[Chapter-delegates] ISOC Elections result

[Franck Martin]

Eduardo, Veni, et al.

I think the comment is slightly unfair.

I have been alerting the chapter delegates of most of the board meeting,
if not all. I have asked to look at board documents and provide feedback
to board members so they can impact on the strategy of ISOC. Well, I
received very little feedback.
I understand Veni's frustration, and I understand where it is coming
from. I have been trying a different approach. Understand, it does not
matter if there is 1, 3 or 6 chapters elect at the board, the other
board members are not the enemy. They just need to know the chapters
better while at the same time understand that chapters are not a dead
weight to carry around. If chapters are visible to the board by
participation, then they will shape things.
I started a chapter survey after my election to the board which gave
some impetus to get ISOC staff to know better the chapters and revive
what could be revive and shop what was dead.
I pushed for the "AMS" or membership system to be fixed. It is not
moving at the speed I like, but it is moving. yes I'm not happy, 2 years
to get some specifications is a long time, but it is getting there.
The sphere project is a result of the board effort, (including non
chapter-elect board members) to get better interaction between chapters
and ISOC HQ. Groups have been formed, and are starting to work, but if
you look closely, it is more like 5 people from staff or board and 2
people from chapters. I have already heard complains about chapters not
talking. Very difficult to know what chapters want when there is no-one
to talk to.
I have pushed (or rather PICISOC and ISOC-AU) to have chapters meetings
at major events (ICANN, IGF,...). It is now institutionalized. I think
the first meeting happened during ICANN Wellington.
I have pushed to have Chapters brief in the annual report, indicating
some chapters achievements during the year. Before it was all about
ISOC-HQ activities.
Sabrina has been organising monthly online chapters meeting (following
the tradition of the MMM by Andrea Vea Baro). I have participated to a
few, and I would like to thank the ISOC staff for turning up at these
meetings despite very little participation from chapters. Some meeting
have been canceled because no chapter showed up.
I have helped to push for Chapters to present to the board when the
board meet in their area. I think it started in Marrakesh with
ISOC-Maroc, ISOC-Puerto Rico presented last year, and we had
ISOC-Philadelphia recently. This helps the non-elect board members to
know more the chapters out there, as well as chapters to know more what
the board do.

There are about 70 active chapters, in each chapter there are about 3
board members minimum. This is 210 people minimum. Out of these 210
people, I think we can count about 10 people participating in these
chapters-ISOC HQ relations. Should chapters appoint an ISOC-HQ liaison,
as I realize the president of the chapter cannot be everywhere?

So if you, chapters rep, want me to do anything at the board, talk to
me. I work with difficulty by osmosis and mind reading. Also there are
now enough avenues for you to talk with ISOC staff directly and advise
them on how to set up their yearly work plan.

As for us, in PICISOC, we did not vote, because like some of you, our
board members which are in charge to vote, well, did not see the
reminders... And I'm not happy about that too.

Life is hard on the front. May be I should go kite surfing instead? It
costs money too but it is much more fun...


Eduardo Diaz wrote:
> Franck:
>
> We agree with Veni. Even though we always participate in these elections we
> do not see how these trustees help the chapters at all or maybe I am wrong?
> Can somebody let us know what things have been accomplished by previous
> trustees that have a direct (or indirect) impact on the chapters?
>
> Eduardo DIaz
> ISOC-Puerto Rico
>
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org [mailto:chapter-delegates-
>> bounces at elists.isoc.org] On Behalf Of Veni Markovski
>> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 3:43 PM
>> To: Franck Martin; <chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] ISOC Elections result
>>
>> Franck,
>> you are asking questions, which were responded a long, long time ago.
>>
>> Here are some hints:
>> - Chapters are represented by 3 trustees out of 12. Yet, the number
>> of chapters and the number of organizational members is approximately
>> the same, but the org members elect 6 trustees;
>> - Chapter Trustees are not able always to move forward issues that
>> are of relevance for the chapters, which seriously discourages them
>> from even trying;
>> - Active chapters have tried to work with ISOC, but if their efforts
>> have been with no response, they have continued their daily
>> activities, without having time to allocate for more communications
>> with the HQ;
>> - Certain ISOC programs, which are quite good, have not been made
>> popular enough;
>>
>> I can give examples (as usually) with ISOC-Bulgaria for lack of
>> communications with the HQ, but I don't see a reason why.
>>
>> Best,
>> Veni
>>
>> P.S. We voted in the elections, but we did it very reluctantly.
>>
>>
>> At 11:51 AM 5/12/2008  +1200, Franck Martin wrote:
>>     
>>> Congratulations to Alejandro.
>>>
>>> I'm curious why we have only 57% participation to these elections? A
>>> couple of inactive chapters have been removed from the list. ISOC
>>> has a better engagement with chapters via the sphere project. So
>>> what is not working?
>>>
>>> Do chapters care about ISOC governance?
>>>
>>> What needs to be fixed to improve chapters participation, even to
>>> this mailing list and to sphere?
>>>       

-- 
Franck Martin
ICT Specialist
franck at sopac.org
SOPAC, Fiji
GPG Key fingerprint = 44A4 8AE4 392A 3B92 FDF9  D9C6 BE79 9E60 81D9 1320
"Toute connaissance est une reponse a une question" G.Bachelard

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/private/chapter-delegates/attachments/20080513/a14c0917/attachment.htm>