Talk:Youth empowerment – WS 02 2015

Dear all,

Let's start our work as org.team for the Workshop 2 on Empowerment:

1. The team membership is open so everybody can invite any other person into the team

2. We have to look for volunteers for a moderator, a reporter and 3-4 panelists to be decided till 15 May - (as to their functions you can see in the presentation here: http://www.eurodig.org/fileadmin/user_upload/get_involved/EuroDIG_2015_session_planning_presentation_20150330.pdf

3. Till 10th of April we should agree on: - session teaser - key words

4. We can start also discussing the final title, session description and format. No presentations are allowed. Recommended format is open interactive discussion, could be in the format of World cafe, Open space, round table or any other suggested by the team. Panelists contributions should be kept short - up to 5 minutes, and should not be self-presenting (speaker placement) but rather brief, provocative statements aiming to provoke lively discussion and lead to conclusions, recommendations, benchmarks, etc.

5. We have to think and propose how to achieve representation balance - stakeholders, geographical, gender. Here is also important to organise youth participation. My organisation can involve 3-4 young people from Bulgaria.

6. For a space for org.team discussion and work I suggest creating a Facebook group. Please, advise, would everybody agree to this? Or any other suggestions?

Best regards, Georgi

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Dear Georgi,

Thank you for being our focal point and starting the organisation of the workshop! We are happy to help with the organisation and/or on the day of the workshop if and where we can.

I think most of the answers to the questions raised in your email will depend on how the topic of the workshop is framed.

Albeit grouped together under the heading ‘Empowerment’, the 3 (or 4) contributions mentioned in the agenda (10,19 and 22 + 6) seem to cover a range of different issues.

To my mind, we have two potentially different topics (albeit there are linkages and they can maybe both be grouped under the general heading of ‘creating a better/safer online environment’):

1) The inclusive, positive use of ICTs by children

2) The fight against criminal sexual abuse material depicting children

At the same time we have a range of actors (children and young people; parents/teachers; online industry; law enforcement; the third sector;…) that could be ‘empowered’ or have a responsibility in either or both of the topics mentioned above. I am not sure a 90 minutes workshop can cover both aspects + all stakeholders or whether the topic should be further specified.

Our contribution (19) focussed mainly on role of technological measures such as filtering and or other control tools (which can either create a safer online environment for children or used to combat online child sexual abuse material) and how they relate to empowerment and issues surrounding, for instance, freedom of expression/access to information.

I am happy to hear how other organisers feel the workshop could be best framed as I think the panellists, format and representation will greatly depend on what the actual topic of the workshop will be.

As regards your last practical point, happy to use a Facebook group, email or the Eurodig WIKI.

Kindest regards, Kristof

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Dear Georgi, Dear Kristof, Dear all,

Here are point-blank ideas for a more convergent and integrated approach. Perhaps the wider and all-encompassing angle could be Child Online Protection, as it is being more and more prioritised within the UN agenda and gradually reflected across Internet Governance fora.

The fight against CSAM is a key strand of COP initiatives. Empowering children and young people, parents, guardians and educators in understanding and handling online risks is essential in combating ICT-facilitated abuse and exploitation. So we could have something along the lines of Child Online Protection in Focus: Protecting and Empowering an Online Generation. A workshop with two interactive parts: Protect Yourself, Protect the Community...And here self-empowerment, empowerment of the digital citizen, reporting hotlines and mechanisms, industry initiatives, the power of tech for good, cooperation with law enforcement while balancing freedom, ethics and responsibility would be highlighted accordingly. We could identify relevant stakeholders who would make fresh and forward-looking recommendations.

THE INHOPE video 'Report online child sexual abuse, don't ignore it' could be a good and easy introduction to the second part and the subject matter, as it ties in well with better/safer Internet angle.

Best regards, Sarah Jane