The following are the outputs of the real-time captioning taken during the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 17 to 21 December 2017. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid to understanding the proceedings at the event, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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>> (Off microphone)
>> MODERATOR: I said I do feel a burden of responsibility somehow with the youth initiatives, or let's say different shapes of engagement in the IGF. Mostly to the national and regional IGF. Somehow, the youth IGF.
There is obviously the same process the youth IGF is going through, what is produced is different perspective than they're bringing than that variable. We went into the communities virtually. Michael and I, we realized that basically there are four different models of the engagement of the IGF. One is on the national and regional IGF, maybe Mahi can speak about it. Where the IGF within the annual meetings and processes are organizing dedicated tracks for young people and they're integrated into the annual meetings.
There are those formations where the youth engages among themselves, on their own and independently self‑organizing through the IGF process to deliver through a very dedicated process. Those are independently organized initiatives. Currently there are nine.
Then there are those that serve as a capacity building. Where we are in between the independently organized and those integrated in the NRI, so we can put them aside as a separate, fourth model and reflect it. By this publication, I have one hard copy of this only, and somebody took my front page.
So with that, I actually wanted to see what else can be done. I think we started with this publication. At least we started this process and showed willingness and give viability that we value what's in the community. The opportunity now to channel that way and hopefully leverage the whole engagement at the IGF and first of all, bring visibility to your work.
My question for you would be, how do you see the secretariat's role. Are you invited as session organizers, are you enrolled in the process? That is my concrete question.
What do you need? And then the chair is very supportive of the work of the youth. Then we can sit in that chair and see how we can better support your work.
>> QUESTION: This is Yennis from the Asia Pacific IGF. I want to say first, the content materials is something we can share collaboratively and share across the region as well. Similar experience from our support to other schools of Internet governance within our region. They're looking at contents they can use. I think for youth training, as well, we need to tailor some materials, especially for youth.
So I guess if we can share that experience on issues or topics, specifically, I think it will be useful. And second point about integration of youth panels or how to join in the global IGF, I think we have talked about this in youth coalition before. If we have dedicated section. Or how say? A youth resource question. I think some of these actions say they want to invite youth. But most of the time, the newcomers come, and have no connection and can't join those. Usually only those participating for a while would have connections to be invited. I think that might be something we can work on as well. Thanks.
>> MODERATOR: I think this is very concrete, I think maybe the purpose of this meeting. I think, Mahi and Michael.
>> MAHI: We had the first IGF. And we had a special decide. One youth on to the panel. We put one youth on to each panel. So he express his ideas and opinions to the whole community. It is taken into the final report even. It is a good practice, rather than creating it separately after we're creating it separately. So I still believe it is a good practice to have in the main national idea to be in the panel and share their ideas. Before that, have a collaborative session with the youth to discuss with themselves and come to the national IGF.
>> ATTENDEE: I would say because some of the youth would like to organize. They come to us to ask a question about some substance or content they can organize. Like sessions or activities like interactive session can be organized in a sense. I would like to appreciate IGF that already make some useful to kids on how to organize the national and regional initiative. Youth sessions also included in the tool kit. There is a basic understanding of how people can organized the NRI. I think on the other hand, bring some ideas on how they can actually carry out the whole process on the program planning. I would maybe suggest in the coming terms, we can also create some (?) host by the IGF. And most IGF participants or YIGF can participate on that platform. And give ideas for other youths to follow. Yeah. My two cents.
>> ATTENDEE: In my experience so far, depending on the youth initiative, there tends to be, a lot of them tend to have informal structures. It is a negative thing ‑‑ I don't mean it in that way. I think the IGF secretary could assist with high‑level coordination.
A lot of times it is in the process. What I mean by that is for instance, Council of Europe is currently doing a lot to try and advance the youth department's engagement in internal governance.
With using the weight of this to take advantage of these to kind of advocate that kind of, maybe, more centralized planning or just trying to reach out and ‑‑ not necessarily coordinate, but at least understand which of these larger institutions, let's say, are working on youth initiatives and how can there be better coordination between them? There is a severe lack of coordination when it comes to youth events.
>> ATTENDEE: Hello? My name is (?). Governance should be running the voluntary organization. So youth IGF is definitely under IGF. Not separate. Because Bangladesh is the less developed country. If we organize the IGF, financial problem is big problem. But our own capacity is to add a sponsor and everything. Youth IGF is separate is very problem in our country. This is my solution.
>> ATTENDEE: Gien from NetAsia. How we organize and continue their participation, what I notice for organizing the YIGF, a lot of participants want to come back but don't know who to go to. What we did this year is we had one fellow from YIGF Asia Pacific come to year. I feel like we could also make fellowship network or alumni network. Yeah.
>> EDWARD CHOI: Edward Choi, youth organization. We feel we're newcomers. There are so many specific terms for us. And maybe for the capacity building, we have to increase. Because I think we can have preworkshop and not only a day event. I think that for those newcomers they can have more understanding about the terms like ICANN or YCIG. I think there can be more understanding for the young people. Those that are new we don't know much people in different organizations. What we want to do ‑‑ what we expect to do is get to know more people ‑‑ more young people from different organization and just in talking about Hong Kong IGF, I think maybe because it is just a starting point, it is kind of an informal ‑‑ we hope that we can just maybe organize the whole IGF later with other organization in order to get more formal one and express our influence over youth in Hong Kong later. Thank you.
>> ATTENDEE: I am Katie from youth at IGF Internet society. We have met a couple of times to talk through what would be positive steps in this program to improve in the coming years and keep it more engaged. One thing we keep coming back to is a mentorship program, not only with alumni of the program and future years and getting people to know what to expect, but if there is a way to connect youth in the program with more established stakeholders. The individuals with civil society, government, to act as a mentor and show you the ropes a little bit. One, so they have a familiar face, two know what to expect and three make meaningful connections much quicker.
A lot of times, we felt like we siphoned ourselves off as youth and had a harder time networking and integrating with more established individuals.
>> ATTENDEE: This is Michael, by the way. I didn't introduce myself, but this past year I was an interim steering commission for the youth governance. Thank you about mentor. Mentoring is so important. I have been advocating for mentoring for two years now. It is so important. I was lucky enough when I came into the IGF system, I was assigned a mentor through the ISOC ambassador program. I couldn't have done it without her. She showed me the ropes.
We have a dual issue. That is what you're talking about. People come in. Maybe Yanis mentioned it. They don't know where to go, they're lost from the get‑go. Most organizations, they don't want to make the time to bring in somebody and say, okay, let me show you how this is all done, maybe they expect that is what schools on Internet governance are for. This isn't a criticism, it is to flesh out the issue. Youth unfortunately, have to find their own mentors. Maybe without even saying, okay, we need more mentorship, which we do, maybe it is actually like, how do we create the structures to ensure that people will have mentors? And I think a lot of that is, okay, how do we help teach youth more about where they want to be or where they want to be impactful and kind of say these are the groups of people working here and groups of people working here. Getting in through lists which I know might sound weird, but I got into ICANN after being on a mailing list for a year.
But the idea is to encourage people to find their way before they get here. It is just another idea.
>> ATTENDEE: If I could offer a quick suggestion. How do you make something like this work. Everyone here is so busy trying to attend as many sessions as possible. We came up with the idea if when people register if they are willing to be a mentor. You could say would you be willing to provide an hour of your time before the event and during the event to mentor. That way, people can figure out what they want and then meet someone on the ground.
>> ATTENDEE: When registering for the IGF? For the conference?
>> ATTENDEE: As an application question.
>> ATTENDEE: (Off microphone)
from Italy. I'm here, ambassador of the youth, because I'm not young. (Chuckling). But for the first time this year, we organized a session dedicated to youth. And they were really excited about that. And they have been very constructive until in the end of our IGF 2017, they say why not? We can organize the Italy IGF next year.
The problem is ‑‑ what I say to them ‑‑ look, you should be inserted into the channel of the Italy IGF. Having major relevance, let's say, in the program, committee, and presenting relations and problems, so on.
But if you are doing something that is separated from the snapshot, not national IGF has to do on the situation of Internet governance on the country, then you will not be heard so much.
But if you insert into the channel of the national IGF with a measured role, then also those ‑‑ the people of the government, the people of the private seconder, so on, that want to listen to you. They have to take the engagement just to listen to what the so‑called digital natives have to say about the Internet in the country.
This group even want to spread the constitution of the Internet made with the eyes of the digital (?). We need something like that. They will inherit all the experience that was matured by previous generations. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you. Thank you so much. I actually took a lot of notes.
Yes, David.
>> ATTENDEE: Just as mentioned about they should have a crucial have IGF create the national or other IGF. It is important to make that the multi stakeholders can make from this sense. In this cases or hopefully some countries they have geographical or political difference in other countries. Some of them ‑‑ maybe it is easier for the youth IGF to stand alone and on the other hand first be engaged in the youth in this question. So I would say, again, I like the IGF existing model of the IGF. Some is integrated in existing in our eyes. Some is separate program. I would say this kind of practice is easier to be shared and also different models to be adopted in this country in that sense. On that I would like to make a suggestion. Because as other youth have mentioned, they would like to, maybe some youth also mention they would like to organize their own YIGF in the future. Probably coming year, we can have a small session in maybe day three or day four, lightning session to come together or the YIGF organizers to session to share models. I think there is ideas of the background or students why the youth at IGF program participants to get to know how they can bring the things forward. I was suggesting in this way. Yeah, is my first point.
The other point is not really about this, but somehow, I think there is linkage between local YIGF and also some regional YIGF in this sense. To think about this in coming way, not only for the local IGF to compute on this sense, but bring discussion outcomes in local community to the regional level or local level. I think it is a quite interesting move in the coming future to bring the linkage with local YIGF and global YIGF in this sense, yeah. That is my two cents as well. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: While you're thinking, can somebody create a sign‑up sheet? I am hoping if we come with the set of objects for 2018, this could be the core group that could be, you know, building on what we agree or suggest now and help to maybe produce something in 2018 we have something that is tangible and hopefully help you to be recognized within, first of all, your communities but I also think globally by the global community as I think we did with the national and regional IGF. Michael will do this for me, right? Thanks so much.
I think with this youth IGF, it doesn't mean I worked only with young people, I worked with the community, but we focus on the engagement of young people. Everything we're doing is very much concrete and to the point. Now looking at your suggestions, to be honest, I already have a set of actions that can be immediately executed starting from the next year, because it is very concrete. I may just ask, start from Yanis because her comments were first in the notes. The process, does it reflect the IGF or the training or maybe something on the substance?
>> ATTENDEE: We have a focus on a little bit of both, that we're targeting to enhance. I think those that we want to see how ‑‑ if other NRIs can try to use it and also improve it together with the feedback and experience. And actually, especially on substance, I think we've always been thinking about having different modules, different topics, to have that to collaborate together to work on something, that would be useful, because is always brain draining to talk about the issues and make them interested in it.
>> MODERATOR: Yeah. Thank you, exactly. For the resource person Yanis mentioned. I think, and maybe Michael can talk about. The youth college, that could be the first aid for the youth along with the IGF secretariat. There is a focal point position that supports the IGFs organized an international and national levels, but the IGF first of all in the process. So we don't take out the substance. That is the bottom‑up process. But whatever is needed to support in the existing process that emerged from the community, then of course, we are there, I think that should be also done for the YIGF following your directions. Basically, you need to tell us what to do. I think that is crucial.
Respecting the bottom‑up principle, we will not say this needs to be done, even if we have ideas. That is why it is important that you are in communication with us and very concrete and feel free to say so. If you need a publication, come to me and say, we have a dedicated position whose job is to do that. Be very flexible and demanding certain things, in that sense. Katie?
>> ATTENDEE: A quick question off the processes, is there a way for the youth to be engaged in the planning process of the IGF itself? From picking panels to who is on the panels?
>> MODERATOR: The global IGF?
>> ATTENDEE: Or regional or national regionals, I'm sure that is something to discuss with the boards in our own countries, but that is a good way to get youth involved and hopefully represented on panels as well.
>> MODERATOR: That is why I asked also at the beginning. I think that can easily be done. Now speaking about the global IGF. Each session has organizers, not as much this year in regards to last year. All of them tended to have young people in their panel and involve them in the whole organization of the process. Maybe what the secretariat can do is pass the message the youth, through a bottom‑up process requested to be involved in the planning process. Not that you're invited for 90 minutes to speak on the panel, but you are consulted for planning certain sessions and be there for the material substance. Michael?
>> ATTENDEE: I want to add to the point. First of all the national initiatives, each one has their own planning and organizational team structures. The subregional and regional initiatives, they tend to have youth programs completely that bring youth into the dialogues or the program.
Often, if they're bottom‑up in nature, it is about youth being encouraged to take part in the processes. At the global IGF, I know in years past ‑‑ I don't know about currently ‑‑ there were young people and youth on the MAG itself, the multi‑stakeholder advisory group. With the new MAG, I don't know how many young people there will be. Marilyn might be able to shed more light on that. That is a little more to answer your question.
>> MODERATOR: Please? Marilyn, then Edmond.
>> ATTENDEE: Thanks, Marilyn Kincaid. I served as the substantive coordinator for the NRI appointed by ambassador Carclin when he was the MAG and working with Anya. Much of that comes out of the active engagement out of the networks created. So people know each other and share ideas like this.
I would caution you about the idea of a ‑‑ thinking that having people on the MAG is actually a way to affect the change you want. I'm not saying there shouldn't be young people on the MAG. I'm making a different point. I think you should think about how you have a communications link so that you're able to sort of serve as a contact point is that it is ‑‑ and my point is that it is a good idea to have workshops, such as we have to focus on gender and geographic diversity, we should focus on age diversity. Then we'll have old people ‑‑ really old people like me ‑‑ that will get you more of the inclusion that you want. So, yes, having people on the MAG, but when you're on the MAG, your job is to focus on the program. But if you create this networking concept like you have done with the NRIs, then there is a go‑to.
So if we get the MAG to say diversity includes inclusion of youth on the workshops on the main panels. That must be evaluated when the workshop proposals come in. And when the main session organizers are put together. I think that will get you two things.
One, much broader inclusion. And two, the ability to reflect back into your national or subregional IGF.
>> ATTENDEE: Edmond here. There is no reason next year we can't have it. If the secretary needs help, I think there are more than enough people willing to help out. Me being one of them. We have the MAG as a group, we have the resource persons, NRI coordinators. All three groups are good pools of people that can be mentors. We just need a process to match up. I think they should be matched up a little bit ahead of time so there is online discussion between the mentor and mentee before coming into the IGF. That will really help. I think, you know, we shouldn't just leave it and another year goes by.
>> MODERATOR: You are right. That is easily implemented. We have everything in place. One question to clarify. The relationship between a mentor and mentee would be in regards to what? To the sessions in the program? Or to diversity of the matters?
>> ATTENDEE: (?) with the IGF youth. One of the many benefits of coming to the IGF is also the networking we get. I think if we had mentors who were matched up in advance, which were similar to our future goals or our field, that would be beneficial. For example, for me, coming from cybersecurity background, it would be amazing to have a mentor who is aligned with my interest. That is a valuable resource both into IGF and into the future. A contact to have to support me and perhaps being involved in panels in the future to help me to, as a sponsor, when I go for future Internet governance related forums and for Helena, wanting to go into something with medical, e‑Medicine, contacts into Internet governance but more the specific areas aligned with our interest, it would be so valuable for us. And like, if it is possible to find someone who is a senior person who is similar to ‑‑ like supporting us in our goals, that would be really valuable, I think.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much.
>> ATTENDEE: Just adding to that. I think it is more in general as showing around. Of course, if it is a specific area, that's great. But in terms of format, this could happen, perhaps, you know, a little bit ahead of time in a big webinar kind of environment or one‑on‑one matching basis. I mean, there are a few ways that that could get the process started to meet, kind of match up the mentor and the mentee.
>> ATTENDEE: I wanted to ‑‑ Edward Choi from IGF. Recently, I was at a booth and talking with other IGF from other region. They said that because they want to have some material about the Internet governance issue, they have to translate those English language to French or other language. And from the French to the local language. I think for the mentor, mentee program, I think the language barrier have to be considered, yeah. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. This is very concrete. There is also one item I wanted to discuss briefly. This year, we talked a lot about this online exchange platform that should be made for the facial IGF. There is a lot of support here also for the networking prior to the on‑site meeting. So I will take also the note of this and pass to my management to see whether we will find the resources to help people with this. Michael?
>> MICHAEL: I want to stress, too, we also don't need to in certain ways reinvent wheels. For instance, we can leverage a lot of the resources we have. The youth coalition Internet governance. Every year, we update an ABCs guide to the IGF that we really spell out from the front to cover, what is the IGF, how to get involved. It is not to say that is the only resource there should be, and we also haven't gotten involved in an Internet governance guide. It is not to say we can put something online and expect everybody to read it, okay great, we got it, fine. No. Definitely, we can use what is available already and continue to build off of that. I feel like I had another point as well. Yeah, it is not important. Sorry.
>> MODERATOR: Okay. If you don't have any questions. My suggestion is we consolidate all the inputs from this meeting and by the beginning of January, create a set of objectives, maybe. That is why I am asking to sign up the sheet. I would like to have your e‑mails. I would share it with you for your inputs and final approval as these objectives will be seen as come from the bottom, the community. And then we will send these inputs throughout the higher management to be approved. If approved in that sense, we will have a set of actions and plan of actions to work for 2018 and meet, I don't know where, but meet at the next IGF with hopefully a change in terms of the youth engagement at the IGF, procedurally and also substantively.
So that would be somehow, my concrete suggestion from this meeting. Also what I have been seeing a lot ‑‑ that is actually when I started thinking a lot about the youth IGF, when I started working in this capacity as a support to the NRIs. I work with the national and regional IGF. I was aware of what is happening and how important it is for the community. I didn't have a direct experience with the youth IGF up until I went to the ICANN meeting. And that is when I met a lot of young people there. That is when I realized that there is such a good potential, but that they have so many issues that they're not recognized. Not supported. And unfortunately, when I came back to Geneva, I started communicating with them. I saw there is a lot of capacity, a lot of potential spread around the world. And the youth observatory doing great work and you have the net mission doing great work in Asia, but they don't know each other. They're spread. My ambition is to have us in one room and exchange practices. Marilyn?
>> MARILYN CADE: I will make a comment about how important branding is. The word "youth" in the United Nations system means something different than it does in certain countries. So one of the things I think you should think about is helping people sort of debunk the myth that you are actually so young that you're not already working or not already running an NGO or not already engaged in social issues, because you must understand that in the U.N. system, youth can go up to 32. But many countries when outsiders of the U.N. system when they hear "youth" they think you are still in high school. Some may be. But some are running businesses, running NGO, civil activists. When you develop your materials, I think you need to explain the fact that you are engaged.
Myself, when I in the much earlier days of the Internet was an advisor to the Internet angels. Which were high school students who taught other high school students how to stay safe online. It was run by high school students. But I'm just saying ‑‑ I'm very positive about it shouldn't be an age barrier, but you need to think about marking yourself ‑‑ communicating yourself, so to speak, about the fact that you are already actively engaged, already are contributing. So you're accepted from the beginning in some of these. I see Michael nodding. So I'm looking forward to seeing the faces on those panels change.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. David has a follow‑up.
>> DAVID: I have a discussion on YIGF for the last several years, in the process of reenergizing the whole group that we need to refine our chapters. We have (?) how we define ourselves as youth. That is a tough process. I know Michael also know that. Because they divide you for up to 35 in this sense. Quite interesting they have a large varieties of how we define youth in this area. I would say in this way, it is quite interesting. But on the other hand, I would like to also mention about for the youth IGF, one of the purposes like capacity building and engaging the youth in the discussion. But right now, I'm thinking the other way because we want next generation of the Internet to engage in the involvement and ecosystem of IGF.
It is a quite long step to move things forward. The youth and surely the groups, the stakeholder groups to engage.
(?) somehow using right now, we have a lot of work to do. There is room for improvement on this area of relevance.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much, David. Before I give the floor to Michael, I think what Marilyn mention and also David, you followed up on this age limit we worked the NRI on this tool kit or documents that reflect the highest values, principle, criteria, procedures for all the NRI and it wasn't easy at all. When we started working the tool kit, some had the history of organizing the IGF for nine, 10 years. So now you are reflecting the practices and some things needed to be changed that were already established and experienced. But we worked on it almost eight month, I think. We went through rounds of public information to be bottom‑up, to make it for everyone fit for the purposes. Then we worked on this youth publication. When I compare the two processes, working on youth publication is more difficult for me to leverage the different opinions than working on the tool kit.
The tool kit reflected more than 80 countries and regions. That means I communicated with at least constantly on daily basis, 150 people. With youth IGF, it reflected maybe 40 different practices, but it was very difficult because of the age. Marilyn mentioned the U.N. concept that stops at 24 that doesn't fit with many countries and regions. That is why the publication says it is in communication with NRI and wider community that it doesn't reflect the U.N. youth such as Marilyn said. But as I said, it was very difficult to produce it. I liked it because it brought different energy and also challenged a lot to the secretariat and all the community to think of it differently how we treat young people.
Also one of the controversial items there is do we look at the youth as a separate stakeholder group? Some were very much for that, some very much against it. They were very polarized view of that. I think we managed to work that. That is why it is first edition. We will see. Michael?
>> MICHAEL: One of the biggest challenged, I would say ‑‑ there is a couple. The first thing, especially if something is youth focused, youth related, how much of that is being contributed to by youth? How much of it is rather being actually top‑down, even if the process is bottom up, it is a lot of times ‑‑ a lot of times, youth, unfortunately still are being told how to do things or what to do. I'm not saying by you or by the secretariat. I'm saying in general, if youth are not necessarily involved a couple are involved we're not tokens. There is a lot of tokenism with youth. There is one ‑‑ you know, there is a very big difference between having a young person involved in the entire process and saying hey look, there is a young person over there, everybody is happy. Not the truth.
So aside from what you said before as well, about youth as a stakeholder group or growth as integrated into other stakeholder groups, that is not even something us youth can figure out. Whether or not we should be different. The fact is some of the regional and national initiatives consider youth a stakeholder group and some don't. Even at the more granular level, there is the discussion and debate about what happens.
One of the biggest issues with the YIGF is I would say it is incredibly hard to organize and coordinate youth at the international level, seeing as how every continent and regional itself has different landscape for what youth activists what youth are involved in, governance are interested in, what they care about, how they see youth initiatives changing. How they see their involvement. I would say that ‑‑ this is something perhaps the secretariat could help with as well, how do we coordinate over the vastly different regions, resources and interests and priorities, I would say.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much Michael. Michael shared the process that we entered with the publication. And I think that we learned a lot. We learned how many questions there are that needs to be answered. How do you achieve that the youth initiatives are multi‑stakeholder when the young people don't necessarily fit in the stakeholder groups with the classifications. It challenged the whole process. It challenged the interpretation of the certain criteria of the IGF. But I think what is most important is this final outcome. And that means that you are going through excellent programs that result in you having more knowledge. As you said, more context and being more networked.
For the secretariat's role, as I said, it is really up to the community to come up with the concrete proposal and send their requirements and demands towards the secretariat. What I have understand and I have seen is that is difficult. Somebody needs to channel that. Somebody from Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa region, you are just on different continents, you don't necessarily know each other, not connected maybe online. That is particular to the IGF. That is something I would comment as a focal point. I am pretty sure the community will comment. We have Marilyn and a comment.
>> MARILYN CADE: When do we take youth first?
>> ATTENDEE: Thank you. Rebecca from Tanzania. I don't mean to take you back. But I want to add, why don't we start now. This IGF, I know you have the contacts of them. Why don't we start by partnering them with mentors before moving on to the next IGF, so that the ones that came this year are not detached from getting mentors who can mentor them through the process. They have the basic information already, but they need someone who will guide them. They might not be able to attend the next IGF B you I think in the meantime or real‑time, they can have someone who can mentor them through their careers.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Marilyn, would you like ‑‑
>> MARILYN CADE: I will say two things about mentorships and fellowship programs that I think you need to keep in mind. First, be specific about what you need from a mentor. If they're effective, they will be very busy people, but they will be interested people. Be specific about what you need. Do you need a mentor to be a spirit guide to incorporate you into the broad IGF? Do you need a mentor who can specifically bring you into a particular subcategory, such as cybersecurity.
This is just my advice. Do not isolate yourselves because you are the youth, because eventually, you will not be the youth. So ‑‑ I learned that the hard way. (Chuckling).
Also, you don't want to be the youth. You want to be the youth perspective that is influencing Internet governance policy. You may want to do it through a youth initiative, but you want to have impact today. Not just wait until all the decisions are made. So just keep that in mind. People are more likely to be willing to be a mentor if it's a concrete definition. I am a part of the mentoring pilot at ICANN and we have ‑‑ you know, I would just say, do give a little bit of thought. If what you want is somebody who can help connect you, I think yes, you can start that now, and maybe ‑‑ you may have different kinds of mentors. So that is my second point. My third point is, why don't you think about organizing a lightning talk session on day zero next year that is organized and run by youth and you would get a lot of attention out of that.
>> ATTENDEE: Thank you, my name is Randy thyme from Indonesia. I think a discussion about the global platform for YIGF. It may be difficult in the beginning, but I think we can start from now. Reflecting on my experience in the law school time. We have the Asian law students association. It is all over Asia with many chapters. There are local chapters.
We have a network with the European law student association has an observer seat. In the Council of Europe or European Union. Anyway, they make it and have the aspiration to be delivered. We have also with the law student association.
I think from the perspective of youth, it is possible. Globally, networking, universal platform initiative, I think we can make it. Although it may have ‑‑ still be at the embryonic level at this moment, but that's what we have to start to work right now. Thank you.
>> ATTENDEE: Good morning everyone. My name is Frederick from Dominican Republic. Last year, I was a youth with a fellow. It was helping us keeping touch with the Internet governance issue. I am a lawyer and I started talking about Internet governance by this event. Well, one of the challenges we have, it is not only being part of this kind of programs, but also to keep getting involved.
I mean, okay, the IGF started and finished, but what can I do to keep getting involved to make difference? For example, I'm from Latin America and Caribbean, and other fellows like me decided to do something to make the difference about Internet governance issues. Because we get focus in university, in university, you don't talk about Internet governance issues. Sometimes you talk about it, but you don't know this is Internet governance. So we decided to do something. We started a little project called (speaking non‑English language) in Spanish, which aims to give online and offline competence to youth people to keep awareness about cybersecurity, safer Internet, digital rights, so on.
For example, this year, this is our first year because we celebrated it the sixth of December. And we did a little e‑Book something. It is like governance for dummies. It is little basic knowledges.
>> (Off microphone. )
>> ATTENDEE: This is us, the 19 fellows. It is always updating, because every year we would like to put more content.
>> ATTENDEE: Spanish language?
>> ATTENDEE: Now only Spanish language. It is a lot of Spanish language content. And Portuguese. We would like to work with Portuguese people from Brazil to translate it as soon as possible. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much for telling us. Let's go to David.
>> ATTENDEE: Hello, just a quick thought about the mentorship program. In experience from managing the program, it is important to say in an operation, maybe we have two separate groups, and somehow invite the senior members of the Internet governance discussion, be mentors at the same time invite youth that have participate in the past and peer supporters so there is a creative way to provide two layers of support for the newcomers in the sense. Yeah, just quick thought.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you, David. Let's take this comment and we have to wrap up after this one.
>> ATTENDEE: I'm Helena from Australia, adding on to some points, it is great to have collaboration between the fellowship program, it helps us network, but to share contacts and stakeholders we have made. From Australia, and the Hong Kong program, with the Asia Pacific region, it is great to be introduced to the stakeholders via them, rather than us always introducing ourselves.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. I hope that the signup sheet is somewhere. If you can pass it to me, great. Thank you so much. This was so concrete. As I suggested at the beginning, let us consolidate everything, produce a set of objectives for 2018 and hopefully implement this while we're still young.
With all you ‑‑ to be honest, with all your proposals, you got me also back five, six years ago, that was my way as well, being alumni and other programs. I'm hoping that ‑‑ I see a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of knowledge and skill in this room. A lot of experience, I would say, it seems to me you are involved in these kinds of activities. For some of them, I know, for some I'm seeing for the first time. That gives me hope that maybe this meeting, long‑term could actually produce something in the next year.
So I will take the sign‑up sheet. I will produce maybe a set of objectives, consolidate the inputs, share for your review and approval, and maybe send it over to the community to see your reactions. This is concrete. It could be easily implemented from a bit of energy from all sides and dedicating some time. Thank you so much for coming. Enjoy the last day.
(Applause)
(Session concluded 9:30 a.m. CET)