Liam McLear and Alex Everett, Childnet Youth IGF Project participants, both from Uffculme Secondary school in Devon, have been selected as delegates for the first ever IGF Youth Camp, organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) as part of this year’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
The IGF is an annual global discussion forum bringing together stakeholders and experts from all over the world to discuss ‘Internet governance’ and the future of the Internet. In previous years, the IGF has been criticised for the lack of youth participation.
Childnet International and the Egyptian Cyber Peace Initiative have led the way in ensuring that the voice of young people is heard at this upcoming meeting in Sharm-el-Sheikh, and have been pleased to announce that Alex and Liam will be part of the youth delegation at these important discussions.
Alex and Liam were selected following their participation in two debates in Parliament as part of Childnet’s Youth IGF Project where they engaged with MPs, government officials and senior figures from the Internet industry including Google, Facebook and Microsoft in talking about their experiences online and their hopes for the future of the Internet.
Liam and Alex will now join 25 other teenagers from Europe, Arab countries and Egypt at the IGF Youth Camp and will be attending and speaking in sessions and workshops at the IGF between 13-16 November 2009 in Sharm El sheikh, Egypt.
Lucinda Fell Childnet’s Policy and Communications Manager said,
“I am delighted that Liam and Alex are taking part in the IGF next week in Sharm-el-Sheikh, and their inclusion in this youth camp is a fantastic achievement. It’s really important for children and young people to have their say to help shape the Internet for their future, and following Alex and Liam’s articulate and considered contributions in Parliament last month we are look forward to hearing their opinions and thoughts at the IGF.“
The Youth IGF project will provide young people with a chance to voice their opinions on the four main themes of the IGF; openness, access, security and diversity as they relate to the Internet, in response to criticisms that there had been little involvement of young people in the debate at the IGF.
The IGF:
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was an outcome of the 2005 World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), where the then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called for a forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue. The inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was held in Athens, Greece (Nov 2006), to discuss a common global vision of the development and growth of the internet. Attended by over 1,350 registered participants including government, academics, industry, not-for-profit and journalists, The IGF reconvened in Rio de Janiro in 2007 and Hyderabad in 2008. The 2009 IGF Meeting will be held from 15-18 November in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
www.intgovforum.org
