through a seed grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. In 2011 Tavaana became a project of the E-Collaborative for Civic Education (ECCE), a US-based non-profit organization with a mission to leverage technology to promote civic learning and democratic political life internationally.

Tavaana’s instructor-led courses take place on a live interactive platform. Live sessions are supplemented by a discussion forum, podcasts, video lectures, readings, and assignments. Tavaana has trained over 2,800 students in live classrooms and received over 20,000 course applications.

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