Proposer's Name: Mr. Menno Ettema
Proposer's Organization: Council of Europe - No Hate Speech Movement
Co-Proposer's Name: Ms. Ruxandra Pandea
Co-Proposer's Organization: Youth Department - Council of Europe
Co-Organizers:
Ruxandra Pandea, Youth Department - Council of Europe
Gisella Gori, Council of Europe, Children’s Rights Division
Session Format: Break-out Group Discussions - 90 Min
Proposer:
Country: France
Stakeholder Group: Intergovernmental Organizations
Co-Proposer:
Country: Hungary
Stakeholder Group: Intergovernmental Organizations
Speaker: Milosh Ristovski
Speaker: Gisella Gori
Speaker: Ambassador Corina Calugaru
Content of the Session:
Overview
Participation of young people in decision making is a structured process which, if done meaningfully and ethically, can bring social inclusion of young people and further support society develop. Youth participation in society at all levels and in all its areas has been always at the core of the mission of the youth sector of the Council of Europe as also reflected in the recent Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)7 on access to rights of young people.
The ladder of youth participation developed by Richard Hart proposes 9 stages of participation ranking from manipulation and tokenism to young people’s initiative and co-decision making with adults (authorities).
In order for young people to be able to participate they should have the rights, the means, the space, the opportunity and the support to participate (RMSOS model).
When shaping the future of the internet, often enough those who participate are media and politically literate and they can navigate the circles that involve governments, businesses and civil society in shaping the Internet. However, a much broader array of young people are using the internet and are affected by the ways it is regulated and they do not have the means or the support to participate. Equally, the internet through its nature also allowed for new forms of participation and organisation of young people to emerge, along with new means for reaching out to young people otherwise remote from centres of decision making.
The “workshop” will explore how participation of young people in shaping the internet can be ensured without reproducing and creating new patterns of discrimination and equally how can the internet support further youth participation, association and expression in society.
The Council of Europe youth sector has a unique model of youth participation in decision making at political and programme level, the co-management where representatives of youth organisation (gathered in a body called Advisory Council on Youth) and representatives of the states-party to the European Cultural Convention (European Steering Committee on Youth) take decisions together by consensus.
The Youth Department has also explored through its No Hate Speech Movement Campaign, as well as through its work on participation the potential offered by the Internet and the ways young people can be involved in decision making in Internet governance. In October 2017, a seminar entitled “Youth participation in Internet governance” will have produced recommendations on how youth participation can be enhanced. The recommendations will also be presented and discussed in the workshop.
Programme
16:40 Introduction to the workshop and of participants
16:45 Introduction to the RMSOS model and the conclusions of the seminar on youth participation.
17:00 Exploring with participants the RMSOS model in terms of Internet Governance and the recommendations
17:30 Discussion on youth participation in Internet Governance based on participants’ recommendations with:
18:00 Conclusions, wrapping up the session
Relevance of the Session:
The theme of the Internet Governance Forum as well as the Forum in general are concerned with the role different stakeholders take in shaping the digital future be it individual or collective. Young people are active users of the Internet and they also shape it by the way they use it, they are target of marketing campaign, developers, policy makers. But not all young people can take part in the discussion and these processes, often scattered and confusing, in the same way. Some do not understand the political meaning of their participation, while others have more insight and take part in discussions about the way the internet is regulated, the ways various stakeholders as well as technological developments are brought to use, some are initiators. However, they are all impacted by all these decisions and developments.
The workshop is concerned on how to make this process fair and accessible to everyone, how to increase the opportunities, means and support young people have in order to meaningfully engage, along with raising the awareness of various stakeholders of their role in ensuring these processes.
Tag 1: Youth Participation
Tag 2: Human Rights Online
Tag 3: Democracy
Interventions:
Milosh Ristovski, represents Centre for Intercultural Dialogue in the Advisory Council on Youth. He has extensive experience in the co-management and youth participation (European Youth Forum, national youth council, international organisations) and has been involved in advocating for better youth participation in Internet governance, backed by proper media and political literacy.
Gisella Gori, Policy officer of the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe. The division has been instrumental in setting up such programmes Building a Europe with and for Chidren,
Ambassador Corina Calugaru, Thematic Coordinator on Information Policy (TC-INF), Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Republic of Moldova to the Council of Europe
Diversity:
All speakers are new to IGF. The speakers also represent a diversity regarding gender, regional representation (Canada, Europe, Africa) and come from Intergovermental organisations, civil Society, internet startups and have been involved in national governmental processes regarding internet governance.
Onsite Moderator: Ruxandra Pandea
Online Moderator: Ron Salaj
Rapporteur: Irina Drexler
Online Participation:
The session will be announced through the social media channels of the No Hate Speech Movement (outreach Europe, Morocco, Mexico, Canada, India, United States of America), as well as through the youth organisations and states authorities responsible for youth that are partners with the Council of Europe.
The participants in the Council of Europe seminar “Youth participation in Internet Governance” will take part online and introduce the results of their seminar to the participants in the workshop. The recommendations elaborated in the seminar would have been by the time of the Forum also consulted with other stakeholders such as the local communities and organisations/institutions/ of the participants in the seminar, the Joint Council on Youth. This will be a chance to get a final feedback.
Online participation will be secured with the support of the online moderator. Discussions onsite will also be carried online with the participants (considered a working group of their own), as well as questions are to be brought in.
The session will be either livestreamed via video or a live twitter with a share of slides prepared in advance to ensure everyone can equally participate.
Discussion facilitation:
The session consist of 6 steps
1. Plenary introduction, this intends to give a quick baseline for all participants to start from.
2. Round table with 2 speakers to introduce the topic of youth participation in Internet governance
3. Exploring youth participation in the realities of the participants in the breakout session and critical reflection (working groups)
4. Introduction of the recommendations of the seminar
5. Discussion, completion of the recommendations (in small groups).
6. Conclusions and closure.
Conducted a Workshop in IGF before?: No
Link to Report:
16:40 Introduction to the workshop and of participants
16:45 Introduction to the RMSOS model and the conclusions of the seminar on youth participation.
17:00 Exploring with participants the RMSOS model in terms of Internet Governance and the recommendations
17:30 Discussion on youth participation in Internet Governance based on participants’ recommendations with:
18:00 Conclusions, wrapping up the session
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