First steps of my internet governance journey – Luke Teoh

Asia Pacific yIGF 2022 Organizing Committee Sharing

Luke Teoh (November 2, 2022)

Being part of the organizing committee for yIGF 2022 has been an essential step in my internet governance journey as a youth. Coming from a language background it wasn’t clear from the start where my place in this community is. However, yIGF 2022 and APrIGF 2022 have shown me that internet governance is more interdisciplinary than I thought. Through the various sharing session by multiple experts, I noticed that the combination of knowledge from different disciplines is what makes internet governance unique and sustainable. I felt that the current problems faced were redefined and possible solutions were proposed based on the novel connections formed between different disciplines and their relation to internet governance. For me, my main takeaway from the events was learning how to relate language to the internet. At first glance, there seems to be no evident connection but reflecting upon the informative sharings helped me find one. 

I concur with the participants of yIGF when they said that digital literacy is the soil for digital citizenship, and the youth are the bridge for digital literacy to be attained in societies. With digital citizenship, we can ensure that internet users will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to enhance their internet experience and make smart choices online and in life. How does language fit in? Language is the tool that enables internet users across the globe to build their digital literacy. As young changemakers, we need to ensure this information and knowledge is accessible in as many local languages so that no one is left behind in this age of digital transformation. Another key point discussed in yIGF was how some information or knowledge was lost in the process of translation, making certain concepts and ideas even harder and more complicated to understand. 

yIGF 2022 was one of the first hybrid events I organized. The organizing committee of yIGF had spent months of meetings and discussions preparing for the hybrid event and we are grateful that we managed to complete it successfully. Through the hybrid format, we were able to connect with our invited speakers who could not make it physically to the event and the participants were able to learn from the informative sharing. I feel that the hybrid format offers more flexibility for attendees and the organizing committee when considering factors such as travel and accommodation costs. In addition, it also serves as a more environmentally friendly option going into the future which makes it more sustainable. 

Being a youth, I believe that this experience has shown me how I am capable of making a change in the internet governance community. Alongside other youth from across the globe, we were able to show that the youth are present and care about the future of the internet. We also shared our inputs and ideas during the APrIGF Townhall Session and in the APrIGF Synthesis Document. I would like to thank NetMission for this wonderful opportunity for both professional and personal development. I encourage all youth who haven’t started their internet governance journeys to do so today.