YouthLACIGF is an annual initiative that began in 2016 from the growing community of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean interested in being part of the dialogues that take place for the development of the Internet.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented several challenges to the Youth Observatory and young people all around the world, but it also opened doors to develop innovative ways to continue fostering the Internet as a force for good.
After deciding that the YouthLACIGF would happen as an online event, the Organizing Committee of this regional forum debated on the best way to adapt the Fellowship Program and select the YouthLACIGF Ambassadors of 2020.
The solution was to plan and implement an Open Course from May 15th to July 10th, free and available to all young people of the Latin America and the Caribbean region (https://youthlacigf.org/open-course/). This initiative was supported by the Internet Society learning staff who provided modules of the course “Shaping the Internet: History and Futures” to complement the educational resources, based on texts and weekly webinars with selected speakers from different countries.
After starting with 70 valid registrations, besides a few others who unfortunately could not be accepted because they were from outside the LAC region or above 30 years, we ended the Open Course with 7 finalists. We are happy to announce the YouthLACIGF Ambassadors 2020:
- Benjamin Chong Castillo
- Eduarda Costa
- Eliz Marina Bariviera de Lima
- Giovana Carneiro
- Juan Guillermo Coronel
- Lucas Henrique Muniz da Conceição
- Natanael Xavier de França Filho
We would like to share with our community two of the reviews written by the participants at the end of the course:
“The course far exceeded my expectations. The combination of the course content, webinars and feedback from assignments was a perfect match. I think it is a very interesting course because the content in general is very good and necessary for the new generations. Also, I think that the professional diversity of the speakers in each module made the course more productive and not monotonous. (…) However, it is a completely satisfactory course that should have a lot of promotion because you really learn a lot and its content is essential for the challenges we currently face with the Internet.”
“The course structure is excellent, even though we did not follow the exact order of the material provided by ISOC. The study material was always complemented by different approaches and perspective by the guest speakers, and the discussion forums allowed for a deeper debate of the themes analyzed during the week. Overall, a great experience for the students who participated. (…)”
The Youth Observatory would like to congratulate the YouthLACIGF Ambassadors 2020, hope to continue seeing them as a part of Internet Governance youth initiatives, and wish for a fruitful YouthLACIGF for everyone!
Registrations to the Youth LACIGF are open until September the 4th: