[NA-Discuss] Bottom Up Action Procedure

[Thompson, Darlene]

I would suggest that as a procedure, when something is punted up to the ALAC, we also assign or delegate someone to speak on its behalf at the next ALAC meeting and then also request the ALAC chair to make room for it on the agenda.  As Evan mentioned, it’s not written in stone anywhere that this has to be an ALAC member although it rather makes sense for it to be.  By assigning the matter to an individual, we will then have someone directly accountable to act as a liaison for the issue.

D

Darlene A. Thompson
Community Access Program Administrator
Nunavut Dept. of Education / N-CAP
P.O. Box 1000, Station 910
Iqaluit, NU  X0A 0H0
Phone:  (867) 975-5631
Fax:  (867) 975-5610
E-mail:  dthompson at gov.nu.ca<mailto:dthompson at gov.nu.ca>

From: evanleibovitch at gmail.com [mailto:evanleibovitch at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Evan Leibovitch
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 9:02 PM
To: Beau Brendler
Cc: Thompson, Darlene; na-discuss at atlarge-lists.icann.org
Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Bottom Up Action Procedure


The regional people, the grassroots, the ALSs, have got to see and believe that their policy concerns are being listened to and addressed or they will not bother to participate.

I couldn't agree more.

All I'm asking, as one of the intermediaries involved with advancing those concerns, is for a little help in doing it beyond what now exists. There's no rule that says that only ALAC reps can advance issues within ALAC; the only thing that separates an ALAC memger from anyone else in the meetings is the ability to vote on the result. I would be more than happy to support, facilitate and mentor the process for anyone who needs it (though many NARALO members have been around long enough to hardly need mentoring from me).

To me it's important to demonstrate that you DON'T have to be an ALAC rep, regional chair or even ALS rep to get your voice heard as far up the food chain as possible. And that means going as far as addressing the ALAC itself and authoring statements that get submitted as bylaw-mandated advice to the ICANN Board. Encouraging champions of causes to be their advocates (beyond NARALO) gets more people engaged, and doesn't leave issues to be debated by the "usual suspects" -- the same core handful of active participants who do most of ALAC's heavy lifting.

Of course, the ALAC itself is not the top of the ICANN policy food chain, it too is just a midpoint. Many in ALAC itself "have got to see and believe that their policy concerns are being listened to and addressed or they will not bother to participate".

- Evan