This is a very important discussion, and I feel compelled to chime in.  First let me say that I am aware that:

1). I am old.  Or the preferred term is, a senior citizen

2). I have been continuously elected to something since 2014, after I was recruited by Kathy Kleiman to come in and serve on the WHOIS Board selected team, as a privacy expert.  So I have had 11 straight years of serving in various capacities.  Thato is right, it is somebody else’s turn.  



However, I would argue that we as an organisation representing civil society, have to have a blend of experienced people who have done things like serve on Boards, serve in management positions, run businesses, etc.  Youthful passion and recent university graduation are powerful, but we in arguing policy matters here are up against senior representatives of business and industry, including many senior lawyers who are earning high fees to come to ICANN and get what their clients want.  Furthermore, the other stakeholder groups on the GNSO have skin in the game….this is their business we are arguing about.  They are perfectly entitled to ask, what exactly do you guys bring to this game?  So knowledge and experience are required, we can’t just stand up and say we represent the public interest.  New people are required, we cannot just be the same old faces.  But we certainly need better ways of working together to get a just combination of youth and experience.



When the Internet came to be commercialised, there were few people who understood it.  When the first WSIS meetings were held, many of our older members (including me) went to those meetings, knew the folks running them, were working on policies to manage the coming Internet etc.  A lot of those folks remain engaged to this day.  It was a lot easier to claim expertise back then, as there was not as much competition.   Now things are different for young people coming up….there is a lot to learn, and millions of people learning it. Even if you studied internet governance, when you arrive at ICANN and try to engage on pdps, it is overwhelming.  It is hard to win an argument at the best of times, but if you are up against folks who have been fighting here at ICANN for 20 years or so, you need help.



The summer schools on Internet governance are fantastic, and we must thank many of our members for running them.  They are not enough though….I went to the one in Germany back in 2015 and I learned a lot, but it has not been enough to manage day to day.  Contributing to pops is required if you want to lead here, because sooner or later you are going to be asked hard questions, and if you have no clue, you lose respect…not just for yourself, but for our organizations, who you represent.  Therefore it is important that we improve our mentorship programs.  We need to get more senior folks to help, to answer questions, to shadow our younger people and give counsel.  However, we have to be asked.  I have offered to help, to mentor folks on WHOIS and privacy issues.  Nobody asks.  Folks will ask us to write digest or notes explaining things to them….fine, but send us the questions you have, so we can target our summaries.



I am hanging around even though I will have no formal role next year.  I would cheerfully help anyone who wants to learn.  



Kind regards

Stephanie Perrin







> On May 14, 2024, at 1:57 PM, Johan Helsingius <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 

> On 14/05/2024 19:44, Remmy Nweke wrote:

> 

>> This observation is well in order but the problem is with the NCSG Charter which has no limitation on tenure.

> 

> "The NCSG Chair is elected by the general NCSG membership for a

>  one-year term and is limited to two consecutive terms."

> 

> "GNSO Council Representatives are subject to terms limits as specified

>  in Article X, Section 3 of the Bylaws and the GNSO Operating Procedures

>  (GOP)."

> 

> From the GOP Article 11 Section 3 (b):

> "Except in a "special circumstance," such as, but not limited to,

>  meeting geographic or other diversity requirements defined in the

>  Stakeholder Group charters, where no alternative representative is

>  available to serve, no Council member may be selected to serve more

>  than two consecutive terms, in such a special circumstance a Council

>  member may serve one additional term."

> 

> 	Julf