[Euro-board] Coming up to a New Year

[Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond]

Dear EURALO Board members,

as 2015 is quickly arriving to a close, I wanted to briefly let you know
of what my own goals are for EURALO in 2016:


1. outreach and inreach
We need to reach out and actively look for new potential At-Large
Structures to join us, especially in countries which do not yet have a
local At-Large Structure. This something which we should all be looking
out for, in the contacts of the people that we know, in the conferences
we all attend, at EuroDIG etc.
As for inreach, also known as "engagement", I am well aware that the
majority of our ALSes are not particularly active in EURALO. Let's make
this environment both more exciting, pertinent to our ALSes and
valuable. I am saying "valuable" because I think we'll be fighting an
already lost battle if our ALSes do not think there is any value in
participating in EURALO and At-Large activities.

2. Skillsets
This ties in with what Yrjö was saying: we need to know our ALSes much
more. Only if we know our ALSes better will we be able to specifically
call upon specific ALSes when a particular topic of discussion or public
comment request arrives on our table. So I support what Yrjö suggests
that EURALO takes it upon itelf to devise a mechanism for getting this
information.

3. Linking the ALAC to our ALSes
This really is a communications exercise. We have 3 ALAC members:
- Sébastien Bachollet
- Sandra Höferichter
- Jimmy Schultz

The RALO should be there as a full partner to our three ALAC members.
They are not just individuals - they are an important channel to ICANN
to voice our concerns. They are part of our community. I hope that we
will be able to strengthen the link from the ALAC to the RALO.

These are just three personal goals. I know there are a lot more issues
in EURALO, but I thought I'd start with the first three. I hope we'll be
able to go further than these three goals and be able to pursue other
goals that you are sharing with us.

Again, I am really excited to be able to work with you. I hope we will
be able to be proactive throughout the year and bring that much needed
energy to our EURALO members, to make EURALO inviting, exciting and
effective.

Hoping you've had a good Christmas and are still enjoying a well earned
holiday break, I wish you all the Best for a Happy New Year 2016!

Olivier