<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Thanks Beran<div><br></div><div>I don’t think any of us started our life with ALAC knowing what was going on. And I think your suggestion is a very good one - having those with experience of ALAC mentor the new comers. Because, yes, it is a challenge all of have faced, and the more we can do to help out, the better</div><div><br></div><div>Holly<br><div><div>On 9 Aug 2015, at 6:05 pm, Beran Dondeh <<a href="mailto:berandondeh@yahoo.com">berandondeh@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="auto"><div>As an ICANN fellow coming into AT large and eventually ALAC within a space of year it was a big challenge for me. I struggled for the first six months and played catch up a lot. Missing my inaugural ALAC meeting didn't help matters as well. </div><div><br></div><div>I coped by identifying an ALAC member (Tijani) and attaching myself as a Mentee. This really helped me get up to speed and stay involved as well as contribute where I could. </div><div><br></div><div>I believe ALAC members as well as ALSs are expected to hit the ground running once they enter the fold but not enough is done to perhaps help them stay in the fold.</div><div><br></div><div>My mentorship with Tijani helped immensely and I think it's an approach worth considering.</div><div><br></div><div>Regards </div><div><br></div><div>Beran</div><div>"There is nothing more difficult to arrange and more dangerous to carry through than initiating change..." Machiavelli <div><br><div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div></div><div><br>On 9 Aug 2015, at 00:18, Carlton Samuels <<a href="mailto:carlton.samuels@gmail.com">carlton.samuels@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">Alan,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">I hear you. I can also agree we could indeed categorise and I have no problem with the ones you have defined. We can also agree that a variety of motivations to serve will bring varying performance.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">Like you, the thrill from air travel is long gone for me as well. I do what I must. These days after 4 days elapsed time, I'm usually ready to go home. I have only two pleasure trips left in me; taking that Trans Siberian Express train from Moscow to the Russian Far East and Vladivostok, a trek thru Mongolia. Anyone wants to hand me a travel benefit then those are the only ones that will count!</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">As to that 3rd group you staked out, it is indeed irksome they show up, short on even intention to assist in the heavy lifting. I paraphrase that eminent philosopher Forrest Gump; 'representatives are like a box of chocolate, you never know what you will get'. A few ne'er-do-wells will get thru our processes time and again. I see this as a price you pay for voluntarism; what I call uneven results and performance. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">Its like the ICANN Fellowship programme. I can't tell you how many Fellows - some of whom I have recommended - we have tried to engage after the fellowship trip that simply ignore us. For some the fellowship week experience was overwhelming; too much packed in days that are too long. They wonder how I find the time to do ICANN with all my other commitments and interests they know about. A few have even asked me directly if I'm getting paid 'under the table'! But we harvest a few for the long haul. Again, let's manage expectations. We must expect uneven results and performance. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large">-Carlton </div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><br>==============================<br>Carlton A Samuels<br>Mobile: 876-818-1799<br><i><font color="#33CC00">Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround</font></i><br>=============================</div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Aug 7, 2015 at 5:58 PM, Alan Greenberg <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca" target="_blank">alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
Carlton, I think that there are three distinct categories of people here,
and we are merging them together.<br><br>
1. There are the dedicated hard workers for whom the travel may or may
not be a "perk" at some level. I put you and me in that
category. I have logged close to 2 million flying miles (that is, actual
flown miles, not frequent flyer miles), and to quote an old song I am
fond of "The thrill is a long time gone". I find it hard to
consider a trip half-way across the world, where I may get 6 hours sleep,
put in a grueling 7-10 days, and fly out again without seeing anything
other than a hotel, perhaps 1 or 2 restaurants and the airport a perk or
reward. <br><br>
On the other hand, on rare occasions, I do tag some vacation onto an
ICANN trip and from that perspective, it does add a bit of a personal
benefit - generally giving me an opportunity to see a place that I might
not have done on my own.<br><br>
2. There are volunteers who are not among among our heavy lifters (really
dedicated workers), but want to get involved. They are the ones that our
GAs and summits should be targeted at. They are at the meetings to learn,
and try to stay involved after.<br><br>
3. The latter ones come to meetings, perhaps attend some meetings, enjoy
the local offerings, and go home and forget about us until the next trip.
THOSE are the ones that I have a real problem with.<br><br>
Of course, there are also some who straddle several categories. BUt when
they go into option 3, I have a problem.<br><br>
Alan<div><div class="h5"><br><br>
At 07/08/2015 01:55 PM, Carlton Samuels wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div class="h5">I participated in this morning's
call and wanted to level the playing field by enunciating some principles
and a framework for our discussions.<br><br>
Let's start with some principles. <br><br>
1) The At-Large is a volunteer-led and fueled organisation and whatever
we do MUST be informed by unassailable facts we know of voluntary
organisations plus the psychology of voluntarism.<br><br>
2) Individuals make the worthwhile contributions, not
organisations.<br><br>
3) There is a wide range of motivations for voluntarily contributing and
these must be fed for sustaining worthwhile contributions<br>
<br>
4) Results matter but volunteer contributions across the board shall
always be uneven<br><br>
So now, the framework for discussions. There are structural issues as
well as political issues that must be embraced for any viable solution to
emerge. The ICANN/RALO MOU is the source of the first
structurally-generated challenge.<br><br>
While it recognizes individuals as the providers of policy advice, it
locates individual actions in organisations called ALS. And by so doing
suggests that value be given to the organisation. Some RALOs, like
NARALO, have developed rules that recognize individual contributions but
have shoehorned valuation for contribution into an ALS structure.
I'm not now sure what the answer should be but I know what we now have is
not fit to purpose and objective.<br><br>
Another structural issue. An individual coming to the ICANN policy
development ecosystem is going to become a worthwhile contributor by
virtue of mental acumen, penchant for hard work and time in place. Time
in place is the common criteria for success. So current
arrangements give extra value to experienced volunteers.<br><br>
At the same time, new blood is required to sustain the flow of worthwhile
contributors. Here's the thing. Face-to-Face (f2f) ICANN meetings are the
best platforms to learn and to become familiarized with this complex
beast called the ICANN ecosystem.<br><br>
The effectiveness of a volunteer in policy development is directly
related to serial opportunity to participate in ICANN f2f meetings.
It is no accident that the most impactful groups in ICANN are a) those
that get to f2f meetings as 'volunteers' engaged in compensated work b)
Those who have the wherewithal to self-fund attendance at ICANN f2f
meetings. <br><br>
The task is to develop a framework that strikes a balance which takes
into account the need for experienced volunteers with capacity to deliver
worthwhile contributions even as we build capacity in newer
less-experienced volunteers to sustain the At-Large participation
agenda.<br><br>
The current funding model for attendance of At-Large volunteers to ICANN
f2f meetings assist ALAC representatives, liaisons from ALAC to qualified
SOs/ACs plus named RALO leadership. This construct seemingly presumes a
direct line of inheritance from RALO leadership thru ALAC representation.
We know it is a presumption without merit, especially if worthwhile
contributions to policy discussions is the objective for the At-Large in
ICANN. <br><br>
It is always wrong to think of travel funding to ICANN f2f meeting as a
benefit to a volunteer! It is not and cannot be!<br><br>
ALAC representation compels attending three (3) f2f meetings per annum.
They are coincident with the ICANN meetings. In this context,
travel funding is purely part of the infrastructural cost to fulfill an
obligation. Otherwise it is like working for a company that has business
far removed from my place of domicile and expect performance without
provisioning the tools that enable that performance. <br><br>
It rankles me personally when my contributions in both time and treasure
to the ICANN enterprise is neither accounted or valorized. Then
insult is added to my injury when some goof equates a trip sitting in
steerage for upwards of 17+ hours [the flight time from Chicago to New
Delhi] as a benefit!<br><br>
I travel by air a lot for work; the miles are now counted in millions. In
the years I sat as an ALAC member + the incumbent Secretariat for LACRALO
and as a senior staffer at The University of the West Indies, I
contributed my vacation time of 3 weeks to ICANN for attending f2f
meetings. This does not count the average 20+ hours per week I normally
dedicate to ICANN matters. Nor my personal spend of a minimum of US$500
to attend said meetings! These all contribute to ICANN having a
real opportunity to record it is indeed multi-stakeholder, is fulfilling
its AoC obligations and has contributions from end user representatives
to its policy development.<br><br>
Back in time, I was roundly criticised by some of my At-Large colleagues
for my position in dealing with so-called ALAC 'tourists'. This
matter came to the top in India; LACRALO representatives to ALAC were
accused of abandoning ALAC business for a tour of Indian tourist
sites. This still haunts the At-Large in ICANN circles. My firm
stand against any sanctions or additional criteria applied for travel
support funding was interpreted as 'protecting' the members accused from
sanctions for inattention to duty. That was never my objective and
it still is not the case today. I just cannot accept the notion that
travel funding is a benefit to the volunteer. I shall, on principle,
oppose any such notion, howsoever derived or configured.<br><br>
Finally, in the chat we heard talk of a 'reviewer' being appointed. While
the roles and responsibilities of such a person/actor is not yet
outlined, let us be clear to ring fence and give specific instructions as
to what we are trying to achieve here. We must recognize from
principles that volunteers give as much as they can to the cause.
The contributions in time and treasure of a Olivier Crepin-Leblond or
Cheryl Langdon Orr cannot be used as a benchmark for either engagement or
indeed, worthwhile contributions. <br><br>
Best,<br>
-Carlton <br><br>
==============================<br>
Carlton A Samuels<br>
Mobile: <a href="tel:876-818-1799" value="+18768181799" target="_blank">876-818-1799</a><br>
<font color="#33CC00"><i>Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment &
Turnaround</i></font><br>
=============================<br></div></div>
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