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2018 Internet Society – Youth@IGF Program for the Internet Governance Forum in Paris, France (Fully Funded)

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2 years ago

July 3, 2022

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Deadline: July 22, 2018

Many young people age 18-25 are the first generation of adults to grow up not knowing the world without the Internet. For those who do not have access, they are some of the people that are pushing hardest for it.

Young people are shaping online culture in so many ways. They use the Internet to meet people around the world, create the videos that go viral, create art that moves us, and start and stand behind online social movements that make us think.
They are building their dream Internet. And yet, when it comes to policy discussions, most of them are not at the table.

The Internet Society, in collaboration with CGI.br, decided in 2015 to change that!
Together with our partners, NIC.MX, the Government of Mexico, Microsoft and Verizon, we have brought more than 160 youth to IGF 2015, 2016 and 2017, under the Youth@IGF program.
This is part of the Internet Society and partners’ commitment to ensure that the next generation of Internet leaders are primed to advance an Internet of opportunity for all. As a result of these efforts, many young people are now contributing to the Youth Special Interest Group and to regional meetings, such as the African Internet Summit, EuroDIG, and others. Also, some of the Youth@IGF Fellows have created Civil Society Organizations, such as Digital Grassroots.

This time, we are sending even more young people to the IGF through the 2018 Youth@IGF program. Concretely, the top performers will have a chance to go to the Internet Governance Forum 2018 in Paris, France, in Paris the week of 12 November, as well as to be part of an Onsite Collaborative Leadership Exchange on November 11.

The 2018 Objectives

Based on the success in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the program will continue to empower next generation Internet leaders by:
Building regional and global capacity through training.
Building a new cadre of Internet leaders who are motivated to learn, engage and act within their region and beyond.
Mobilizing youth beyond IG-specific topics.
Partnering with more organizations to broaden the depth.

Program Design:
The program has the following phases:
1. Online course work
2. Travel fellowship to IGF 2018
3. Webinar lecture series
4. Onsite Collaborative Leadership Exchange

Travel Fellowship:

Top participants in the online course will be selected for the travel fellowship to the Internet Governance Forum 2018 in Paris, France, 10-14 November (including some pre-IGF events).

The fellowship includes:

Airfare costs
Hotel accommodation during the event.

Eligibility:

All applicants must be ISOC members* between the ages of 18-25 years.

Also, they must have:

Basic awareness of Internet-related issues
Fluency in English, French or Spanish
Be able to write clearly
Be comfortable with public speaking and communicating your positions
Have regular access to the Internet
Alignment with the Internet Society mission and vision
Spend a minimum of 8 hours each week during each of the phases
Be ready take part in the meetings or webinars (this is the single most important requirement and should be evaluated seriously by any potential applicant).