How has the Youth IGF made an impact on internet governance? – Edward Choi

This is my second journey for youth participation in Internet Governance. Last December, I, as a Hong Kong Youth Internet Governance Forum Ambassador, participated in the Global IGF. Moderating a break-out group discussion and being a panellist in a workshop had trained my strategy to negotiate and exchange ideas with experts. Bringing those experiences with me, I picked up a new challenge in the APrIGF. Indeed, my role has been changed: from a local participant to a host for a regional event. From logistics to rundown, and from rehearsal to onsite engagement, the whole period was packed with enthusiastic ideas. Everything came together for enhancing the capacity of Internet governance involvement amongst the youth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Other than this, it was my honour to be invited to share the common stories of NetMission Ambassadors, in the session of Diversity and Multi-Stakeholder Participation during the Capacity Building Day at the APrIGF. After the efforts of our alumni and this cohort throughout 9 years, voices of the youth have been amplified with the movement in youth IGF.

I believe that the end of yIGF 2018 doesn’t mean the end of a chapter on youth participation. The youth, after the three-day event, were equipped with comprehensive skills for future initiatives on IG campaigns in both local and global contexts, including a Vanuatu IGF which was formed as a result of APrIGF.

See you next year, at yIGF 2019 in Vladivostok!

(Photo credits: ISOC)


About the writer

Edward Choi, NetMission Ambassador of Class 2017/2018,

Year 2 student of Government and Public Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong