[Ncuc-af] How to support you to participate?

[Anri van der Spuy]

+1 to much of what Grace has said. 

There seems to be a few opportunities in terms of funding etc for Africans to attend meetings - but sustained engagement is not always achieved. Perhaps this is inevitable given the ways in which the IG landscape has changed: the proliferation of IG platforms nowadays make it harder for African CS to remain engaged and to choose where to spend their time and efforts meaningfully. And then there’s the disconnect between issues that are pressing in the global South versus issues that are prioritised in the global North. 

I like the idea that Pascal had about a writing contest or training programme of sorts. I have an inking that, due to cultural differences, some of us are often more hesitant to speak up publicly on calls or on mailing lists (not even to mention public speaking, which is a whole different level); especially when compared to other cultures that value and encourage ’speaking up’ more than some of ours do. This is hard to overcome - and problematic when our voices need to be heard in oft noisy global arenas. If anything, if we could focus on helping to build that confidence, it might help - either through writing competitions, or simply training on how to better and more meaningfully participate on WebEx calls or mailing lists and the like. 

Best
Anri

> On 12 Feb 2020, at 10:54, Grace Bomu <nmutungu at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear all, 
> This is an important thread. 
> For me, one barrier to participation has been the lack of dedicated resources such as people and processes. I participated in some working groups for a number of years and many times did not have a way to channel what I was learning and wasn't sure how to contribute. 
> I think this problem could be solved by using either the fellowship model or funding NGOs to dedicate themselves to a process. For the fellowship, I mean a long term engagement of maybe a year or two where the fellow takes time to learn and contribute to processes through an African perspective. Similar to what Article 19 is doing with their internet of rights fellowship. 
> Similarly, I find that NGOs in the digital rights world are doing something right because they have dedicated programmes for the issues. It would help if we had people with African perspectives coming from organisations that support their work. Such people would be well placed to engage, not just here but also in the larger ICANN. 
> I don't know if there already are initiatives but maybe this is something that the NCUC-Af can pursue? Seeking partnerships with donors to enhance African participation in ICANN in more longer term ways than travel fellowships? 
> 
> Grace
> 
> 
> On Tuesday, 11 February 2020, Thato Mfikwe <thatomfikwe at gmail.com <mailto:thatomfikwe at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Thanks for initiating this communique Ben,
> 
> It is very critical that we know what challenges or barrries exist to participation of members so that we can start conceptualising capacity building initiatives that will improve contributions in community work.
> 
> For now, I would say simplification of issues dealt with, as opposed to the traditional method of emails with ample of link to documents would help a lot.
> 
> Thato Mfikwe.
> 
> On Tue, 11 Feb 2020, 05:28 Benjamin Akinmoyeje, <benakin at gmail.com <mailto:benakin at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Dear Members,
> Good day and I hope your week is going well.
> 
> Following NCUC-Africa monthly call, members on the Skype call discussed the limitations to participation on the mailing list for African region members.
> 
> Will it be possible for members on this list kindly share the peculiar challenges limiting your participation in the current policy development processes?
> 
> Kindly be liberal in sharing your thoughts.
> 
> We hope to compile responses and explore the ways to address these issues.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Benjamin
> NCUC Africa -EC
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