IGF 2022 Day 0 Event #84 Net Ideathon: Reimagining Youth Participation in Internet Policy Spaces

We are beyond the initial phases of technology adoption and internet revolutions, its integration into the business of society is intertwined with survival itself. Culturally we are united, content-wise divided. Policy now is a gateway to improving how we connect and safeguard people. Our session uses the available framework of equal access to diversity of people, inclusive in its design to reimagine mindsets and policy design on core matters that made the internet a successful venture, openness redefined to save us from the splinternet, open intellectual property and access to objective information. In the end we need to have access to the reasoning, facts, and institutional ties to translate what openness means in the age of decentralized innovations that are people-centric and secure in its design. We will draw inspiration from these core pillars and open up a methodology of meaningful participation in the digital markets, decision making, and independent thought literacy needed for policy reform and structural rebuild for a more stable and equal network, ours is a free and open space of reasoning and dialogue much needed at this critical juncture where our decisions, activism and multilateral collaboration can either lead to a vicious cycle of a broken, insecure authoritarian internet or a virtuous cycle of further inclusion and access for all, it is our voice that will determine this future. The multi-stakeholder approach to the Internet Governance Forum facilitates the participation of people from diverse backgrounds to contribute to shaping policies related to the internet and technology. The process has over the years resorted to the institution of National and Regional Initiatives (NRIs) to enhance grassroots participation and to serve as entry points for several participants in policy issues. In recent times, the Youth IGFs which form a part of the NRIs have been at the forefront of many advocacies and capacity-building programs for new entrants into the ecosystem. Nonetheless, we have noticed the need for our engagement style and by extension, the IGF, to adapt to newer realities and delivery of outputs that affect policies across the globe. This session seeks to explore ideas for an inclusive policy design for a more evolving accessible, immersive and personal net. Our ideathon will be an intensive workshop-style experience in which participants solve the important issues of getting started in Internet Governance, how to grow in the ecosystem and how to collaborate on influencing policy positively with outputs from IGFs. Participants will work in groups to brainstorm and discuss possible solutions using design thinking and innovative learning approaches. The groups will work on the below topics: Advancing Access and Infrastructure Development Enhancing Digital literacy in Communities Strengthening Policy and multistakeholderism After the IGF, What Next? Participants will design how the IGF processes can influence the above topics and how to ensure multistakeholder dialogues on policy continue beyond IGF events. Most importantly participants will leave with a rekindled sense of obligation as the young pool of internet leadership needed in managing the growing demands of GenZ and the intersection of our evolution as interconnected species. Join us as the voice of reason, Join us to shape the internet.

In our quest to have a great experience and equal participation onsite and offline, we will strive to orient our audience at the beginning of the session of the format and resources for collaboration that we will put in place.