We are pleased to  announce our  first two  Tribal Ambassadors for ICANN 57

Valerie Fast Horse (Coeur d’Alene Tribe) is a descendent of the Okanagan band of Indians of Vernon, British Columbia. As Director of Internet Technology (IT) for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for the past 16 years Fast Horse is responsible for leading and managing the tribe’s IT Department, which includes four programs: IT- Government Services, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Red-Spectrum Communications, and KWIS 88.3 FM radio station. 

April Tinhorn (Hualapai/Navajo/Chinese) raised on the beautiful Hualapai Indian reservation located in the Grand Canyon area, always had a thirst for knowledge. April’s 20-year adventure in the computer science field began as a web programmer at the National Security Administration in Maryland and later overseas.  She has worked at IBM-Arizona as a software engineer and at the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service (IHS) as a web master and information technology specialist. Ms. Tinhorn is founder and owner of Tinhorn Consulting, LLC.

 

Background  Information 

Description:

The Tribal Ambassadors Pilot Project addresses the digital divide throughout First Peoples communities in NARALO by enhancing ICANN’s outreach to Tribal stakeholders.  Specifically, the Project aims to generate increased awareness and understanding of educational opportunities available for internet governance development within unserved and under-served tribal communities, in addition to advocating for intergovernmental digital communication policies that are responsive to the unique perspectives and characteristics of Native communities. To apply for the pilot program go here: https://goo.gl/forms/gz9XQs7vzM5V4L693

Details of Project as Approved in the FY17 Special Requests Announcement:

Travel for two tribal ambassadors for ICANN57 is authorized. Community to identify an At Large Guide to serve as a coach for the ambassadors. The At Large Guide to come from among existing/expected experienced attendees at the meeting. Staff has recommended more transparency on recruitment of ambassadors and adjustment of success metrics to include - progress toward a native community ALS. Priority will be given to applications where the applicant is either an individual member of NARALO or part of an accredited ALS within NARALO.

Additional conditions of allocation are: (1) At Large Guide to follow the guidelines of the Community Mentor Pilot Program to introduce ambassadors to ICANN and the ICANN Meeting - from approximately 6 weeks prior to Meeting, act as the ambassadors’ “one-on-one” guide through the ICANN experience during Meeting week, and follow up beyond the Meeting to further guide continued knowledge and engagement; (2) ambassadors to participate in the ICANN Newcomer Sunday meeting with DPRD team representative who will be facilitating the session to ensure inclusion; (3) ambassadors to participate in the Fellowship Morning sessions Monday through Thursday in order to gain overall ICANN experience and understanding of its Multistakeholder community; and (4) both At Large Guide and ambassadors to submit detailed report within 30 days of the ICANN Meeting that addresses activities at the meeting and assessment of experience. These reports will help in assessment of future pilot efforts.

The link to the application can be found here, https://goo.gl/forms/gz9XQs7vzM5V4L693

About ICANN

To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate these unique identifiers, across the world. Without that coordination, we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN, formed in 1998, is a not-for-profit global organization dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and devleops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. Read More

The ICANN Supporting Organizations (SOs) serve as the advisory bodies for the ICANN Board of Directors, with the primary responsibility of developing and recommending substantive policies regarding those matters falling within their specific area of interest.The SOs are three specialized advisory bodies that have the purpose of advising the ICANN Board of Directors on issues related to domain names and IP addresses. In addition to these SOs, ICANN also relies on advice from advisory committees regarding the interests of their stakeholders who are not part of any of the SOs.

The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) is one of the supporting organizations that was formed, according to ICANN's bylaws, through community consensus in 1999. The main objective of the ASO is to review and develop Internet Protocol recommendations, address policy, and advise the ICANN Board. Its members are appointed by the world's 5 Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which manage and allocate IP addresses in their respective continental regions. For more info on ASOs see this link, https://icannwiki.com/Address_Supporting_Organization

The Generic Names Supporting Organization develops policies for gTLDs. It attempts to operate in a fair, orderly manner through the global Internet while still promoting innovation and competition. The GNSO deals with issues related to the registration of a domain name, the services which must be provided by a registrar, and even cases related to the renewal of a domain name.

The Country Code Names Supporting Organization is a body created specifically for ccTLD managers. It was created in 2003 and is a forum for ccTLD managers to meet and discuss various topics of interest, while encouraging technical cooperation between ccTLD managers.

The Address Supporting Organization advises the ICANN Board with respect to policy concerning IP addresses

About the At-Large Community 

The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is one of ICANN's Advisory Committees. The At-Large Community advocates on behalf of the interests of Internet users. There are over 200 At-Large Structures (ALSes) around the world and a growing number of individual members. Whether it is an Internet-related consumer rights group, an academic organization, or a public-minded individual, we share a passion for furthering the development of ICTs and contributing to policies that influence the technical coordination of the Domain Name System. We work to ensure that the Internet continues to serve the global public interest. Read More 

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Mail List: tribal-ambassador-sc@icann.org

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Schedule:

Call for Tribal Ambassadors - Week of 25 July

Deadline for Applications - 14 August

Selection Committee review of applications - Week of 15 August

Announcement of selected Tribal Ambassadors - 26th August

 

Calls

Next Call: 26 August 2016

Last Call: 16 August 2016

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Announcement:

Announcing the Inaugural At-Large Tribal Ambassador Fellowship to the ICANN 57 Meeting in India

The At-Large Tribal Ambassadors Project addresses the digital divide throughout indigenous communities and specifically aims to generate increased awareness and understanding of Internet governance development within un-served and under-served Tribal communities.  The Tribal Ambassadors, in representing indigenous groups in the US and Canada, will be assigned a Coach with a goal to gain overall ICANN experience and understanding of the Internet multi-stakeholder community.  Additional details and requirements are available on the At-Large Tribal Ambassadorship Workspace (see: https://community.icann.org/x/vw6bAw ).

The Fellowship covers travel, hotel, transportation costs, and a stipend to Hyderabad, India for the duration of the ICANN meeting for two Tribal Ambassadors from November 3-9, 2016. Applicants will need a passport and Visa for travel. Visa fees will be covered by the Tribal Ambassadorship Fellowship as part of the travel support.

Applications can be found at this link, https://goo.gl/forms/gz9XQs7vzM5V4L693.  The application deadline is August 14, 2016. Please send applications to: tribal-ambassador-sc@icann.org. 

About the Project

The At-Large Tribal Ambassadors Project is a complement to the current ICANN Fellowship program that has a goal to create a broader and more regionally diverse base of knowledgeable constituents to build capacity within the ICANN Multi-stakeholder Model. Participation in the program at an ICANN Meeting is a "fast track" experience of engagement into that community model, with presentations designed to facilitate understanding of the many pieces and parts of ICANN while providing opportunities to network and promoting interaction with staff and community leaders.

Who may apply for and be awarded a Tribal Ambassadors Project fellowship?

The Project is targeted at individuals who identify with, or are part of an indigenous group in the US and Canada. These people are either new to the ICANN environment, are familiar with ICANN but have yet to attend a face-to-face meeting, or have started participating in ICANN by other means but are in need of travel funding in order to broaden their knowledge and deepen their engagement. Priority will be given to constituent members of Native Public Media (NPM), Indigenous members of other NARALO At-Large Structures in the US or Canada and to NARALO unaffiliated members. Other Indigenous individuals, not in NARALO, are also encouraged and welcome to apply. The only requirement is that these individuals must NOT be involved in other ICANN supported travel programs at time of selection.

How are the Tribal Ambassador Project fellowships awarded?

Tribal Ambassador Project Fellowships are awarded by an independent selection committee based on a mix of criteria including applicant experience and references. The Selection Committee names are listed on this webpage as well as a description of the project (see: https://community.icann.org/x/vw6bAw ).

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Selection Committee for the Pilot Year consists of:

  REPORTS

 

Valerie Fast Horse Report