The Asia Pacific Youth Internet Governance Forum brings together the vibrant voices of young digital leaders across our diverse region, recognizing the crucial role of youth in shaping the future of our connected world. This three-year blueprint for the Asia Pacific Youth Internet Governance Forum (yIGF.Asia) outlines a bold vision to enhance youth participation and leadership in Internet governance across the region for the years 2025-2027.
By amplifying youth voices and promoting deeper engagement, this initiative addresses key digital challenges while fostering a sense of belonging and responsibility among young stakeholders. This blueprint marks the start of a transformative journey, calling on the yIGF.Asia community to unite in building a dynamic, collaborative framework that turns this vision into reality. Through shared effort and purpose, we can create a vibrant network of young leaders empowered to shape their digital future and advocate for change.
Our goal is not just to create a framework, but to ensure it is inclusive, adaptive, and responsive to the diverse experiences of youth in the Asia Pacific. By involving young people in crafting the action plan, we nurture a sense of ownership that strengthens their commitment to each initiative and policy. This collaborative approach aligns our efforts with the unique challenges and aspirations of the region’s youth, ensuring the yIGF serves as a platform for meaningful, lasting impact.
Vision and Mission:
We aim to promote a multistakeholder approach in Internet governance, positioning youth as key drivers of impactful change in digital policies. Through this Blueprint, we aim to empower young leaders and amplify diverse perspectives, fostering collaborative solutions to address challenges in the digital landscape and work toward a more inclusive, equitable Internet. By creating spaces for youth voices across the Asia Pacific region to actively engage in discussions about the internet’s future, we bring together diverse young leaders to build a more connected, equitable digital world for all.
Goals and Objectives:
We are focused on three core strategic areas with 10 clear goals that will guide our work over the next three years. These objectives provide a structured path to drive impactful outcomes, shaping our efforts toward a more inclusive and engaged digital future.
- Enhancing the Regional Asia Pacific Youth IGF
- Youth Representation in Influential & Leadership Roles at the Regional & Global Level
- Expanding Our Network & Amplifying Youth’s Voice
Through these objectives, we aim to strengthen youth engagement and ensure meaningful participation in Internet governance across the APAC region.
Action Plan:
| Focus A: Enhancing the Regional Asia Pacific Youth IGF |
| Goal 1- Expand the Decentralized Funding Model: To support regional participation, Steering Committee (SC) members will seek funding from local organizations, universities, corporations, and NGOs. Outreach materials will highlight success stories and sponsorship benefits, aiming to create a self-sustaining model that reduces reliance on APrIGF local host support. |
| Goal 2- Strengthen the Asia Pacific Youth Leaders Dialogue: Consistent dialogue among youth leaders will be facilitated, with SC members taking turns to lead agenda-setting for each Youth Leaders Dialogue. Defined roles and timelines will ensure effective coordination and engagement across the region. |
| Goal 3- Implement a Local Hub Model: A local hub model will enable remote participation for youth unable to attend on-site. SC members will support hubs with toolkits for organizing activities and enhancing experiences with expert involvement during discussions. |
| Goal 4- Strengthen the Asia Pacific yIGF Steering Committee: Post-2023, the SC will be structured with specific working groups, bi-weekly meetings, and dedicated communication channels to improve collaboration and efficiency, fostering a strong culture of co-creation. |
| Focus B: Youth Representation in Influential & Leadership Roles at the Regional & Global Level |
| Goal 5- Nominate Youth for Leadership Roles: To elevate Asia Pacific youth voices globally, the SC will encourage nominations for groups like APrIGF MSG, YCIG, and IGF MAG, enhancing visibility and influence in global IG spaces. |
| Goal 6- Promote Gender Equality and Diversity in yIGF: The SC will engage women’s universities to boost female participation in yIGF activities. Public speaking roles and document contributions will support balanced gender representation in leadership. |
| Goal 7- Contribute to Global IG Discussions Through Participation and Proposals: An online course on proposal crafting will be developed, with working groups and mentors guiding youth in workshop submissions. Collaborations with initiatives like NetMission Academy will provide additional resources. |
| Focus C: Expanding Our Network & Amplifying Youth’s Voice |
| Goal 8- Help More APAC Countries Establish yIGFs: The SC will form an advisory team to support new yIGFs, promoting knowledge sharing and multilingual engagement to increase inclusivity across APAC. |
| Goal 9- Create a “YIGF Local Initiative Starter Kit”: A “YIGF Local Initiative Starter Kit” will provide guidelines, best practices, templates, and training resources. This kit will be accessible online, supported by workshops and webinars for guidance. |
| Goal 10- Foster a Culture of Collaboration for a Strong Youth Network: An online platform will serve as a central hub for yIGF activities, enabling cross-country projects and resource sharing to strengthen a network of young APAC leaders in Internet governance. |
We believe this collaborative approach will help align our actions with the unique challenges and aspirations of our youth, making the yIGF a platform for lasting impact. For more details about the three-year blueprint, please visit https://nma.asia/3-yr-blueprint-comment.