Louise Marie Hurel
I am grateful to be a part of the Community Onboarding Program. Over the past few
months, I have been able to experience one of the most welcoming cross-constituency
working space; full of energy, dedication and people who, despite their different
backgrounds, have found a place where they can learn, share and develop ways of: (i)
critically assessing in-reach and (ii) enhancing outreach with a particular structure that is
suited to communicating with their respective members (and potential members).
During our last meeting in Johannesburg, Janice talked about the "newcomer journey”
and the importance of understanding that each person has a unique path of engagement.
I would like to take part of this testimonial to share my personal experience in this
program.
I myself am trailing this not-yet-drawn path, and as a newcomer that has started
understanding ICANN through the Onboarding Program I have to highlight its relevance to
the effective engagement of individuals in their respective constituencies. Prior to the
program, my vision was restricted to what I could follow on the mailing lists or through my
successive attempts to understand the topics being discussed in monthly policy calls.
Working with, and learning from, the Onboarding Program resulted in two main lessons.
Firstly, it broadened my understanding of ICANN. The “bite-sized pieces” approach
spearheaded by Kathy Kleiman and Ayden Férdeline places NCUC “in perspective”,
helping newcomers to rapidly connect with the main policy processes and how interconstituency
dynamics work. Secondly, as soon as I joined the team, I saw that I was
also able to contribute with my reactions and perspectives to the material being
developed. On the other hand, I was positively challenged to “walk the talk” and put this
experience into practice as I became more involved in GNSO Working Groups.
These lessons do not come uncoupled from the fact that I am thrilled and privileged to
take part in such a qualified team as the one that I’m in. Both Kathy Kleiman and Ayden
Férdeline have been mentors down this road, helping me find my way of meaningfully
contributing to the NCUC and the broader ICANN community.
Navigating ICANN can sometimes feel like "peeling off an onion"; one goes through layers
and layers of knowledge, skill-building, time, dedication and processes. The program has
taught me to value my experience and to be more confident, knowing that it takes one
step at a time to find my own voice within this ecosystem.
