[At-Large] Fwd: Coping with active participation in At-Large during COVID-19

Glenn McKnight mcknight.glenn at gmail.com
Sat May 9 13:48:38 UTC 2020


For the record  the funds  are not from ICANN
G
Glenn McKnight
ICANN NOMCOM 2019-2021
mcknight.glenn at gmail.com
Curator for  Internet Governance Hub Blog
www.internetgovernancehub.blog  <http://www.internetgovernancehub.blog>
http://toronto.ieee.ca/
IEEE Toronto SIGHT Chair
glenn.mcknight at ieee.org
skype  gmcknight
twitter @Inkmedia
289-830 6259
.


On Sat, May 9, 2020 at 9:46 AM ABDULKARIM AYOPO OLOYEDE <
oloyede.aa at unilorin.edu.ng> wrote:

> Dear Barrack,
> Just so that I am clear. I TOTALLY agree with the point you made about
> relationships and having concern for others. I have NO problem with this at
> all. Relationships should transcend borders as you mentioned. I totally
> agree with where she is coming from and share that view too. Please
> don't get me wrong. I agree with helping. I would also do there same
> however if I head a company/government and in the name of helping a friend
> I give out money from the public purse to help a friend in distress then no
> one should pity me when it is time to go to jail. Do you think anyone in
> charge of ICANN's finances would at any point in time be able to justify
> helping someone stranded in another country on a non-ICANN business?.  I am
> not saying don't help am saying you can't push it to ICANN
>
> Let me list where I disagree so that I am very clear
>
> 1. Daniel's Name should not have been mentioned in the email to Leon. Iit
> could have been a generic thing just as Glenn did in his mail. I believe
> his privacy has been compromised. We all now know who is stranded and
> where.
> 2. It shouldn't have been used as an example to convince the board cos
> clearly it would make them take an easy decision because I can't see how
> you can convince your company to pay the hotel bills for a friend who came
> on a private visit when you are not running a charity.  The main issue
> should be about the general challenges, not individual challenges that way
> an individual can benefit.
> 3.  It should not appear as the new priority. The priority should be the
> concerns the community has been rasing that never got to the next level.
> I hope you understand my point.
>
> AK
>
> On Sat, May 9, 2020 at 2:02 PM Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Abdulkarim,
>>
>> Permit me to weigh in on this matter. Having been involved in ICANN for a
>> little over 10 years now i have come to appreciate the role of
>> relationships and genuine concern for each others well being. This is what
>> has kept me and many others going in this ecosystem for many years and i
>> beleive this is where Maureen is coming from. I literaly drop everything i
>> am doing whenever a member of this community is in town due to the
>> relationships we have established which transcend borders. As a leader, i
>> would do the same when one of my team members is in dire straits. We all
>> have an idea of the letter and the spirit of the law or by laws. Whichever
>> school of thought you align yourself with has impacts on the output of your
>> team or any organization you may be leading. The issues that have been
>> raised are suggestions and should be treated as such. In my opinion Maureen
>> is right as a leader to bring to the fore an issue a member of her
>> leadership team is facing. Being a diverse community, Daniels help might
>> just be an email away. If we can't help him then let the matter rest.
>>
>> On Sat, 9 May 2020, 3:39 pm ABDULKARIM AYOPO OLOYEDE, <
>> oloyede.aa at unilorin.edu.ng> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Maureen,
>>>
>>>  Your response has clearly brought out one of the three points that I
>>> was trying to make. I never asked that the individual should not be
>>> supported but I do not think it is right to prioritise one person at the
>>> expense of the community.  Who would your leadership team serve if the
>>> community is not there?.
>>> I pointed out in the least paragraph of my email to you that the need to
>>> support the community has been mentioned several times by different people
>>> at different At-Large meetings but it was not taking to the next level
>>> until Leon stepped in only for it now to be overshadowed by a non-ICANN
>>> issue is one of my concerns. The board would make an easy decision on this
>>> matter as it is clearly dominated by a non-ICANN and private issue.
>>>
>>> Leadership role and general work within at-large is voluntary and if you
>>> are concern about him "regardless of how he came about it". That should not
>>> overshadow what is affecting most people within the community.  We need to
>>> get our priorities right. I am sure you only found out about his case
>>> yesterday because according to the records I just checked he has been
>>> attending the meeting he chairs and other meetings including that of ATRT
>>> 3. I am not trying to trivialise his issue in any way but  I decided to
>>> respond because I smell a rat.
>>>
>>> I do not understand what you mean by  "unusual predicament" because we
>>> are all in an "unusual predicament" of COVID 19. I also don't understand
>>> why you mean by  "extreme bad luck" but a lot of other people are affected
>>> by the "extreme bad luck" and USA has handled the COVID situation far
>>> better than a lot of other countries. I can give numerous example. some
>>> don't even have the test kit to test talk less of detection.
>>>
>>> It is not about me helping or not. Like you rightly said it is
>>> voluntary. Doing what is important to us as leaders mean we should be fair,
>>> listen and look after the community, not just one person we find loyal to
>>> us.
>>>
>>> AK
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, May 9, 2020 at 6:13 AM Maureen Hilyard <
>>> maureen.hilyard at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear Abdulkarim
>>>>
>>>> While I agree with you that there are surely situations similar to that
>>>> of Daniel within At-Large, many do not have the same level of
>>>> responsibility to the work of At-Large as he does. As one of my leadership
>>>> team, I am concerned about his circumstances, regardless of how he came
>>>> upon them.
>>>>
>>>> It was his concern for his ability to meet his obligations to his
>>>> leadership role which caused me to mention his unusual predicament. I only
>>>> found out about where he was and his situation yesterday. Even when he
>>>> should be thinking about himself, he was informing me as to why he might
>>>> not be able to fulfil his obligations to the O&E team for an unknown
>>>> timeframe.
>>>>
>>>> It was extreme bad luck that he was not able to leave the country at
>>>> the conclusion of the leadership event, especially in a country that I
>>>> believe has very poorly managed its covid situation. I sympathise with
>>>> anyone who ever finds themselves in a situation such as this. If there is
>>>> any way that our community can help relieve Daniel's situation until his
>>>> country's embassy can assist his return to Uganda,  then Im happy to do my
>>>> bit.
>>>>
>>>> We cant do this for everyone, but for someone like Daniel who has
>>>> volunteered a lot of personal time towards work within At-Large as well as
>>>> in cross-community activities for several years,  he deserves my support
>>>> even if in this small way, and gratefully with the support of other
>>>> like-minded people.
>>>>
>>>> If you would like to help too, that is fine. If not, then that is fine
>>>> as well. We all do what is important to us and as much or as little as we
>>>> can. The same will have to go for our work within ICANN.
>>>>
>>>> Regards and keep well
>>>> Maureen
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, 8 May 2020, 1:36 pm ABDULKARIM AYOPO OLOYEDE, <
>>>> oloyede.aa at unilorin.edu.ng> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear Maureen,
>>>>> I greatly sympathise with Daniel on this issue you shared and I
>>>>> totally agree with your approach of setting up a welfare team and the
>>>>> Gofundme. However, I do not understand why you decided to include it in
>>>>> your email to Leon. His travel is clearly not related to the challenges
>>>>> being faced by the community as a result of having what should have been a
>>>>> face to face meeting going online. Your email was saying you removed a
>>>>> message cos it is not ICANN related but yet it included an issue which is
>>>>> clearly not ICANN related. The unrelated issue you raised has clearly
>>>>> overshadowed the other critical issue. In fact, it took the most
>>>>> significant part of the mail. What was supposed to be the main point in the
>>>>> mail is now being relegated to paragraph 3.  In as much as I sympathise
>>>>> with Daniel, I do not see the reason why a private issue was now explicitly
>>>>> discussed in an email to Leon and the community. There are lots of people
>>>>> around the world in a similar situation and I can't understand and I don't
>>>>> clearly want to guess why you are making Daniel's case look worse than it
>>>>> is or as an example for the mailing list. I have lots of friends and even
>>>>> family members stranded as a result of the unexpected shutdown.  We all
>>>>> faced challenges in our private lives or because of the unexpected shut
>>>>> down of the world and I believe this should remain private except if ICANN
>>>>> is now a social club.
>>>>>
>>>>> I also agree with Remmy Nweke that RALO leaders should also take
>>>>> up the issues relating to challenges the community is facing in regards to
>>>>> having an online meeting.  This is because they are closer to the community
>>>>> and It took Leon to raise it specifically before it became a serious issue
>>>>> for the ALAC when clearly we should not have waited this long. It has been
>>>>> raised by several people before now but we didn't seams to listen or take
>>>>> it seriously.
>>>>>
>>>>> AK
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, May 8, 2020 at 6:49 PM Maureen Hilyard <
>>>>> maureen.hilyard at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear Leon
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here is the discussion that arose out of the request from the ALAC
>>>>>> meeting. I am so grateful that the community restricted their comments to
>>>>>> those that were most thoughtful and considerate of ICANN's situation while
>>>>>> also taking into account some of the hardship issues experienced by our
>>>>>> volunteers at this time.  I forward all the emails received on the topic (I
>>>>>> had one instance where the email was on another topic and once revealed,
>>>>>> the sender asked for it to be removed).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One case which only very recently came to my attention was Daniel
>>>>>> Nanghaka who was in the US attending an AMEX Leadership course in
>>>>>> Washington DC when the flights out of US were grounded and he could not
>>>>>> return to Uganda. He has been staying with friends in Massachusetts but
>>>>>> living very frugally on his limited resources. Even though he has tried,
>>>>>> his contacts with the Uganda Embassy in Washington DC have not been
>>>>>> responded to (as of yesterday) and neither has AMEX been of any real
>>>>>> assistance to his plight. I have suggested that he persist and if possible
>>>>>> return to Washington DC to get his government's support directly.
>>>>>> Fortunately he is still within scope of his current visa, but who knows how
>>>>>> long will he have to remain in a foreign country without any resources?
>>>>>> Daniel hadn't raised his situation with us because his reason for being
>>>>>> there was not directly related to ICANN, except that *he is worried *that
>>>>>> he may not be able to participate in his meetings because internet
>>>>>> connection is expensive and it is draining what little resources he has at
>>>>>> the moment, even to take his own O&E meetings. This is an extreme case but
>>>>>> a real live situation for one of our leadership team.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The cost of internet and the loss of jobs especially for those in
>>>>>> developing countries will make ICANN's work of less priority, especially
>>>>>> when they have to worry more about how to feed and care for their families
>>>>>> in situations where the pandemic is still rabid, and it is the impoverished
>>>>>> areas that are being hardest hit. While I know that ICANN cannot save the
>>>>>> world, it saddens me to know what some of our hardest-working volunteers
>>>>>> are experiencing in their real worlds... and yet at the same time there is
>>>>>> still a flow of even more meetings than before, even within At-Large, with
>>>>>> an expectation of more volunteer input into issues that ICANN has to
>>>>>> resolve. All I can say is that the longer this situation exists, the
>>>>>> greater the chance of those voices that we have been working really hard to
>>>>>> encourage to join our discussions, will disappear and our multistakeholder
>>>>>> model will be truly lost. But what can ICANN do and what more can we do as
>>>>>> volunteers who are already stretched within our own bubbles just to keep
>>>>>> ourselves safe? This is our dilemma.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Maureen
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Forwarded Conversation
>>>>>> Subject: Coping with active participation in At-Large during COVID-19
>>>>>> ------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 9:58 AM
>>>>>> To: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear At-Large Community
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In all our recent ICANN meetings, the Board and the senior staff have
>>>>>> been very mindful of the difficulties that are being experienced by the
>>>>>> volunteer community of At-Large during this pandemic and its impact on
>>>>>> their ability to participate as regularly as they used to.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> During his intervention in the ALAC meeting on  28 April, the
>>>>>> At-Large appointed Board member, Leon Sanchez, raised his ongoing concerns
>>>>>> and asked the 70+ participants at the meeting how ICANN might be able to
>>>>>> help volunteers to continue with their active involvement in the work of
>>>>>> At-Large and contributing to the bigger picture work of ICANN.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Because he has requested practical and constructive suggestions
>>>>>> about how ICANN may be able to assist, I am putting this message out to
>>>>>> those who also already attend online meetings and actively participate and
>>>>>> engage, even under really trying personal circumstances. I am willing to
>>>>>> pass on your suggestions to Leon, who will in turn take these to the Board
>>>>>> for their consideration.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Please respond only to this thread* before 7 May, so that the full
>>>>>> account can be passed on to Leon.  I look forward to your thoughtful
>>>>>> contributions to this matter.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Maureen
>>>>>> ALAC Chair
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 10:22 AM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks  Maureen
>>>>>> As  you know this is an issue I brought up in the ALT PLUS call a
>>>>>> week before the ZOOM call this week  with Leon, at that time I interfaced
>>>>>> with Leon on the dire straits that some people are facing during this
>>>>>> pandemic situation and that many folks are unwilling to step forward and
>>>>>> publicly  come to the table with a "cap in their hands"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We are facing a 4% drop in the world economy and this means a
>>>>>> depression much worse than the Great Depression.   Also this Covid-19 may
>>>>>> see a serious second and third wave resulting in many more deaths and
>>>>>> economic disruption.  ( shades of the 1918 pandemic that killed 100
>>>>>> million)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would surmise that  we have in the ATLARGE community that many
>>>>>> folks are unemployed or underemployed and facing tough times and seriously
>>>>>> compounded in countries that don't have any safety net to protect them and
>>>>>> help them over the difficult times.  Since charity starts at home I suggest
>>>>>> ICANN  dig into its pockets as  ISOC and Mozilla and many others and come
>>>>>> up with a financial assistance to those that could really appreciate the
>>>>>> support.   I suggest that  the  stipend for the ICANN Meetings to be paid
>>>>>> to the ATLARGE members which will cover their internet costs and food costs
>>>>>> as they fully participate with the remote meetings.    In the cases where
>>>>>> people don't want or need this financial support they can simple not apply
>>>>>> for the stipend and the financial costs would be reduced.  It should be
>>>>>> confidential and an optional application process.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In a recent survey of Atlarge members we found a large number of
>>>>>> African and small island states with very poor internet access and very
>>>>>> high costs for their access to the Internet.  This produces a digital
>>>>>> divide that needs to be recognized and if not addressed  we may loose more
>>>>>> members from the community.  As recommendations to join more online
>>>>>> meetings and join ICANN LEARN webinars its an assumption that  we all have
>>>>>> fair and equal access  and this inequality is enhanced with more reliance
>>>>>> on remote participation
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Glenn McKnight
>>>>>> ICANN NOMCOM 2019-2021
>>>>>> mcknight.glenn at gmail.com
>>>>>> Curator for  Internet Governance Hub Blog
>>>>>> www.internetgovernancehub.blog
>>>>>> <http://www.internetgovernancehub.blog>
>>>>>> http://toronto.ieee.ca/
>>>>>> IEEE Toronto SIGHT Chair
>>>>>> glenn.mcknight at ieee.org
>>>>>> skype  gmcknight
>>>>>> twitter @Inkmedia
>>>>>> 289-830 6259
>>>>>> .
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> From: Remmy Nweke <remmyn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 11:20 AM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks Maureen,
>>>>>> This is very thoughtful both of ICANN, ALAC and Leon.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For me, the best possible way to encourage participation should have
>>>>>> been:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. To have data palliative, but it looks cumbersome from ICANN end
>>>>>> down to the local service providers.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2. An alternative is to have an aggregated sum approved for e.g. 4
>>>>>> months = USD600; to be given to participants to cushion their data effect
>>>>>> paid directly to them (both mobile device and laptop). Thereby easing off
>>>>>> at ICANN end and also encouraging participant to optimise the resource to
>>>>>> their most essential needs including more data, because some may have
>>>>>> purchased data ahead, say two months in a row.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I hope this helps.
>>>>>> ____
>>>>>> REMMY NWEKE, mNGE,
>>>>>> Lead Consulting Strategist/Group Executive Editor,
>>>>>> DigitalSENSE Africa Media [*Multiple-award winning medium*]
>>>>>> (DigitalSENSE Business News
>>>>>> <http://www.digitalsenseafrica.com.ng/businessnews>; ITREALMS
>>>>>> <http://www.itrealms.com.ng>, NaijaAgroNet
>>>>>> <http://www.naijaagronet.com.ng>)
>>>>>> Block F1, Shop 133 Moyosore Aboderin Plaza, Bolade Junction,
>>>>>> Oshodi-Lagos
>>>>>> M: 234-8033592762, 8023122558, 8051000475, T: @ITRealms
>>>>>> <http://www.twitter.com/ITRealms>
>>>>>> Author: A Decade of ICT Reportage in Nigeria
>>>>>> <https://www.facebook.com/adecadeofictreportageinnigeria%E2%80%8E>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *2020 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on IG4D & Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable
>>>>>> <http://www.digitalsenseafrica.com.ng>*
>>>>>> JOIN us!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Vice President, African Civil Society on the Information Society
>>>>>> (ACSIS <http://www.acsis-scasi.org/en/>)
>>>>>> _________________________________________________________________
>>>>>> *Confidentiality Notice:* The information in this document and
>>>>>> attachments are confidential and may also be privileged information. It is
>>>>>> intended only for the use of the named recipient. Remmy Nweke does not
>>>>>> accept legal responsibility for the contents of this e-mail. If you are not
>>>>>> the intended recipient, please notify me immediately, then delete this
>>>>>> document and do not disclose the contents of this document to any other
>>>>>> person, nor make any copies. Violators may face court persecution.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: <carlosraul at gutierrez.se>
>>>>>> Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 11:44 AM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you Maureen and Léon !
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. We in LACRALO have already adapted our meeting hours to avoid
>>>>>> conflicts with working hours as far as possible. Thanks to our Brazilian
>>>>>> and Uruguayan friends that's stay up late, the westerners in Mexico in
>>>>>> Costa Rica have meeting only after 4pm or so.
>>>>>> REQUEST;
>>>>>> 1. Can't we do choose two convenient blocks of time over the day so
>>>>>> that's global meetings only happen outside of sleeping hours?
>>>>>> 2. Can we start using those blocks of time ASAP
>>>>>> 3. Can we keep those Blocks for the Kuala Lumpur virtual meeting
>>>>>> instead of the local time there?
>>>>>> 4. If all of the above is not possible: can we spread the Kuala
>>>>>> Lumpur meeting into 2-3 power weekend meetings online?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Seriously, if we are going to spend the next few months on virtual
>>>>>> meetings, it makes no sense to use the planning frameworks and time blocks
>>>>>> of Face to Face meetings.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks! Carlos Raúl Gutiérrez
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Vanda Scartezini <vanda at scartezini.org>
>>>>>> Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 12:06 PM
>>>>>> To: Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>, Maureen Hilyard <
>>>>>> maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear  Glenn  and Maureen
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> These thoughts are really relevant when we can see in developing
>>>>>> region several medium class persons are struggled to feed their families
>>>>>> without work.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here, as developing country,  the government is performing a quite
>>>>>> complex operation,  providing a 120 – 240 ( widows with children)
>>>>>>  correspondent USD to 56 millions  ( ¼ of our population) of persons and
>>>>>> had open up a 26 million of a special bank account to those not having one
>>>>>>  in the public bank, and will pay such amount during 3 months or even
>>>>>> longer depend upon the winter ( even mild one here) season. The amount
>>>>>>  represents what  we call basic basket with food and cleaner and hygienic
>>>>>> items for one month of a family of 4. The basic mobile are reduced  and
>>>>>> energy are sponsored  for  those families.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Helping people to attend our meetings on line in places where they
>>>>>> need to spend too much special nowadays  paying internet or even 3G for a
>>>>>> volunteer activity,  does not see  will break ICANN’s finances and
>>>>>> certainly will help a lot to keep these relevant community with us.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for these relevant proposal that I do believe really help the
>>>>>> engagement of our community.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We can also help to state who,  in our regions, is really in need of
>>>>>> help. Some even to feed their families.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Kisses and take care
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Vanda Scartezini*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Polo Consultores Associados*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Av. Paulista 1159, cj 1004*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *01311-200- Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Land Line: +55 11 3266.6253*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Mobile: + 55 11 98181.1464 *
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Sorry for any typos. *
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Sat, May 2, 2020 at 4:28 AM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Greetings
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here is the draft response from* NARALO* . Note we are still
>>>>>> working out the logistics of the ideas  and its not final .  I am sharing
>>>>>> it for inspiration purpose.
>>>>>> The  bold and italic comments are excerpts from ICANN's comments
>>>>>> direct from the ICANN page
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_IO9vxnl2AUyrPE2zcL19UjyDPbl5DQHTLvWxX1q6Q/edit?usp=sharing
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Supporting the Work of Our Global Community over the Next Few Months:
>>>>>> Leveraging Remote Participation
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Link to document
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.icann.org/news/blog/supporting-the-work-of-our-global-community-over-the-next-few-months-leveraging-remote-participation
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Facts
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    All ICANN Face to Face meetings on hold to Sept 2020
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Reality
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    The Pandemic will likely be worse in the fall according to the
>>>>>>    CDC comments and likely it will be into 2021. (1)  and resulting
>>>>>>    in no  Face to Face meetings during that year
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Item One:  Remote Participation
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ICANN has always embraced remote participation. It is what makes our
>>>>>> work accessible to a global community and enables us to get the work done
>>>>>> between meetings. COVID-19 has made remote engagement even more crucial,
>>>>>> and a very real and practical alternative
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Comment
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This is a practical solution to keep the community engaged but the
>>>>>> devil is in the details.  We have a serious digital divide which impacts
>>>>>> the ATLARGE community.  Since ICANN has  Multistakeholderism baked into its
>>>>>> DNA it is critical to provide communities with the tools to properly
>>>>>> engage.   In Canada, especially in the far- north, in the US  tribal lands,
>>>>>> as well as in rural areas(2), among students(3)  and in poor urban
>>>>>> communities(4) there is a serious digital divide that makes it next
>>>>>> to impossible to participate fully in the meetings. In fact, if there are
>>>>>> few participants in such areas, it is not because they don’t want to
>>>>>> participate. They simply cannot participate unless their internet
>>>>>> accessibility issues are addressed. Although ICANN cannot be responsible
>>>>>> for all digital divide issues, it must recognize that these exist and
>>>>>> perhaps look for alternative ways to deal with these -- create support
>>>>>> groups, reach out locally with low tech methods, build partnerships with
>>>>>> national, regional, and local organizations, etc..
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Item Two;  Leverage Participation Tools
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is more important than ever that we leverage our remote
>>>>>> participation tools to continue effectively engaging and supporting our
>>>>>> community in the work that needs to be done; at the very least, over the
>>>>>> next four months.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Comments
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is not just a matter of online tools ie. Zoom,  Adobe, Bluejean
>>>>>> etc or accessibility issues, but about the bandwidth required by any or all
>>>>>> of them. Moreover, many within At Large have uneven connectivity speeds and
>>>>>> others are burdened with very high Internet costs and extremely slow
>>>>>> speeds. This combined with the loss of income by many of the participants
>>>>>> due to COVID-19  making it harder for them to pay for the extra data needed
>>>>>> to participate in the At Large or other ICANN related calls.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Item  Three   Online Courses/ Webinars
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We are working with the community to ensure that high-priority topics
>>>>>> for this period are being addressed and are creating new opportunities and
>>>>>> training for our stakeholders within At Large to participate. As such, we
>>>>>> are looking at facilitating these efforts and adding a variety of
>>>>>> additional activities to build capacity, to attract new participants, and
>>>>>> to educate, and engage these new participants. These activities will
>>>>>> include informative webinars, ICANN Learn modules, lectures, and ICANN
>>>>>> Public Meeting readouts.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> However, this strategy of engagement is only possible where
>>>>>> high-speed Internet access is available and the end-user has the funds to
>>>>>> pay for the extra service.  We would be interested in learning about any
>>>>>> surveys that ICANN LEARN staff have done on connectivity challenges of
>>>>>> end-users.  A recent informal ATLARGE survey, although having only twenty
>>>>>> responses, shows that participants in developing countries have limited
>>>>>> bandwidth especially in many parts of Africa and small island states
>>>>>> combined with high Internet costs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> General View
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In the short run, the participation in the first virtual meeting
>>>>>> (Cancun) while having very high participation, should be looked at as a
>>>>>> novelty, this will not be the new norm. We do expect that participation in
>>>>>> future meetings will drop until the economy gets back on track.
>>>>>> Participants do not have the available income to spend on the access needed
>>>>>> to actively participate in online meetings. We are at a serious risk of
>>>>>> losing valuable volunteers. At Large participants are volunteers and unlike
>>>>>> other constituencies, they do this outside their paid jobs and often take a
>>>>>> vacation to attend ICANN Meetings.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Our community unlike the other the government or business community
>>>>>> do not have the luxury of sponsorship to carry on their volunteerism.  Our
>>>>>> community has had to dig into their own pockets to pay to participate. If
>>>>>> the economy does not pick up we can see a substantial loss of participants
>>>>>> from locations we cannot afford to lose.  We propose that ICANN recognize
>>>>>> the value of these participants and create a special connectivity fund. The
>>>>>> process and procedure could be worked out in a simple application and
>>>>>> approval process.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Recommendations
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Provide the stipend to all elected ATLARGE community members
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Provide an opportunity to ALS members to receive an Internet
>>>>>>    Connectivity voucher to offset their high Internet costs so they can
>>>>>>    participate.
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    ICANN LEARN should conduct a true connectivity survey of all
>>>>>>    users.
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Improve upon the end-user survey at the end of all ICANN Public
>>>>>>    webinars to get feedback on participation and connectivity experiences ie.
>>>>>>    latency, quality etc
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Conclusion
>>>>>> Under development
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Footnotes
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    1.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/forecasting-us.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    2.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    60% of farmers in the US report very poor Broadband speeds
>>>>>>    https://api.unitedsoybean.org/uploads/documents/58546-1-ruralbroadband-whitepages-final.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_source=sendgrid
>>>>>>    3.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Students and digital divide
>>>>>>    https://internetgovernancehub.blog/2020/04/10/when-school-is-online-the-digital-divide-grows-greater/
>>>>>>    4.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Poor and Digital Divide
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    https://internetgovernancehub.blog/2020/04/29/digital-divide-isolates-and-endangers-millions-of-uks-poorest/
>>>>>>    5.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Broadband  Infographic
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Glenn McKnight
>>>>>> ICANN NOMCOM 2019-2021
>>>>>> mcknight.glenn at gmail.com
>>>>>> Curator for  Internet Governance Hub Blog
>>>>>> www.internetgovernancehub.blog
>>>>>> <http://www.internetgovernancehub.blog>
>>>>>> http://toronto.ieee.ca/
>>>>>> IEEE Toronto SIGHT Chair
>>>>>> glenn.mcknight at ieee.org
>>>>>> skype  gmcknight
>>>>>> twitter @Inkmedia
>>>>>> 289-830 6259
>>>>>> .
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 3:59 PM Maureen Hilyard <
>>>>>> maureen.hilyard at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Judith Hellerstein <judith at jhellerstein.com>
>>>>>> Date: Sat, May 2, 2020 at 3:10 PM
>>>>>> To: Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Glenn,
>>>>>> I have more to add but did not get a chance on Friday to put in but
>>>>>> will do so tomorrow
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>> Judith
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>> judith at jhellerstein.com
>>>>>> Skype ID:JudithHellerstein
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On May 2, 2020, at 10:29 AM, Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Olivier Kouami <olivierkouami at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Mon, May 4, 2020 at 12:49 PM
>>>>>> To: Glenn McKnight <mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>, At Large <
>>>>>> at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi all.
>>>>>> Greetings everyone from Sénégal.
>>>>>> +1 @Glen who raised issues that i'm personaly facing in this sad
>>>>>> pandemic moment.
>>>>>> I Also approve the concrete proposals of Remmy.
>>>>>> Most ALSes are certainly on these needs too.
>>>>>> Much appreciate if ICANN could make as proposed.
>>>>>> Warm regards
>>>>>> Olévié
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Mon, May 4, 2020 at 6:02 PM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Maureen,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My humble and personal take to this is that similar to the fellowship
>>>>>> program, we could consider support to community members who dedicate
>>>>>> significant time and resources to ICANN's mission by contributing to the
>>>>>> work of various supporting organizations and Advisory Commitees and the
>>>>>> overall mission of ICANN. It is true engaging in SO/AC work costs valuable
>>>>>> time for those whose day job may not necessarily be around the DNS
>>>>>> ecosystem.  Significant resources are incurred to get online and to have
>>>>>> the right tools that can enable meaningful participation and contribution
>>>>>> to ICANN's work. I welcome the idea of reimbursing some of the costs
>>>>>> incurred on connectivity or any other aspect as may be determined through a
>>>>>> suitable process considering the continuous nature of the work we are doing.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best Regards
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Barrack O. Otieno
>>>>>> +254721325277
>>>>>> +254733206359
>>>>>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>>>>>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>> From: LUKE KAPCHANGA <wanjalaluke1 at gmail.com>
>>>>>> Date: Tue, May 5, 2020 at 6:41 AM
>>>>>> To: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks Maureen ,
>>>>>> Glenn has captured what some of go through, if not worse. I am based
>>>>>> in rural areas of Kenya. To attend online meetings   I depend at times on
>>>>>> cyber cafes, which are not very reliable, yet the best option. The COVID
>>>>>> 19, has worsened the situation. The proposal to assist us from developing
>>>>>> countries is welcome.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> At-Large mailing list
>>>>>> At-Large at atlarge-lists.icann.org
>>>>>> https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Website <http://www.unilorin.edu.ng>, Weekly Bulletin
>>>>> <http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/index.php/bulletin> UGPortal
>>>>> <http://uilugportal.unilorin.edu.ng/> PGPortal
>>>>> <https://uilpgportal.unilorin.edu.ng/>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
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