At-Large Orientation Program Relaunches for New At-Large Structures and Individual Members of the At-Large Community
At a Glance
With a significant increase in the number of accredited At-Large Structures (ALS) and Individual Members joining the At-Large community since January 2016, an At-Large Orientation Program was relaunched in June 2017. The aim of this program is to facilitate ALS and Individual Member participation within their Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) and to promote their policy development activity within At-Large and ICANN. The program is managed by At-Large Staff, including RALO Leadership Teams from each RALO during implementation.
Recent Developments
Previously, At-Large ALS Orientation activities were presented to At-Large during ICANN53 and received strong support from the At-Large community. During ICANN58, At-Large Staff reintroduced the concept of the At-Large Orientation Program to At-Large community members. The initiative has been well received in the context of the now finalized At-Large Review, which emphasized the need for greater outreach and engagement within At-Large.
The At-Large Orientation Program, which will be held periodically as determined by RALO Secretariat (ex. 3 months, 6 months, or whenever there are a certain number of new ALSes and Individual Members), consists of the following activities:
RALO-Specific Orientation Call: A 90-minute introductory call scheduled for new ALS and Individual Members with their RALO leadership, the ALAC Chair and At-Large Staff. This call offers new ALS and Individual Members an opportunity to introduce themselves formally to the ALAC Chair and RALO Leadership, and receive an overview of At-Large and its policy development methods by the Chair, as well as an explanation on how to engage in RALO activities by the RALO Leaders.
Additional Assistance: Initially, an At-Large Member Skype Chat Helpline aimed at providing additional assistance to new ALS and Individual Members for a period of three months began after ICANN53. The general Helpline has now been developed into a RALO-specific format. The RALO-specific Newcomer Skype Chat enables new Members to liaise with At-Large Staff and their RALO Leadership covering multiple time zones. At the end of the three months, they are directed to their relevant Skype chats and encouraged to engage with experienced members. This At-Large RALO Newcomer Skype Chat is formally a part of the ALS accreditation process.
New Orientation Documents: An introductory presentation created by Staff will reflect current At-Large activity, specific to each RALO. Additionally, this Orientation presentation to new ALS and Individual Members will be translated into Spanish and French, since it currently only exists in English.
Next Steps
APRALO was the first RALO to host the 90-minute Orientation Call on 19 June 2017. The ALAC Chair, APRALO Leadership Team (LT) and At-Large Staff introduced new APRALO ALS and Individual Members since January 2016, while opening the call to the entire APRALO community. The call served to engage the APRALO community, familiarizing them with At-Large issues while providing a conduit to APRALO Leadership, the ALAC Chair and At-Large Staff. The Orientation Call included a powerpoint presentation addressing Adobe Connect (AC) Room logistics and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). An APRALO Newcomer Skype Chat was created following the call to provide an open forum for questions and encourage Newcomer participation in upcoming events, including the APRALO General Assembly and Showcase being organized for ICANN60 Abu Dhabi.
NARALO is scheduled to be the second RALO to host an Orientation Call during the first week of September. Due to the close proximity of ICANN60 Annual General Meeting (AGM), newly elected NARALO Leadership and ALAC members will be invited to introduce themselves on the call in addition to current NARALO Leadership, current and incoming NARALO NomCom Delegate(s), the ALAC Chair and At-Large Staff. As NARALO has the highest number of Individual Members of any RALO, the content of the Orientation presentation may be adjusted accordingly.
The relaunched Orientation is the perfect opportunity to for new ALS and Individual Members to introduce themselves and take a more formalized first step into At-Large activities. The Orientation is RALO-customized and will be scheduled for the remaining 3 Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) during FY18.
Meeting Dates
APRALO 19 June 2017
NARALO TBD Sept 2017
Background
One of the main focuses of the Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) is, and always has been, outreach. RALO leaders and staff work hard together to ensure that organizations or associations across the world with similar goals to those of the ICANN community know about At-Large and are motivated to be part of it. In order to manage this, they need to gain the At-Large Structure (ALS) or Individual Member status and be supported during the engagement phase of their At-Large activities.
More Information
1. New At-Large Structure (ALS) and Individual Member Orientation Program
2. Why register as an At-Large Structure?
Staff Contact
Evin Ashley Erdoğdu, SO/AC Secretariat Operations Support Coordinator
