[Chapter-delegates] An Open Letter to all ISOC Chapter Members

Fri Nov 15 06:54:29 PST 2013

Dear Bob,
It's with a great pleasure that I read your message to Chapters, which 
stands as a review of work done so far and outlines perspectives.
I take this message as the outlines of a roadmap to be followed by chapters.
I am Chair of Cameroon Chapter since 2011, let me note here that I am 
satisfied with the work done by  the Staff of ISOC and the message the 
Chair of the ISOC Board of Trustees comforts me. Indeed, in two years, 
Our Chapter has enjoyed a considerable support from ISOC, let me state 
some here:
- support for the organization of the chapter Kick off event, It was an 
event that gave visibility  of ISOC through to the local authorities.
- support for the organization of  the IPv6 World day (6 June 2012), 
which marked the local Internet community.
- support for the organization of a remote Hub of the IETF-Africa 
meeting, where a large number of students and engineers were aware of 
the role and mission of the IETF
- successive support the project Impact IPv6 (via the Community grant) 
which allowed the authorities and engineers to be aware of issues of 
IPv6 and it impact on the growing of the Internet, therefore, today many 
local  ISP have  reserved their IPv6 block.
- support for registering 5 chapter members to the  Next Generation 
Leader programme, today 4 of them are on board leading the Chapter.
- support for the annual web hosting cost of the  chapter website: 
www.isoc.cm
- support for the participation of members in two Inet (Cotonou, Geneva)
- support for the participation of  member to the  Chapters meeting in 
Durban
- etc.,  etc. & etc.
Thanks to each  ISOC staff who helps to achieve this with our Chapter in 
a so short time.
Our Chapter will continue to request the availability and the expertise 
of each of them for helping implement the ISOC mission for the advantage 
of our local Internet community.
Thank you  once again Bod for your  message.

Warm regards,
/ Janvier
----------
Janvier Ngnoulaye
Chair, Cameroon Chapter

Le 12/11/2013 00:17, Bob Hinden a écrit :
> I am writing this email as the Chair of the Internet Society Board of
> Trustees on behalf of the Board.  The Board listens closely to the
> views of Chapters and believe that Chapters bring a tremendous value
> to the Internet Society.  We see Chapters as very important to
> implementing ISOC's mission around the world.  They give the Internet
> Society a voice on the ground in a way that ISOC staff cannot.  The
> feedback all of ISOC gets from Chapters is an important part of
> developing the Internet Society's strategy and policy positions.  We
> are very pleased to see new Chapters being formed and are, of course,
> saddened when a Chapter closes.
>
> As you know there are efforts underway to establish Chapter performance
> standards, finding new ways of providing assistance to Chapters, and
> establishing a Chapter Advisory Council.  I think it is helpful to
> summarize the role of Chapters in the Internet Society.
>
> The Board has recently approved changes to the Internet Society's by
> laws that formally recognize Chapters, equalizes the number of Board
> members elected by all communities (including increasing the number
> elected by Chapters to four), and authorizes Chapters to establish an
> Advisory Council.  This was the result of a two year process to consult
> and listen to the views of Chapters.  At the request of Chapters, we
> suspended several staff efforts until the update to the by-laws was
> completed.  Now that the by-laws have been approved, these efforts to
> increase the Chapters' engagement in ISOC's strategic activities are
> underway.  This is a work in progress and we ask your patience in these
> activities.  The problems that are being addressed have a long history
> and can't be solved immediately.  You will see changes rolled out in
> the upcoming months.
>
> The Board has given the ISOC President and staff clear and strong
> guidance to insure that there is strong engagement with the Chapters.
> ISOC staff is fully committed to this work and has the Board's full
> support.
>
> I have two other points I would like to make.  First, the governance of
> the Internet Society has been settled since the Internet Society was
> formed in 1992.  The charter, legal, and operational structure of the
> Internet Society establish it as a cause-based, mission driven
> organization.  It is governed by a Board of Trustees.  Board of
> Trustees members are responsible for ensuring the overall success of
> the Internet Society.  As such, they are not on the Board to represent
> only the community that elected them; they are to represent the whole
> Internet Society.  Chapters, Org members, and the IETF are all
> encouraged to engage with ISOC as strong contributors to positions and
> strategic programs and directions.  The decisions taken by the Board
> and staff will be ultimately formulated based on ISOC's mission and
> governance structure.
>
> Second, we are all passionate about ISOC, its mission, and the
> Internet.  The Board and I value this passion.  However,  I think it is
> unfortunate that some of the passion expressed on the Chapters email
> list has gone over the line into personal attacks on staff, Chapter
> members, and Board members.  This behavior is unprofessional and does
> not create the open, respectful, and constructive environment that
> should exist.  It will cause some people to withdraw from the
> discussion and does not create the collaborative open environment we
> need.  Everyone who posts to the chapter list is expected to follow the
> ISOC elist Code of Conduct;  See:
>
>    http://www.internetsociety.org/elist-code-conduct
>
> The Board is committed to an ongoing dialog with the Chapters on the
> issues that face the Internet.  We think the Chapters are an essential
> element of the Internet Society and are critical to meeting the
> challenges we are seeing every day on the Internet.  I am sure we all
> agree that we want the Internet to be the open platform for worldwide
> communication among everyone in the world.  We all need to work
> together toward that goal.
>
> Regards,
>
> Bob Hinden,
> Chair, Internet Society Board of Trustees
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org

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