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

[Seun Ojedeji]

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



-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seun Ojedeji,
Federal University Oye-Ekiti
web:      http://www.fuoye.edu.ng
Mobile: +2348035233535
alt email: seun.ojedeji at fuoye.edu.ng

Bringing another down does not take you up - think about your action!