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

[Gonzalo Camarillo]

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 ---
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>