[Chapter-delegates] News Release: Internet Society Next Generation Leaders Programme

[Greg Wood]

Hello,
For your reference, the news release below will be publicly  
distributed shortly (around 1500 UTC on 7 October 2009).
Sincerely,
-Greg

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"We have met the future Internet leaders and they are us"

Youth attending the launch of the Next Generation Leaders programme  
look to themselves to provide leadership of the Internet

GENEVA, Switzerland--7 October 2009--Insights from youth attending the  
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World Conference  
in Geneva, gathered via a poll, show that they considered future  
leaders of the Internet were far more likely to emerge from  
educational institutions than from industry, government, or technical  
communities. Leadership, for this group, is a bridging role relying on  
education to combine and complement commercial, policy, or  
technological advances.

Their view of leadership positions the youth to address and find  
solutions to over-arching concerns such as privacy and security, which  
they ranked as a far greater concern today than censorship, government  
regulation, or over-commercialisation.

The poll took place at the launch of a new Internet Society (ISOC)  
programme designed to identify and promote future leaders such as the  
talented youth selected for this global conference.

"The Internet Society's Next Generation Leaders programme offers a  
unique opportunity to advance potential Internet leaders, and the  
results of this poll indicate the importance of balanced education for  
leadership," said Bill Graham, responsible for strategic global  
engagement at the Internet Society. "We want to provide the world's  
next generation of Internet leaders the opportunity to accelerate  
their careers."

"We have specifically designed our programme to prepare young  
professionals for leadership, bridging the boundaries between  
business, technical development, policy, and governance on local,  
regional, and international levels. It is based on specialized  
coursework, introductions to current high-level leaders, and project  
work. Graduates will have a great opportunity to advance their careers  
faster than they could on their own," continues Graham.

Candidates in the programme will also have the opportunity to apply  
for ISOC's existing representation programmes, such as ISOC  
Ambassadorships to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) or ISOC  
Fellowships to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

This programme is made possible through generous support from Nominet  
Trust.

For more information about joining or supporting the Internet Society  
Next Generation Leaders programme, see: http://www.isoc.org/leaders/

About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to  
provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and  
policy. With offices in Washington, D.C., and Geneva, Switzerland, it  
is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of  
the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. More  
information is available at: http://InternetSociety.org

Media Contact
Gerard Ross
Internet Society
ross at isoc.org
+41 22 809 0361