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

Gabriel Nhinda gnhinda at hotmail.com
Thu Nov 9 00:20:31 PST 2017 

I fully support the use of accessibility as it speaks towards inclusivity of everyone. 

Additionally, using the term champion for me gives the sense of taking responsibility for the work needed to achieve the goals of ISOC. 

Gabriel-Tuhafeni NHINDA
ISOC NAMIBIA CHAPTER Non-Executive board member

> On 9 Nov 2017, at 09:57, Gonzalo Camarillo <Gonzalo.Camarillo at ericsson.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> thanks for the input. Please, note that the adjectives we end up using
> in the mission statement will not be an exhaustive list of the
> properties any of us could attribute to the Internet. Such a list would
> be pretty long indeed ;-) Nevertheless, we are noting all these feedback
> and regardless of whether a particular adjective makes it to the
> statement, we will take them into account in our scoping activities,
> ISOC's policy, community, and technology work, etc.
> 
> Also, please do not forget that out vision (The Internet is for
> Everyone) captures some of the ideas being discussed here.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Gonzalo
> 
>> On 08/11/2017 6:24 PM, Judith Hellerstein wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I also think accessibility is key and would like to see the term used.
>>  I do understand that accessibility means different things to different
>> people so an alternative wording could be something like the following.
>> An Internet that is standards based, stable, scalable, secure,
>> sustainable, and allows for future innovation for the benefit of the
>> entire Internet community. 
>> 
>> If we insist on standards based than we will most likely have an
>> accessible internet. If all groups followed the WCAG standards than it
>> will be accessible to all.
>> 
>> The concept of an open and interoperable internet can described from
>> many angles, technological, business, political, social, cultural and
>> may have different meanings in different communities but what each of
>> these communities have in common is a desire for an internet that is
>> standards based, stable, scalable, sustainable, secure, and allows for
>> innovation for the benefit of all.
>> 
>> As for using the word champion I do prefer this to advocate. Champion is
>> a much stronger word.
>> 
>> Interested in hearing what others think
>> 
>> Judith 
>> Sent from my iPad 
>> judith at jhellerstein.com <mailto:judith at jhellerstein.com> 
>> Skype ID:JudithHellerstein
>> 
>> On Nov 7, 2017, at 3:08 PM, Muhammad Shabbir <mshabbirawan at gmail.com
>> <mailto:mshabbirawan at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Thanks Gonzalo for your comment.
>>> 
>>> Yes, ISOC does work on accessibility and if we want to connect the
>>> next billion to the internet, accessibility would be the key for that.
>>> Therefore, ISOC ought to mention it in its mission statement. My blog
>>> post (written during my participation at WTDC17) discussing,
>>> "Accessibility Needs to Be at the Heart of Internet Policy, Planning
>>> and Design", is available at:
>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2017/10/internet-built-force-good-lets-keep-way/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> In this context, I repeat the following line that I proposed earlier:
>>> "We work with the worldwide Internet community for an Internet that is
>>> open, globally-connected, secure, and equally accessible and usable
>>> for all."
>>> 
>>> Best,
>>> 
>>> Muhammad Shabbir.
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Gonzalo Camarillo [mailto:Gonzalo.Camarillo at ericsson.com]
>>> Sent: Monday, November 6, 2017 11:51 AM
>>> To: Muhammad Shabbir; chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>>> <mailto:chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] Proposal to revise ISOC's mission
>>> statement
>>> 
>>> Hi Muhammad,
>>> 
>>> thanks for your comments. Yes, accessibility is something ISOC works on.
>>> We will look into whether we can mention it in the mission.
>>> 
>>> Cheers,
>>> 
>>> Gonzalo
>>> 
>>>> On 27/10/2017 1:34 PM, Muhammad Shabbir wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Dear Gonzalo,
>>>> 
>>>> My observation on the below mission statement is that it doesn't
>>>> mention the
>>>> accessibility part of the internet or making the internet accessible and
>>>> usable for all -- be it persons with disabilities or other disconnected
>>>> communities. In this context, to reflect internet accessibility in ISOC
>>>> mission statement, I propose a small addition in the line that currently
>>>> reads:
>>>> "We work with the worldwide Internet community for an Internet that
>>>> is open,
>>>> globally-connected, and secure"
>>>> 
>>>> After the addition, it should read as following:
>>>> "We work with the worldwide Internet community for an Internet that
>>>> is open,
>>>> globally-connected, secure, and equally accessible and usable for all."
>>>> 
>>>> Best,
>>>> Muhammad Shabbir Awan,
>>>> Member BoD ISOC Islamabad Pakistan Chapter.
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Chapter-delegates
>>>> [mailto:chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org]
>>>> On Behalf Of Gonzalo Camarillo
>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2017 1:19 PM
>>>> To: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
>>>> <mailto: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 ---
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
>>> 
> _______________________________________________
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> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
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