[Chapter-delegates] Proposal to revise ISOC's mission statement

Sun Nov 5 22:59:55 PST 2017

Hi Seun,

please note that in the proposed text "worldwide" refers to the
community while "globally-connected" refers to the network (i.e., the
Internet) instead.

Cheers,

Gonzalo

On 28/10/2017 2:07 PM, Seun Ojedeji wrote:
> Hello Gonzalo,
> 
> A quick just a minor quick one; I think attaching "worldwide" and
> global to qualify the Internet community doesn't seem to flow well. I
> will suggest dropping the worldwide part so that part of the mission
> reads:
> 
> "We work with the Internet community for an Internet that is open,
> globally-connected, and secure."
> 
> Regards
> 
> On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 6:30 PM, Gonzalo Camarillo
> <Gonzalo.Camarillo at ericsson.com> wrote:
>> Hi Richard,
>>
>> we chose to use the term "Internet community" (which is used quite
>> often) as a result of feedback we received. Originally, we were
>> considering to use the term "Internet stakeholders" because the term
>> "stakeholder" is quite common in the policy area (e.g., as in the
>> multi-stakeholder model). We received feedback against using
>> stakeholders and in favor of using something that stressed the community
>> aspects of people involved with what ISOC does. That is where the
>> "Internet Community" part of the mission statement comes from.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Gonzalo
>>
>> On 26/10/2017 5:02 PM, Richard Hill wrote:
>>> Dear Gonzalo,
>>>
>>> One of the members of ISOC-CH has the following questions:
>>>
>>>> What precisely is the meaning of the phrase <the worldwide Internet
>>> community>?
>>>>
>>>> What is the justification for the implied claim that it is in fact correct
>>> to refer to this as a <community>?
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Richard
>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Chapter-delegates [mailto:chapter-delegates-
>>>> bounces at elists.isoc.org] On Behalf Of Gonzalo Camarillo
>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2017 10:19
>>>> To: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>>>> Subject: [Chapter-delegates] Proposal to revise ISOC's mission
>>>> statement
>>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> the board of trustees of the Internet Society (ISOC) plans to revise
>>>> ISOC's mission statement. We would like to get your comments on the
>>>> proposal we include below. This email discusses the reasons for the
>>>> proposed change, the process we have followed so far to put together
>>>> the current proposal, and the next steps in the process.
>>>>
>>>> ISOC's current vision and mission statements were developed around
>>>> 2005 and are available at ISOC's web page:
>>>>
>>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/mission/
>>>>
>>>> These statements have provided ISOC with a clear direction for many
>>>> years and have been a useful tool for the community.
>>>>
>>>> What ISOC does in practice to fulfill its vision has evolved over time.
>>>> Looking at the environment in which ISOC operates, there have been
>>>> important changes (some external and some internal to ISOC) that make
>>>> it desirable to revise those statements at this point.
>>>>
>>>> Externally, the current Internet environment is different from what it
>>>> was when the current statements were developed: regional needs are
>>>> different, communication patterns are different, and the
>>>> standardization landscape is different. Internet users and, thus, also
>>>> ISOC's chapters and members are more international and many of them
>>>> come from developing countries.
>>>>
>>>> Internally, ISOC's revenue sources have increased significantly from
>>>> 2005 until present. This means that ISOC's potential to realize its
>>>> vision through activities has increased substantially and may still
>>>> continue to increase in the near term. The board considers that simply
>>>> increasing linearly everything ISOC does today would not be a viable or
>>>> desirable approach. Building a large reserve without further advancing
>>>> ISOC's social goals is not a good option either. Instead, ISOC will
>>>> strengthen some of its current areas of engagement and, when
>>>> appropriate, engage in new impactful activities in new areas.
>>>>
>>>> Our goal is to bring more focus into the organization. The idea is to
>>>> avoid spreading ourselves too thin and, instead, increase ISOC's focus
>>>> on activities that make a difference.
>>>>
>>>> In order to make those key decisions, staff, the board, and the
>>>> community need to be on the same page regarding ISOC's vision and
>>>> mission, and their underlying meaning. Given that many members of
>>>> staff, the board, and the community were not around when the current
>>>> statements were developed back in 2005, revising them with their
>>>> involvement was considered to be a necessary exercise so that everybody
>>>> feels them as their own. Getting a common sense of ownership is one of
>>>> our main goals.
>>>>
>>>> In order to have a fresh look at our vision and mission, a set of
>>>> workshops involving the whole staff were organized.  Using an iterative
>>>> process and taking the input from those workshops into consideration,
>>>> further workshops involving the board and ISOC's senior management were
>>>> organized with the help of a facilitator. Some of the workshops were
>>>> virtual and some of them were face-to-face.
>>>>
>>>> The board had a face-to-face retreat where, based on all the work
>>>> above, revised draft statements were generated. Those draft statements
>>>> were sent to parts of the community (including IETF leadership, ISOC's
>>>> emeriti trustees, and chapter and org members) to get initial comments.
>>>> After gathering a good amount of initial community feedback, the board
>>>> generated new proposed statements addressing the comments received.
>>>> With the process above the board aimed to ensure that the revised
>>>> statements take into account the perspectives of staff as well as our
>>>> wider community.
>>>>
>>>> The resulting proposed statements (included below) are now ready to be
>>>> sent to our whole community.
>>>>
>>>> During the process above, we agreed that ISOC's current vision and
>>>> mission are still as valid as ever. With respect to the *statements*
>>>> that capture the spirit of the vision and mission, we do not propose
>>>> any changes to the vision statement.
>>>>
>>>> With respect to the mission statement, we propose to update it.  One of
>>>> the goals with the new statement is that it is both concise and
>>>> memorable.  Consequently, the mission is stated at a higher abstraction
>>>> level and contains fewer points.
>>>>
>>>> The current mission statement included a list of activities ISOC
>>>> performs to help achieve our mission. While it seems that list was not
>>>> approved as part of the mission statement back in the day, the initial
>>>> feedback we have gotten from the community clearly indicates that many
>>>> consider capturing the list in an official way important. Therefore, we
>>>> propose to keep those bullets as highlights of activities.
>>>>
>>>> It is worthwhile noting that, regardless of the outcome in the form of
>>>> a revised mission statement, this process is being very useful in
>>>> itself. It has clearly helped getting a better understanding about
>>>> ISOC's purpose among everybody involved.
>>>>
>>>> Please, find the proposed statements below and share your comments with
>>>> us on this list. Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> Gonzalo Camarillo (for the board)
>>>> Chair - ISOC Board of Trustees
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --- Proposal ---
>>>>
>>>> Vision:
>>>> -------
>>>>
>>>>   The Internet is for everyone.
>>>>
>>>> Mission:
>>>> --------
>>>>
>>>>   The Internet Society champions the development of the Internet as a
>>>>   global technical infrastructure, a resource to enrich people's
>>>>   lives, and a force for good in society.
>>>>
>>>>   We work with the worldwide Internet community for an Internet that
>>>>   is open, globally-connected, and secure.
>>>>
>>>>   Together, we focus on:
>>>>
>>>>   - Building and supporting the communities that make the Internet
>>>> work;
>>>>
>>>>   - Advancing the development of Internet infrastructure,
>>>>     technologies, and open standards; and
>>>>
>>>>   - Advocating for sound Internet policy around the world.
>>>>
>>>> Highlights of Activities:
>>>> -------------------------
>>>>
>>>>   To help achieve our mission, the Internet Society:
>>>>
>>>>   - Facilitates open development of standards, protocols,
>>>>     administration, and the technical infrastructure of the Internet.
>>>>
>>>>   - Supports education in developing countries specifically, and
>>>>     wherever the need exists.
>>>>
>>>>   - Promotes professional development and builds community to foster
>>>>     participation and leadership in areas important to the evolution
>>>>     of the Internet.
>>>>
>>>>   - Provides reliable information about the Internet.
>>>>
>>>>   - Provides forums for discussion of issues that affect Internet
>>>>     evolution, development and use in technical, commercial, societal,
>>>>     and other contexts.
>>>>
>>>>   - Fosters an environment for international cooperation, community,
>>>>     and a culture that enables self-governance to work.
>>>>
>>>>   - Serves as a focal point for cooperative efforts to promote the
>>>>     Internet as a positive tool to benefit all people throughout the
>>>>     world.
>>>>
>>>>   - Provides management and coordination for on-strategy initiatives
>>>>     and outreach efforts in humanitarian, educational, societal, and
>>>>     other contexts.
>>>>
>>>> --- End of Proposal ---
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>>>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>>>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
> 
> 
> 