APRALO Outreach Strategic Plan

APRALO Outreach Strategy for FY 16 and
How to use the FY 16 funds available for the region

APRALO welcomes the opportunities that CROPP funding allows to expand the understanding of and participation in ICANN activities by Internet users in the Asia and Pacific region. Specifically, through CROPP funding, as well as finding from additional, regional funding bodies, APRALO members will be able to participate in regional events and explain ICANN’s structure and activities, and how Internet organizations’ can participate in the development of ICANN policies and activities.

The APRALO leadership team has identified regional events in 2016 where APRALO members’ involvement can expand our outreach into internet communities.

• Asia IGF meeting 2016.  Having a presence at this meeting with an exhibition table would do wonders for outreach. Meeting and greeting officials and people in charge of the freedom of the internet based in Asia would help to promote and support the role of APRALO in the region. We would hold an APRALO session at the event where we could connect with current ALSes while at the same time recruit new ones. At the same time we would use the event to help to build relationship with those Asian ALSes who are less than participative. Several APRALO ALSs would be present at the meeting and could conduct presentations. Having a presence at this meeting with an exhibition table will greatly enhance APRALO’S (and ICANN’S) outreach. Our aim is to connect with existing and new ALSs who will also be present.  No funds requests from ICANN for this activity are needed. APRALO Leaders would participate remotely.

• Armenian First National IGF, September 7-8, 2016. Attendance at this IGF will provide APRALO members from other Asia Pacific countries to participate and share their experience. For three ALSs, based in Armenia, and other IG community in the country, being isolated from the rest of the region, it would be very important for them to learn about the experience of others based in the same region. One CROPP request will be for two people (ISOC Bahrain and ISOC Australia) will be made. ISOC Armenia has already expressed readiness to support the APRALO CROPP applicants with two additional days of hotel accommodation so that they will be able to participate in the gathering of European ccTLDs in Yerevan on September 8 and 9, 2016.

• IGF 2015 in Brazil. This event is also a unique opportunity to reach others from around the globe involved in internet governance, raise awareness of ICANN’s multi-stakeholder model and the opportunities for participation therein. In the past, APRALO members have participated in different IGFs with specific workshops, and were among panelists & moderators, and in case of physical absence, have participated remotely. Asia Pacific region is very diverse, and we call it “the region with many regions”, with different cultures, languages, religion, etc. For the IGF2015 two workshops involving the APRALO Leadership Team have been approved by IGF MAG but have no secure funding for participation. Two members of APRALO’s leadership involved in the approved workshop proposals: Satish Babu as a facilitator and Siranush Vardanyan as a moderator. APRALO leadership team decided to participate in the IGF based on the funds available through ICANN Budget requests for FY16, where the Board approved two slots for APRALO. One workshop was also approved, submitted by ISOC Armenia representative and for Lianna Galstyan’s participation it was decided to use one CROPP request for one person from ISOC Armenia to be able to participate in person at the IGF 2015.

• APRICOT 2016. This is an event that has most of the ccTLDS plus other influential groups from the region in attendance. It includes a meeting arranged mainly by APNIC and lots of training courses are provided. It will be a great platform not only for outreach for new ALS’es, but to connect with the current ones and also invite some ALS’es to join some of the training sessions provided. One of the outcomes of our previous outreach activity where APRALO leaders attended the Fukuoka APRICOT, was the networking with the organizers and a request has been made to provide a slot for an APRALO session at the APRICOT2016 event. It would be a great platform not only to meet up with current ALSes within the region but to encourage the interest of potential recruits to the policy discussions from both current and other potential ALS participants. As a result of MOU signed between APRALO and APNIC, it was agreed with APNIC, that the participation fee will be waived for APRALO members. We have also approached APNIC and have requested one fellowship for an APRALO Leader and for sponsorship to cover 1 or 2 days additional hotel accommodation for APRALO leadership team members who can attend. It is planned that two APRALO LT members will use two slots of CROPP funding and one member will receive an APNIC Fellowship. This will provide an important representation during APRICOT 2016 to contribute to  outreach with both current and potential ALS’es from the Asia Pacific region as well as important networking and relationship building opportunity for the APRALO LT in the South Pacific region of the APRALO region.

• CommunicAsia 2016.  An annual event held in Singapore every year and APNIC has a booth there every year with DotAsia and was joined last year by ISOC as well. It would be a tremendous platform to meet and greet people involved in the internet world, with user groups joining from most of South East Asia and other parts of Asia too. We would encourage ALSes who are able to attend the event to promote our regional activities and messages, but no additional funds from ICANN will be requested for this event.

• Social Media Plan: APRALO is committed to using the new ICANN website as well as LinkedIn and Facebook to outreach to potential new ALS’es. We can customize our search to look for internet user groups around the region and have a PDF about APRALO prepared to send to them once they make contact. It would be a cost effective way to reach out to those who indicate an interest in joining via social media.

• One of the potential outreach activities may be linking with schools and Universities around Asia Pacific for talks and lectures. Using current connections within the ALS’es to reach out to schools and get someone from APRALO leadership team to be there and make a quick presentation. Some limited funds may be needed for this activity, which will be identified based on the specific case and opportunity.