FINAL VERSION SUBMITTED (IF RATIFIED)
The final version to be submitted, if the draft is ratified, will be placed here by upon completion of the vote.
FINAL DRAFT VERSION TO BE VOTED UPON BY THE ALAC
The final draft version to be voted upon by the ALAC will be placed here before the vote is to begin.
ALAC COMMENTS ON THE DOCUMENT “Proposal of the New Fellowship Program Approach”
July 2018
The ALAC is very grateful to have the opportunity to comment on the draft Proposal of the New Fellowship Program Approach. We have detailed our suggestions and comments in the sections proposed in the draft for ease of reference.
Application
We would encourage all Fellows to join and engage with their Regional At-Large group not only as a general introduction to ICANN but also to its international, organizational policy development and other decision-making processes.
Membership of their RALO would also provide prospective Fellows especially, with a support group for any questions as they may have as they complete their online ICANN Learn Course.
- The application process should provide for the diversity of language so that it does not dissuade prospects from applying because of their lack of English.
- Application policies should encourage applications from those who identify themselves from other diverse sections within the community.
- There should be special consideration given to any applicants with a disability and/or specific needs.
- There should be consideration given to applicants from global indigenous communities to apply as first time Fellows. Subsequently, they would have to meet the criteria for returning fellowships, along with other second/third-time Fellows.
- Selected Fellows from these categories should be provided with a special mentor each (from among the senior Fellows) to support their introduction to the programme and to ICANN.
- Regional GSE representatives need to make themselves known at events they attend, to encourage more Fellows applications and At-Large memberships from among the technical community.
Selection Criteria
- The Fellowship Dashboard on the ICANN Stakeholder Tool V7, lists previous Fellows and could be used as a reference to ensure that there is fair representation of geographic as well as other forms of diversity.
- We would also suggest that the Fellowship Programme takes advantage of the huge pool of talent within our current At-Large Structures, especially among those who would benefit from the experience and understanding gained by their further integration through the fellowship programme.
- Given the significant focus on policy activities within the ICANN community, the Fellowship Program should ensure that Fellows are willing and able to contribute to the policy work within their specific SO/AC/SG/RALO.
- While the metrics in the proposed draft are quite comprehensive, it omits " # applications by region and fellows selected by gender and any other diversity factors that would move ICANN towards greater global inclusion".
- The demographics of unsuccessful Fellowship candidates - especially what countries they came from, are seen as useful. Unsuccessful applicants would appreciate a feedback sheet reinforcing criteria that are important to Fellows' selection, so that they can plan future opportunities.
On-Site
- Important that Fellow mentor-coaches have good general knowledge about ICANN and are active participants in ICANN already - involved in policy and/or organisational working groups so that they can give appropriate guidance based on experience of the system and its processes. The mentor/coach may not necessarily have to have been a Fellow previously.
- There should be a limit to the number of times a Fellow can be a mentor-coach to give others an opportunity for leadership.
- It would be expected that Fellows would have joined their RALOs following their first Fellowship. Second/third-time Fellows should be scheduled onto the RALO booth at their next meeting, to promote their region. They could also support DNS Women and other side events available and of interest to end-users at the ICANN meeting.
- SO/ACs should contribute both to the development and implementation of a programme for Fellows at ICANN meetings where Fellows can suitably observe their constituency of choice and decide on how they might become engaged. More involvement by the SO/ACs on onsite activities is seen as critical to early engagement by the Fellows.
- SO/ACs may wish to consider ways in which to more formally engage and interact with Fellows during their meetings. This might mean the allocation of a role for the Fellows, including possibly serving as a rapporteur or preparing a summary of a meeting.
- SO/ACs should allocate some time specifically for interaction and feedback from Fellows, possibly as part of the Fellowship wrap-up session.
Post-Meeting Requirements
- The specific focuses for each fellowship level offer different levels of outreach which will further help with each Fellow’s development as ICANN participants.
- SO/ACs may wish to invite Fellows to relevant meetings or other means of continued communication as part of post-meeting follow up.
- An extended timeframe of perhaps a year between fellowships (or 6 months for those who have been engaged in policy already in ICANN) plus relevant metrics will help to provide a gauge of both the impact and effectiveness of the Fellow's outreach as well as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment by actually joining up with a constituency and getting involved in the interim.
DRAFT SUBMITTED FOR DISCUSSION
The first draft submitted will be placed here before the call for comments begins. The Draft should be preceded by the name of the person submitting the draft and the date/time. If, during the discussion, the draft is revised, the older version(S) should be left in place and the new version along with a header line identifying the drafter and date/time should be placed above the older version(s), separated by a Horizontal Rule (available + Insert More Content control).
ALAC COMMENTS ON THE DOCUMENT “Proposal of the New Fellowship Program Approach”
July 2018
The ALAC is very grateful to have the opportunity to comment on the draft Proposal of the new Fellowship Approach. We have detailed our suggestions and comments in the sections proposed in the draft for ease of reference
Application
We would encourage all Fellows to join and engage with their Regional At-Large group not only as a general introduction to ICANN but also to its international, organizational policy development and other decision-making processes.
Membership of their RALO would also provide prospective Fellows especially, with a support group for any questions as they may have as they complete their online ICANN Learn Course.
- The application process should provide for the diversity of language so that it does not dissuade prospects from applying because of their lack of English.
- Application policies should encourage applications from those who identify themselves from other diverse sections within the community.
- There should be special consideration given to any applicants with a disability and/or specific needs.
- There should be consideration given to applicants from global indigenous communities to apply as first time Fellows. Subsequently, they would have to meet the criteria for returning fellowships, along with other second/third-time Fellows.
- Selected Fellows from these categories should be provided with a special mentor each (from among the senior Fellows) to support their introduction to the programme and to ICANN.
- Regional GSE representatives need to make themselves known at events they attend, to encourage more Fellows applications and At-Large memberships from among the technical community.
Selection Criteria
- The Fellowship Dashboard on the ICANN Stakeholder Tool V7, lists previous Fellows and could be used as a reference to ensure that there is fair representation of geographic as well as other forms of diversity.
- We would also suggest that the Fellowship Programme takes advantage of the huge pool of talent within our current At-Large Structures, especially among those who would benefit from the experience and understanding gained by their further integration through the fellowship programme.
- Given the significant focus on policy activities within the ICANN community, the Fellowship Program should ensure that Fellows are willing and able to contribute to the policy work within their specific SO/AC/SG/RALO.
- While the metrics in the proposed draft are quite comprehensive, it omits " # applications by region and fellows selected by gender and any other diversity factors that would move ICANN towards greater global inclusion".
- The demographics of unsuccessful Fellowship candidates - especially what countries they came from, are seen as useful. Unsuccessful applicants would appreciate a feedback sheet reinforcing criteria that are important to Fellows' selection, so that they can plan future opportunities.
On-site
- Important that Fellow mentor-coaches have good general knowledge about ICANN and are active participants in ICANN already - involved in policy and/or organisational working groups so that they can give appropriate guidance based on experience of the system and its processes. The mentor/coach may not necessarily have to have been a Fellow previously.
- There should be a limit to the number of times a Fellow can be a mentor-coach to give others an opportunity for leadership.
- It would be expected that Fellows would have joined their RALOs following their first Fellowship. Second/third-time Fellows should be scheduled onto the RALO booth at their next meeting, to promote their region. They could also support DNS Women and other side events available and of interest to end-users at the ICANN meeting.
- SO/ACs should contribute both to the development and implementation of a programme for Fellows at ICANN meetings where Fellows can suitably observe their constituency of choice and decide on how they might become engaged. More involvement by the SO/ACs on onsite activities is seen as critical to early engagement by the Fellows.
- SO/ACs may wish to consider ways in which to more formally engage and interact with Fellows during their meetings. This might mean the allocation of a role for the Fellows, including possibly serving as a rapporteur or preparing a summary of a meeting.
- SO/ACs should allocate some time specifically for interaction and feedback from Fellows, possibly as part of the Fellowship wrap-up session.
Post-meeting requirements
- The specific focuses for each fellowship level offer different levels of outreach which will further help with each Fellow’s development as ICANN participants.
- SO/ACs may wish to invite Fellows to relevant meetings or other means of continued communication as part of post-meeting follow up.
- An extended timeframe of perhaps a year between fellowships (or 6 months for those who have been engaged in policy already in ICANN) plus relevant metrics will help to provide a gauge of both the impact and effectiveness of the Fellow's outreach as well as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment by actually joining up with a constituency and getting involved in the interim.
