University Diploma South School on Internet Governance | IGF 2023 Launch / Award Event #9

Mark Datysgeld

The South School on Internet Governance is highly respected for its unique and inclusive approach to training. It caters to a larger cohort while providing ample support, which sets it apart from other programs that either cater to highly specific audiences or leave students to self-learning. This approach makes the South School invaluable in internet governance training. The positive sentiment surrounding the South School stems from its ability to strike a balance in catering to a broader audience while still offering the necessary support.

On the other hand, traditional models of training in internet governance face scalability problems when it comes to mass training needs. These models typically consist of closed courses with high participation requirements or self-taught courses with no support. Both of these models are unable to handle large numbers of students. For example, when faced with the challenge of training 200 journalists and 300 lawyers, the current traditional models fall short.

The South School, however, has shown its effectiveness in training large numbers of individuals. It is capable of handling mass training needs, making it a valuable solution. The success of the South School’s experiment of holding the training in the Brazilian countryside further demonstrates its ability to overcome challenges. Despite facing infrastructural obstacles, the event was attended by many foreigners, and local students were able to participate remotely. This successful and transformative experiment validates the South School’s approach to internet governance training.

Additionally, the South School plays a crucial role in qualifying individuals for other programs such as ICANN’s Fellowship or NextGen. By providing the necessary knowledge and skills, the South School empowers individuals to apply for these prestigious programs. It acts as a stepping stone, enabling individuals to take on more challenges and further their involvement in internet governance.

In summary, the South School on Internet Governance stands out for its unique and inclusive approach to training. It effectively caters to a larger audience while providing the necessary support, setting it apart from traditional models. Its success in handling mass training needs and transformative experiment in the Brazilian countryside highlight its capabilities. The South School also acts as a gateway to other programs, qualifying individuals for opportunities in the field of internet governance.

Cláudio Lucena

The South School of Internet Governance plays a pivotal role in promoting and advancing knowledge about internet governance. One of its key successes lies in its ability to engage students, universities, and civil society in understanding the importance of internet governance. By disseminating the concept to diverse stakeholders, the school contributes to a broader understanding of the digital ecosystem and its impact on various sectors of society.

Furthermore, the school has made notable efforts to expand its reach beyond the main capitals, a move that has positively affected local communities. By bringing the school to different regions, it is able to reach a wider audience and give individuals from various backgrounds the opportunity to participate and learn. The commitment and hard work required to make this expansion possible exemplify the school’s dedication to ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.

The school’s focus on research and debate in Europe and DC has provided valuable space for dialogue and exploration. However, it is also important to engage with the Latin American environment, as this region presents unique challenges and opportunities in the field of internet governance. By actively seeking to bridge this gap, the school demonstrates its commitment to addressing global internet governance issues comprehensively.

In the larger context, internet governance is understood to be a crucial aspect of our modern digital lives. The digital ecosystem is ever-evolving, and having effective internet governance policies and practices is essential in ensuring a sustainable, secure, and inclusive digital environment. The South School of Internet Governance, along with other similar institutions, plays a significant role in fostering this understanding and promoting the importance of internet governance.

In conclusion, the South School of Internet Governance stands as an influential institution that engages stakeholders, expands access to knowledge, and promotes a deeper understanding of internet governance. Through its efforts to reach diverse communities, facilitate research and debate, and promote the concept of internet governance as a vital part of our digital lives, the school continues to make significant contributions to the field.

Osvaldo

Osvaldo expresses his sincere gratitude for the partnership established with the university in the second semester of 2021. He wholeheartedly finds the experience to be extremely attractive, emphasizing the positive impact it has had on his work and professional development. The partnership has provided Osvaldo with valuable resources, support, and opportunities for growth in the field of education.

Furthermore, Osvaldo firmly believes that this fruitful initiative should continue and expand in the future. He specifically highlights the importance of the diploma format in contributing to the training and development of human resources. This format has proven to be effective in imparting crucial skills and knowledge to individuals in the education sector, equipping them with the necessary tools to make a meaningful impact.

Moreover, Osvaldo affirms the university’s unwavering commitment to maintain a collaborative approach. This commitment inspires confidence in the sustainability and further progress of the partnership. The university’s dedication to working together hand in hand ensures that both parties will continue to benefit from each other’s expertise, ideas, and resources.

In conclusion, Osvaldo’s sentiment towards the partnership with the university is overwhelmingly positive. The initiatives undertaken by the university have created a profound impact on Osvaldo’s work and professional journey, giving him a deep sense of appreciation. This partnership has opened doors to new ideas, possibilities, and growth, establishing a strong foundation for continued collaboration and mutual success. The positive sentiment expressed by Osvaldo reflects the immense value and potential of such partnerships in achieving the goal of quality education.

Audience

Olga Cavalli discusses her team’s work and partnerships in the field of internet governance and professional development. Her team consists of individuals responsible for various aspects such as video management, webmastering, and mentorship. They have been continuously contributing since 2014 and have received positive feedback for their efforts. Their work, particularly in collaboration with a university in Mendoza, has been highly regarded.

During the discussion, Maria, an audience member, congratulates the initiative, recognizing its importance in preparing diverse voices for quality participation. This highlights the significance of the initiative, particularly in reducing inequalities. Maria then inquires about the future expansion plans of the initiative, expressing curiosity about the integration of other voices from the Global South.

In response to Maria’s question, it is revealed that the School of Internet Governance initiative is developing new formats and content aimed at a deeper understanding of specific topics. They have also partnered with a university in Buenos Aires to offer Fortinet certifications to students who meet the evaluation criteria. This showcases their commitment to quality education and the development of individuals from the Global South or the developing world.

Moreover, the audience suggests incorporating contemporary themes like digital governance or AI governance into the curriculum. This suggestion, made by the coordinator of the Bangladesh School of Internet Governance, indicates the audience’s appreciation for the initiative and their desire to stay updated with emerging trends in the field.

In conclusion, Olga Cavalli and her team have made significant contributions in the area of internet governance and professional development. Their partnerships, positive feedback, and efforts to expand and include diverse voices from the Global South demonstrate their commitment to quality education and reduced inequalities. The audience’s suggestions further highlight the importance of staying up to date with contemporary themes in the ever-evolving field of internet governance.

Raitme Citterio

In a recent discussion, Raitme Citterio eloquently emphasized the importance and numerous benefits of participating in an internet school. Citterio highlighted how being part of the internet community and engaging with various related aspects allowed him to gain a comprehensive understanding of his Caribbean colleagues’ vision, thus broadening his educational perspective.

Citterio’s argument puts forth the notion that internet schools provide invaluable opportunities for students to interact with a global community and broaden their knowledge base. By actively participating in online education, individuals can experience firsthand the advantages of being part of a larger network of learners. This connectivity fosters a sense of camaraderie among students from diverse backgrounds, ultimately enriching the educational experience.

The speaker’s appreciation and gratitude shine through in his stance, as he expresses profound thanks for the chance to participate in such an internet school. This sentiment not only reflects Citterio’s personal experience but also echoes the gratitude felt by many others who have had the opportunity to engage with online educational platforms.

Overall, the speakers in this discussion have a positive sentiment towards participation in internet schools, acknowledging the crucial role they play in achieving SDG 4 – Quality Education. The emphasis on the benefits derived from being part of the internet community further highlights the significance of these schools in fostering inclusive, accessible, and quality education for all. The sharing of ideas, perspectives, and visions among colleagues across the globe contributes to a holistic educational approach that prepares students for a globalized world.

This analysis sheds light on the profound impact of participating in an internet school, emphasizing its role in nurturing critical thinking, fostering cultural understanding, and promoting collaboration among students. Furthermore, it underscores the potential of these educational platforms to empower individuals and societies by equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive in the digital age.

Mariela Ovaldo

Upon analysing the statements, several key points emerged. Firstly, one speaker expressed their pleasure in working with the team, emphasising that it has been a positive and challenging experience since last year. However, this claim lacks specific evidence to support it.

Another speaker expressed optimistic expectations for Diplo this year, especially in regard to the students. It was mentioned that they anticipate a group of students who will collaborate with Diplo and produce high-quality work. Although no supporting evidence was given, this speaker’s positive sentiment suggests a belief in the capabilities of the students.

Lastly, gratitude was expressed towards Olga and the team, acknowledging the opportunity to participate and contribute. However, no further details were provided regarding the specific collaboration or work they have done together.

Overall, the sentiment of all the speakers was positive, with each expressing satisfaction or optimism in their respective contexts. However, the analysis lacks specific evidence or examples to further support these assertions. Consequently, questions may arise regarding the depth and validity of the speakers’ experiences.

In conclusion, the speakers’ statements highlight various positive aspects, including the pleasure of working with a team, high expectations for student collaboration and work, and gratitude towards the team. Nevertheless, the analysis would benefit from additional evidence or examples to strengthen and enhance the veracity of these claims.

Olga Cavalli

The South School of Internet Governance, established in 2009, aims to enhance Latin America’s participation in internet governance processes. It offers three stages of training, including online courses, one-week intensives, and research opportunities. Notably, the school has been recognised by the WSIS prizes for its capacity building efforts. It has expanded its student base globally and now includes students from countries like Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Haiti, Iran, Jamaica, Mali, and Zambia. The recent collaboration with the University of Buenos Aires allows students to receive university diplomas. The school offers engineering degrees with a focus on internet-related topics like cybersecurity and the impact of the internet on the economy. Collaboration and teamwork are valued, and individuals like Carolina, Don Osvaldo, and Raidme are appreciated for their contributions. Sandy, a cybersecurity specialist, is commended for her professional growth. Challenges, such as limited budgets for travel, have been faced, but the team remains resilient. Cláudio Lucena recognises the importance of understanding internet governance in the digital ecosystem. Mark and Claudio Lucena’s commitment to the school is admired. Raidme, a former fellow, continues to be a valuable team member. Efforts are being made to include voices from the Global South in the school’s activities. Overall, the South School of Internet Governance is dedicated to providing high-quality education and building capacity in internet governance.

Sandy Palma

The school counselor’s experience in Buenos Aires was extremely positive and transformative, leaving a lasting impact on her professional development. By participating in the program, she not only enhanced her professional profile but also acquired a vast knowledge network in the field of cybersecurity from around the world. This experience allowed her to maintain regular professional contacts with colleagues working in cybersecurity globally.

In addition to her experience in Buenos Aires, the counselor made significant contributions to the field of cybersecurity by creating and contributing to Honduras Cybersecura, a free-support association focused on raising awareness of cybersecurity issues and preventing cybercrime among schools, parents, and both public and private sectors. Her involvement in this association was inspired by her school experience and the belief that unshared knowledge is lost knowledge.

The impact of the school program on the counselor’s professional growth in cybersecurity cannot be overstated. She credits her participation in the program as the foundation of her professional growth in cybersecurity. The program equipped her with valuable skills and knowledge, enabling her to receive numerous awards and be recognized as the Top Women Cybersecurity Latin American by ONCE for two consecutive years.

Furthermore, the counselor emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and continued participation in the school program. She hopes that the program will continue for many more years, as it has opened up opportunities for her, particularly as a woman in a country where such opportunities were limited. This commitment to lifelong learning is a testament to her dedication to staying up-to-date with the latest developments in cybersecurity and continuing her professional growth.

Overall, the counselor’s experience in Buenos Aires and her involvement in the cybersecurity field have had a profound and positive impact on her professional profile, growth, and contributions. Her story serves as an inspiration, highlighting the significance of seizing opportunities, creating networks, and embracing lifelong learning for success in the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity.

Carolina Gonzalez

The Universidad de Mendoza offers a range of engineering degrees, including disciplines such as telecommunications, computer science, electronics, and bioengineering. The university prioritizes topics related to internet governance in their curriculum, giving importance to subjects like cybercrime, security, privacy, and the economic impact of the internet. This ensures that students are well-prepared to navigate the evolving landscape of internet governance.

The university actively participates in activities and events related to internet governance, demonstrating their commitment to staying involved and up-to-date with the latest developments in the field. Furthermore, the university values student participation and considers it an honour. They are advocates for student engagement and encourage students to take advantage of opportunities such as the South School of Internet Governance.

The Universidad de Mendoza’s involvement in the South School of Internet Governance is considered both relevant and beneficial. By incorporating internet governance into their courses, the university not only prepares students for the challenges and opportunities in this field, but also contributes to the advancement of knowledge and collaboration in internet governance in Latin America. Carolina Gonzalez expresses her gratitude towards the team of the Internet Governance School, emphasizing the honour she feels in being part of such a esteemed institution.

In conclusion, the Universidad de Mendoza stands out for its focus on internet governance in Latin America and its commitment to providing quality education in engineering disciplines. The university’s involvement in the South School of Internet Governance further solidifies its reputation as an institution that values student participation and embraces the latest developments in internet governance.

Olga Cavalli:
Okay, we should start. Let me stop my mic here. Okay, thank you, thank you very much for being with us. For those on-site and online. What is my new profession in this meeting? Translate non-simultaneously, if you don’t mind. The idea of the session is to show… I’m going to show a video first, a very brief PowerPoint with some photos and some references. I’m going to do it in English. And then I would like to give the floor to Carolina, Osvaldo and Mariela so that they can give us some comments about the vision from the university. And then some questions here for our colleagues who are joining us. Claudio, Sandy, who is on-site, and Mark. Sandy and friends from Argentina, the time is not so bad. Here it is very early, but there it is late, the afternoon of Wednesday. The beginning of the IGF 2023 in the beautiful city of Kyoto and the beautiful country of Japan, which I love very much. And it’s so nice to be back again. to this nice country and visit it again. And from such a long way from Argentina, I think it’s the most distant place that we can travel from Argentina to here. There’s no other place which is so distant like Japan. So it makes it very, very special for us. So what we want to share with you is a story that started in 2009, but has changed very much in the last two years because of some agreements that we have done with very good friends of us. I’m here with our dear friends from Universidad de Paraiba, my dear friend Claudio, my dear friend Marky. Marky was a student of the school and Universidad de Paraiba was our partner in the last meeting. And I want to show you some pictures. And also we have our friends from Internet Society Foundation that has been helping the school. The school is possible thanks to the contribution from different stakeholders, companies, governments, universities. Some of them give funds and some other give help in different ways. So I will show you a PowerPoint, which is not long, but I think that the most beautiful thing from the PowerPoint are the pictures. I prepared it in English, but you can figure out the, let me take this out. No, this is, ah, okay. So this is the first one. This is about the South School of Internet Governance started in 2009 with the idea that I want to show you in a moment in the next slide. This is a very nice picture that we took in one of the two editions that we organized in Washington, D.C. in the Organization of American States venue. In the middle of the picture you can see our dear Vint Cerf. It’s by my side in the middle. I am with a pink jacket. We organized it there two times, in 2016 and 2018, because the Organization of American States was interested in the activities of the school there. You see the group of 200 fellows. That was a very nice meeting. And this is also a very, very nice meeting for all of us that we are here and remote. This is the group that gather in Campina Grande in the state of Paraíba in the northeast of Brazil, thanks to the help of our friends, Mark, Claudio, Percival, he is not here, but he helped us. Also, with the support of CGIBR, who helped with funds, Internet Society Foundation, and other companies that helped with some funds, we could gather the same amount of fellows that we had before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, we used to have 200 fellows. We went totally virtual during two years in the pandemic. And then, last year in Buenos Aires, we gathered less people because we were just getting out of the pandemic. And we were not sure if we could be safe. So it was smaller. Mark was there with us. And this year, he came not as student, but as an expert. And also, he helped us a lot with what we did with Claudio and Percival. So why we thought that this idea was interesting in 2009, we wanted to enhance the participation of Latin America in all the internet governance processes. So we want to increase the number of representatives. But also, we wanted to increase their relevant participation. Not only being there, but all of being there, making comments and proposing things that could have an impact for Latin America. Because the problems of Latin America are unique. We are the most beautiful region in the world. It’s diverse and beautiful. But. we have huge inequalities, which is unique in the world. There is no other region in the world that has, I live in Buenos Aires and I live in a neighborhood that has a connectivity like, I don’t know, Manhattan, but then 500 meters away, you have a poor neighborhood that it’s in problems. So that huge difference, inequalities, is really something from Latin America that we are trying to solve for many years, but makes it different. The needs that we have and the problems that we have are different from what happens in Africa or Asia or Europe or North America. So having that perspective and bringing that perspective to the international negotiations is what we wanted. So this is why we started with the school in 2009. It has been growing and also we grant fellowships to all the participants. Nobody pays for participating in any of the activities that I will show you now. That has been growing. So we had gender balance from the day zero. Same amount of ladies and men as fellows. We try to do that with experts. That is more difficult, but we try to do that. All the activities are free. We had from day zero, translation into English and Spanish and the three times we organized it in Brazil, it has also translation, English, Spanish and Portuguese. And the target audience, many people tell me, should I attend? Why? Who is attending? Why? Really, the target audience is quite broad. The only thing that you want to have is desire to learn about how the internet works, how to get involved in the different spaces where the internet is defined, when the rules that make the internet work are defined. So this is what you want to do or you want to have in mind. And also, we want people that is not. already much involved in the process. We want people from the boundaries that are interested in getting involved. Of course, we have fellows that are involved, like Mark, for example, but most of them should be people that really want to. We don’t have any age limit. We have from high school students to people that it’s young, like me, for many years. This is, I copied it from Claudio. And so, we think the diversity is nice from young people to experienced people, women, men, and I think the diversity, we think the diversity is beautiful. Also, in backgrounds, we want engineers, lawyers, journalists, specialists in international relations and altogether, diplomats, parliamentarians, altogether makes a really very interesting mixture. So, this is the picture of the evolution. You see, at the beginning, we were less. The big, the quantum leap was in 2012 in Bogota where we started to have 200 people. Before, it was a little bit smaller and since then, we never, apart from the pandemic issue, we never went down in the number of attendees. The thing really changed in the pandemic because now we are totally hybrid which brings a new complexity for the budget and for the technology involved in the meeting but it also brought a very new thing. We have fellows from all over the world. We have fellows from India, Italy, Africa and I will show you now the first cohort of diplomats, of diplomas. So, this year in Campina Grande, we had that group of people on site that you see in the picture in the upper part of the presentation and then we had like 200. online from many, many places of the world that I will show you in a moment. So like three years ago, I got in touch with my dear Cristina Parraga, who was my professor at University of Mendoza, where I started engineering. Unfortunately, she’s not among us anymore. So sad for that. Sorry. So she was, we talked to her several times about the idea of involving a university and enhancing the program with a university diploma and with her research. And she really understood the concept. It’s not the first university that we contacted, but she understood the idea. And she talked with the authorities, with the dean of the university, and then the colleagues that are now in the call with us followed that idea. But she was the one who started it, so I’m grateful for her help. And she was my professor at university also. So she was a very, very good teacher and a pioneer among women engineers. When I started, we were very, very few. We still are very few, but at that time, we were much less. So this is the picture of my dear university. And this agreement allowed us to offer this diploma. So now we have three stages. What we started with one week of training has evolved. The people that were attending the one week said that it was a lot of information at the same time, that they needed more pre-training. So now we have an online training, self-assisted, based on videos, podcasts, and reading material that we prepare, our team has prepared, in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. That is given through eight weeks, three hours per week. And then it’s the one week in tense, 40 hours, on-site or virtual. And since last year and this year. Also, we have added the possibility of making research with tutors of the university, and that allows those who finish the research properly to receive a university diploma from University of Buenos Aires. All the materials are in the YouTube channel. After each school, our team splits all the presentations, the keynotes and panels, and puts a sign so you can easily find in the YouTube channel all the content if you want to review it or you want to make a research or just curious about what happened in the school. And we were recognized by the WSIS prizes as pioneers in capacity building related with the internet. This is a picture of the day that we, it was a virtual ceremony with the first cohort of diploma that we shared. There’s Claudio there, Percival. And it’s Cristina, the picture of Cristina, dear friends from Universidad Mendoza that I will give the floor to them. And there you have students from Africa. You can see them on the right. We had three fellows that finished the study from Africa, all virtual, and also a lady from Italy and another student from Colombia. But there were many others. We just invited some of them to give some comments and share some ideas with us. And I am almost finished. This is the group of fellows that the countries, so it has become like a global school with mainly participation from Latin American students. But as you can see from the list, we have Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Jamaica, Mali. Puerto Rico, Zambia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Suriname. So now that it’s virtual in English and also Portuguese, it has changed very much. And there you have the amount of fellows that were 400. And finally, we published a book in partnership with the Fundación Getulio Vargas from Brazil. And the book is in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. You wrote an article, right? You wrote an article? I was invited, but not able to fill the deadline. But I invited you, huh? OK. I invited you, and you did it. OK. So because I do so many things that sometimes I forget. So this is what I wanted to share with you. It has been for us a fantastic journey. I’m very happy. Today, I received an email from Judith Burungi. She’s from Kenya. She finished the diploma last year. She was in the ceremony. And she was very happy because she was selected as a pioneer woman in, I don’t know, which program in Africa. She was very grateful. So it’s very, very, very, very rewarding. And I would like to invite now my dear colleagues from Universidad de Mendoza. I see that I have Carolina, and I have Osvaldo, Mariela. Mariela, Carolina, Osvaldo, I would like you to give us a few words. You can do it in Spanish, and I’ll do a non-simultaneous translation, if you like. You can turn on the camera and the microphone, and we’ll listen to you. Here we are watching you in the Zoom room. I don’t know who wants to, there’s Carolina. I want to tell you, before, let me tell you who Carolina is. I want to tell you that the university did not only offer us the help of the tutoring of the professors to the students. Carolina. She’s absolutely genius with our dear right man that he he’s also in the call. So they manage all the pre training and all the training in the week. The students in a platform that the university has for the students. So they know who participated, how many times, if they comply, if they didn’t comply. So then we can be sure if they are able to to do the diploma, the research for the diploma or not, that they have infinite patience. And also this year was very challenging because we have three languages and many more students than the year before. So I got a leaner. The Henning list one to tell me to tell us, you know, this is the kind of right man and use our platform. I don’t even see that. It can be in a standard. And Osvaldo Marianetti is the is he’s the director of the international area of the university. He has been also very, very helpful. And Mariela, she’s an engineer. And she was one of the tutors of the of the fellows. I don’t know who wants to say a few words first, if Carolina, Osvaldo or Mariela. And I don’t know if there’s anyone else from the university. I don’t know. I don’t know if I see them all here in Zoom. Carolina, you look very good. Thank you. Thank you, Olga.

Carolina Gonzalez:
I understand perfect English. Oh, well, if you want to speak English. I’m not going to speak English. Oh, well, okay. I would prefer to speak in Spanish. Translate. It’s going to be short. I’m not an engineer. If you want to start. Osvaldo, are you there? I don’t know if he’s there. Mariela is there. Mariela, I see you there. Here I am. Well, nothing, Olga, I’ll start, if you want. I’ll pass anything on to you later. Go ahead. Well, first of all, thanks to the whole team of the Internet Governance School, which really has been an honor for us to be part of this group and to be able to assist them in a lot of operational and academic tasks. We at the university have We have several engineering degrees, a few, in telecommunications, in computer science, in electronics, bioengineering, etc. We have several engineering degrees, so for us all these topics, everything that has to do with the perspectives of the Internet in Latin America, everything that has to do with cybercrime, security, privacy, the impact that the Internet has on the economy and so on, both in education, in work, in development, for us they are very important topics, of which, of course, we train our students in that. So being part of this wonderful team and with this diversity that you achieve, students from all over the world, it really is an honor.

Olga Cavalli:
So, of course, they have the support. Nursery, architecture, really the university has grown very, very much, which for me it’s an honor to be part of that group of people. And for them it’s very interesting to share with us the work of this group and the diversity that we bring to their work. Yes, Carolina, now translate. Thank you, Olga. Well, that’s it, nothing more to thank you for being part of it.

Carolina Gonzalez:
Of course, you have all our support. The university will always be in favor of your participation. de colaborar con este tipo de eventos y organizaciones, porque realmente para nosotros es un honor tener estudiantes. Si bien ha sido un desafío grande, como dijo Olga al principio, los tres idiomas han sido intensos. Y la cantidad de gente, como va creciendo año a año,

Olga Cavalli:
tal cual vos dijiste, realmente ha sido un gran desafío. Pero estamos muy contentos de haberlo asumido. Y bueno, gracias por darnos la oportunidad. Thank you, Carolina. She says that they are very happy to have gone through this challenge, that this year was very challenging with a lot of much more students than the year before and three languages. But she and I want to also stress the fact that Raidme was working with Carolina all the time. And he has always been there. He’s so good. I mean, he’s so helpful. And I don’t know, Raidme, if you are there, you want to say something? I see your picture here. OK. When you want. Thank you, Carolina. Mariela Ovaldo? Mariela? Mariela? Hola, ¿qué tal? I want to tell you that Mariela is from the university, but she lives in the south of the province. It’s the province where I was born, which is called Mendoza. But she’s in the south. So the university has different branches in the province. Les estaba contando que sos del sur de la provincia, que la universidad tiene varias sedes en el oeste de Argentina. Y bienvenida, Mariela. Muchas gracias, Olga. Un placer para mí estar compartiendo con ustedes esta reunión.

Mariela Ovaldo:
Como dijo Carolina, para nosotros ha sido un lindo desafío, desde el año pasado, poder trabajar en conjunto con ustedes, con el maravilloso equipo que ustedes componen. Y para nosotros, trabajar desde la universidad, como tutores. Nosotros desde aquí de San Rafael, poder desde este pequeño lugar to be able to contribute a grain of sand. The truth is that it is a very great honor, so well, I am simply grateful. And well, this year we hope to have a nice group of students who work with us at the Diplo and read the wonderful works they are able to do after all the days they have had with these topics that are so current and that each time represent bigger challenges for us. Thank you very much for what you need. Here we are. Is Don Osvaldo there? Yes, but he is muted, I think. He is on mute. Well, it doesn’t matter. I want to thank Don Osvaldo and Raidme so much for having worked with Carolina side by side, although Raidme lives in Venezuela, Carolina in Mendoza, Argentina, and yet they have worked together in an incredible way, both very grateful. Raidme is a genius. Raidme is a genius, I totally agree. Like everyone in this room and virtually. But he is always there.

Olga Cavalli:
Sandy, dear? Are you there? Ah, how beautiful. Those colorful backgrounds. I like your background. How are you? I will do the question in English and you answer and then I translate. Sandy, you were a school counselor, you were in Buenos Aires in the last edition. I would like you to tell us about your experience as a counselor and what it meant for you to have participated. I know that now you are a well-known person who has received recognition and that you are a specialist in cybersecurity in Honduras. How do you see this journey that you have done with the school? I was a school counselor and I had the opportunity to be in Washington. And my experience has been 1000% positive. Because my professional profile and the knowledge I have acquired have been… I don’t know how to say it without exaggerating. It has been my university, the school. Because it has allowed me to acquire knowledge, to create that networking with people from all over the world. I have friends now in Africa, in Europe, in the entire American continent. And not just friends, but people with whom I work day-to-day in the area of cybersecurity. And I will emphasize that we are many women with whom we have had the opportunity to grow professionally in the school now. The program was very much focused on cybersecurity. It was very good. It was the idea from the Organization of American States. And since then, she has been involved. And now she’s a very well-recognized professional in cybersecurity. And now she’s grateful because she has friends all over the world. And not only friends, but colleagues where she can share experience and to whom she can share experiences and knowledge and working opportunities.

Sandy Palma:
I already translated everything, Sandy, if you want to continue. OK. Additionally, notice that she allowed me to create and then she was born exactly in 2019, when she had the opportunity to be here in Honduras, Claudio Lucena. The idea of creating Honduras Cybersecura was born, which is an association where what we do is to support and raise awareness in all areas, in a completely free way, to schools, to parents on cybersecurity issues, cybercrime prevention, also to the public and private sectors. So, why acquired knowledge? I learned this in school in 2018. Someone said, and I don’t remember who, and I’m sorry I don’t remember it, acquired knowledge and not shared is lost knowledge. And that marked my life in that respect. And we will continue to replicate all the knowledge and train all those people to be able to raise awareness, more than anything. in the field of cybersecurity. But that’s like giving a little of what I have received from school. Because apart from my professional profile, it has grown in an incredible way. And you said it, Olga. Yes, I have received many awards. I have even been recognized two years in a row in the Top Women Cybersecurity Latin American by ONCE. And this year I have also been nominated. But I’m going to say and I’m going to emphasize again, you have been in my case, you are like my mentor, and the school was my home where I was born in cybersecurity. Thank you, Sandy, dear. Do you want to add something more? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. for a specific area. My area in cybersecurity is human rights in cyberspace, right? But Olga, I hope your school continues every year for many more years. I did go to college and I’ve already been invited as a panelist, I’ve been there, but I’m going to be a lifelong student of the school. The rest of my life I’m going to be in school because this opens doors for us, and it opens doors for us. I look at it as a woman, it opened doors for me that my country didn’t have, right? So I hope the school continues to open doors for many more women like me.

Olga Cavalli:
Well, you’re going to make me cry in the end. Thank you, Sandy. She’s very grateful. She says that it opened many doors to her and then she hopes that they will have many schools in the future with many more students. Yes, I listened to everything that Carolina and Mariela told me. I absolutely subscribe to what they said and, well, I don’t want to give you as much work as another

Osvaldo :
doctor, so I just want to say that since the second semester of 2021, when we started working together with you at the university and we came to concretize the format of the diploma, it has really been an extremely attractive experience, an initiative that, in some way, queremos continuar en el tiempo, y escuchando recién las palabras de Sandy, también queremos que se siga repitiendo y que esta diplomatura siga aportando capacitaciones y formando recursos humanos como los que acabamos de escuchar. Así que simplemente afirmar el compromiso de la universidad en continuar trabajando en conjunto y colaborativamente, y sumando más, así como esta vez los colegas brasileros nos apoyarán en las tutorías, creo que se trata de eso, de sumar. Así que muchísimas gracias por la posibilidad de estar presente aquí en este encuentro. Un saludo a todos nuevamente y a seguir adelante. Muchas gracias Osvaldo. Osvaldo is grateful for the partnership that we have done with the university, and he hopes that the Brazilian colleagues will help us with the Portuguese documents that we have to talk about and define. Muchas gracias Osvaldo.

Olga Cavalli:
Osvaldo is the director of the postgraduate area of the university, and he has been managing all the team, working with all the professors. It’s not only Mariela and Carolina, but also there are like 10 other teachers in the university that have been helping with the research. ¿Está Raidme por ahí? ¿Está Raidme por ahí? Ok. Bueno, ahora I will change the floor to my dear colleagues here with me, Claudio and Mark. We can do it in English, so I’ll have some rest from my new profession. Claudio was a fellow in… What do you need? 2015. Oh, the microphone. There it is, look. Can you give me the microphone? Thank you. Claudio was a fellow in 2015… Hello, Raidme. How are you? Can you hear me? Yes, yes. Greetings. Nothing. I wanted to thank you. We were talking about you with Carolina when she was remembering all the work that you did. And… I… A small thank you for the opportunity to work in a team with Carolina and all the members of the University of Mendoza during the rest of the pandemic. To work in this activity. Can you hear me, please? It sounds like a background sound. As if there was a background sound, I don’t know what it is. It sounds very low, but… But well, nothing. I wanted to thank you. I wanted to thank you for all your help. And also Carolina mentioned that you are really special. And you are always there for her work. You both have done a fantastic group. A couple of partners in helping us with the fellows in all the stages. The pre-training, the week, and then in the diploma.

Cláudio Lucena:
So thank you very much, Raidme.

Olga Cavalli:
And I want to ask Claudio here a question. He was a fellow in 2015 in San Jose, Costa Rica. You didn’t know the school, right? No, I didn’t. Tell us the story.

Cláudio Lucena:
Good morning, good evening, everyone. No, I didn’t know about the school. We met by chance in Geneva. He was alone. in a table and I said, well, let’s talk to him. He seems to be bored. I was an unauthorized ambassador of the following IGF because it would be held in João Pessoa, which is in my state in Brazil. And I was there to observe. I had been writing and researching on internet governance for some time, but I had never had the opportunity to interact in the environment. It’s been a door opener for me. I’ve been, and this is something interesting. I had some space for research and to debate and to discuss in Europe. I was based in Brussels and Portugal then, then afterwards in DC. I was pretty much involved in the global space, but I didn’t have a door open to the Latin America environment, which in the end is my home. And now I can, in this 10 years, Olga, not only I have taken part in the events that are held in Brazil by Brazilian steering committee, but I also have taken part in the Argentinian School of Internet Governance in many, almost all of the editions of the South School of Internet Governance. I have helped Sandy and friends from Honduras set up the internet governance, the national IGF in Honduras. We have participated in initiatives in Peru, in Colombia. So I’m very grateful among many other things for the fact that I’m back in the terrain, back in the environment in Latin America, which is where we are supposed to assist and to cooperate. Where we belong. Yeah, I’d really love to use this space here to thank you, Adriane, and Oscar Messano for the bravery to bring the school out of the main capitals with where the best infrastructure is usually located. It was tremendous work to make it happen this time, but I think we made an awesome impact being able, having the necessity, having the task to mobilize local communities. I have understood how hard internet governance is not an intuitive concept. This is something very interesting. And the school helps a lot in developing that. So having the need and the task to disseminate the idea of internet governance with the local community, with the press, with the universities, local authorities, social society, I understood and now I can measure before and after the school how important it is to have the school in this environment, to engage students, to engage universities, to engage civil society so that they now understand what happens there. The fact that the fellows from the University of Mendoza are taking a third step now because there was a second step apart from the intensity of the days of the school. You have managed to put up an onboarding program some years ago. That’s very important. It’s hard to come into a week that is so intense with no knowledge of what internet governance is and make it right. So preparing an onboarding program was already a phenomenal first step. Now you’re putting a post-production step, which is the writing of this diploma. I would like to say to Osvaldo that we are coming up with a help team in Portuguese, Osvaldo. We’re trying to formalize this help with Portuguese professors that are able to help you analyzing and evaluating these papers. And just to close, I think I have finally found a nice way to communicate with my local community and to make them aware that the importance of understanding internet governance nowadays and after a phenomenon like the South School in my hometown in Campina Grande is clear because we are not dealing with an aspect of human life. We live. The digital ecosystem is where we live now. It’s our home. It’s part of who we are. And it’s very difficult to take care of something that we don’t know well. So that notion is very much helped by internet governance schools in general, but particularly by the design and by the approach of the South School of Internet Governance. Of the South School of Internet Governance.

Olga Cavalli:
Thank you very much once again. I want to thank you also for always recognizing the value that had for you the school. That’s very good for us. And all the passion that you put in all the things that we did in Campina Grande. That was very, very, very challenging. It was, it was challenging. Oscarcito? Okay. Oscar, estas ahi? Oscar is our Vint Cerf in Latin America. We have a Vint Cerf in Latin America, which is Oscar Mezano. He founded internet in many countries. All the internet exchange points in Latin America were, okay, he can, can you, can you, hola? Enable. Could you enable Mr. Mezano, Oscar Mezano, de, vos no lo ves? Hoy no me veo tan mal. Ayer que no había dormido, me vi en la pantalla y me quería morir, se me quería morir. He’s not connected to this one. Okay, okay. Okay, let’s follow with Mark. My dear Mark. Tell us your experience in the school. I knew Mark, it’s a nice story. There was a group of next gen in Buenos Aires, right? In 2015. And my assistant was, I pushed her for becoming. But finally, she had a health problem and she couldn’t, but Mark had to get to know her. And we started to get in touch through Sally. And since then, we have been exchanging some comments and I think we met, and then you went to the school in Rio, that I couldn’t go because I had a problem, a family problem, but I attended online. And since then, he has been a fundamental partner of the school, an informal, fantastic partner of the school. Can you share with us your experience and your thoughts?

Mark Datysgeld:
Thank you very much, Olga. So yeah, to me, the school has been always a valuable asset because it’s very different from the other things that exist in internet governance. I think that’s the thing that I would like to leave as the message here, because in internet governance, I see only two models usually. One is our very closed courses where you select the students to a degree that they have to be vice minister of something to attend or a PhD. So that’s one type of course with like 30 people. And then there are the self-taught courses there are for everyone, but at the same time, they don’t have any type of support. And the South School, it does exactly the middle ground, this middle route where you get a bigger cohort, you get more people, it’s more inclusive and accessible, but at the same time, these people don’t get left to their own devices. And that kind of middle ground, I think, is the way we have to do things moving forward. Because the topic of internet governance keeps growing, we need to capacitate more people every time. And with this very tailored models for specific people, that’s really good when you want to train officials from governments and things like that. at, but at the moment that you start to need to really capacitate, let’s say, 200 journalists, 300 lawyers, at that point, the model doesn’t scale. And it’s this model that you guys are innovating that is really pushing this sort of thing forward. And like I keep saying, I sound like a broken record at this point, but it really was momentous to do the event in the countryside of Brazil. It is nothing that we should underscore. It really is something very important, because when it gets to the point where you can say, we did this successfully, it removes the excuse that it would be impossible, that it would be too difficult. So with a few very engaged people, a lot of goodwill, the school was carried out successfully. I saw Adrian running around like a crazy person for four days, but it still got done, right? So it’s the sort of thing that we need to tell people. We need to be in the space of saying, hey, this worked out. We got a lot of people. There were a lot of foreigner people there, right? Like to Brazil, many people from outside. It worked out. The airports didn’t somehow implode. The infrastructure didn’t somehow implode. It just took a little extra effort, but it was worth it. Because now, when we look at the students, even from the local university, we are engaging them at the IGF remotely right now. Several of them are in touch with us, and they’re following the sessions. And this is the sort of thing, it’s transformative. You’re really bringing a new resource, a new way of doing things. So that’s why I’m so passionate about this project, right? Like it is a different way of doing things, and I enjoy different ways of doing things, because they sort of bring new options. So yeah, always glad to be part of this. And anybody who wants to learn more about the organization of the school in the Brazilian countryside, please. reach out to these three people because yes it involved challenges but it also brought a lot of rewards and that and that’s what we should be looking towards right like who are we benefiting are we getting value out of this and to me the answer is yes we’re bringing like infinite amounts of benefit out of this because we are qualifying people that otherwise would be excluded from the system and this is what the IJF is all about this is what we keep talking about in loop here at any session you enter is how to include how to include how to include so we need to value the initiatives they’re actually doing that so those will be my general comments how do you see the interaction with your experience in ICANN because you are quite involved in in GNSO and many activities is that the school did help how do you see the both words interacting I can is interesting because when you land in a fellowship or a next-gen program it’s really good for inclusion in the names and numbers environment so you qualify people a lot in that but they do not put emphasis on understanding internet governance so it is expected that the person has a background or a soft understanding ahead of time so even in terms of entrance we have a challenge there already when you’re trying to engage with ICANN at that level the person needs to have found a resource and capacitated themselves so to me it works with synergy right we can bring people who did the South School now the thing that I kept telling to all of them now you’re qualified to apply for these fellowships now you have the basis that you need to write a text that people say okay this person is knowledgeable enough that they would be able to follow the this sort of meeting so I consider it sort of a ladder, if we were to say it that way. You get this initial capacitation that then empowers the person to take on more challenges and more fellowships. And that’s exactly the thing we want, right? We want people to keep growing and to enhance the strength of the Latin American community and the global community. It’s interesting what you say. ICANN was the focus of my PhD. And I never participated in an ICANN meeting during the PhD. And I thought I knew the organization. And I thought I knew their dynamic. So my first meeting was in Sao Paulo in 2006. And I said, wow, I don’t understand anything. And this is different.

Olga Cavalli:
Everyone was speaking English in a Portuguese-speaking country. This is crazy. Nobody speaks the local language. What happens with people that don’t understand English? And they told me, but you speak English. Yes, I do. But what happens with the local? So every time I say this, people tell me, oh, I didn’t understand nothing either. So it happened to me the same. So I think the school, this is also why I thought that the school was a good idea, to have a platform. And the good thing is that ICANN considers a good input if those who request a fellowship did participate in the school. So they think that it’s a good background. And Raidme, are you there? Yes, can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you.

Raitme Citterio:
I wanted to make a little reminder. After my participation in the school in 2014, which was something that is part of the Internet community and everything related, it allowed me to understand and get to know through the school the vision of our colleagues in the Caribbean, especially the Caribbean. I would like to thank you for this opportunity, and I would like to thank you for this opportunity. Thank you. Thank you, Raidme.

Olga Cavalli:
Raidme was a fellow in 2014 in Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain, and the good thing that we could do with him and other colleagues from Venezuela, we had some budget available. We paid also his ticket, which is something that usually we cannot do because our budget is limited, and it’s also difficult to find tickets, and it takes a lot of logistics, but we could bring Raidme, and since then he has been working somehow with us. Now it’s part of our team, and we are very grateful for his help, and much gracias, Raidme. They have partnered so well with Carolina from Mendoza and the university that they are really a great team, like all the team that we have. We have other members of the team that are not online and are very, very, very helpful. We have Lucas. He manages all the, now that the video and the hybrid thing is part of the environment, and he manages all the videos, and also Oscar is our mentor, Oscar Mezano. Okay, and we have Ezequiel, who is our webmaster, and so it’s a small team, but a powerful team. We have a comment in the chat, which is very nice. It’s in Spanish, but I will read in English. I am from a very small town called Justo de Aractara, which I know because it’s near where I was born. San Luis is a province of Argentina, which is by Mendoza, which is my province. Argentina with less than 20,000 inhabitants. I’m very grateful of being a fellow and for have been partnering and learning and knowing such a nice human group of people and professional. It has been a very rewarding and enriching experience. I am from security of information and it was a very, very nice experience. Thank you very much. The name is Pablo, thank you. Thank you, Pablo for your nice words. I read them in English so everyone can understand and the recording is in English. I don’t know, we have very few minutes. Do we have any comments from fellows in the room? Any comments, ideas? Remember your name, remind me your name.

Audience:
Maria. Maria. I will speak in Portuguese. Yes, I translate Portuguese. First, I would like to congratulate everyone for the initiative. We always talk about the need to have voices that can bring diversity to the discussion, but we rarely talk about preparing these voices. And this is a crucial step for us to have an effective, quality participation that can also bring to our regions ideas that can also encourage legislators and the whole space of internet governance to progress and move forward, but with something that brings, as you mentioned at the beginning, our peculiarities. So, first, I would like to congratulate you and second, to ask a question about how you see the next steps. Claudio said the first, the second and the third. you have already advanced, and the provocation is the following. When we talk about the South, how do you see the integration of other voices from the South in this school that you have built in such a beautiful way? And we see the testimonies here.

Olga Cavalli:
Thank you very much. Which voices are you thinking about? I was thinking about how much more we will be delivering Africa, when we think about the global South, other voices that could be with us in their peculiarities, bringing our vision. I remember that the last IGF was also in Ethiopia, and a lot was said about the need to integrate these voices. Many thanks, Maria. I will try to summarize what she said. She says that she finds the project very interesting, and also bringing diversity into this training program. And she asked two questions. One is, which are the next steps? And also, how could we integrate more other voices from perhaps the global South or the developing world? And OK, it’s OK if I respond in English? So next steps is the Argentina School of Internet Governance. We are working on that. We have also the Argentina School that will be virtual this year with a different format. We want to do not panels, but we want to do more in deep presentations. One specialist will talk about one hour of a specific thing. So we want to do a different format and see how it works. We have partnered another university in Buenos Aires who will grant Fortinet certifications those students who are comply with the evaluations. This is totally new, it’s a limited number but I think it’s a very interesting start. It’s Universidad de Calaverino Ortiz from Buenos Aires. It’s the only university in Latin America that offers a university training in cyber security, specific in cyber security. It’s the first one. It’s organized by a very renowned specialist in Argentina, Pablo Lazaro, with many specialists from Latin America. So that’s that’s a very very good news that we partner them for the Argentina School of Internet Governance, so that’s a different thing. And the Global South, it’s challenging. We have to think about what we have been thinking about is including in the program of activities specialists from Africa, from other we do have people from Europe and from North America, from Latin America, but honestly I don’t recall that we have specialists from Africa. That’s something that we could think about and maybe you both can help me because you know many people. So Maria if you have any suggestion we are we are open to comments. Okay, I think we are on time. Any comments from here? You have a mic or here? We don’t have much time but I think we are on time. Thank you so much for panelists in the audience. This is Asrafur Rahman. I’m the coordinator of

Audience:
Bangladesh School of Internet Governance and I want to show you my gratitude Olga and her team for taking this sort of initiative because actually who we are actually trying to contribute for the School of Internet Governance for long-awaited program, this which we are trying to initiative. But more We are having more something like digital governance or AI governance, which is more relevant from this era. So it’s our, what I should say, it’s our opinion or we want you for the next step, we can more take this sort of initiative or this sort of course you can align with the School of Internet Governance. That’s all, thank you. Thank you, we stay in touch. We had fellows from Bangladesh, by the way. Some, yes, we had fellows from Bangladesh, from India, from Kenya, from Zimbabwe, from not many, but some, which is remarkable

Olga Cavalli:
because of the time difference that they want to take the credit. But you know, when people is willing to learn, there’s no limit. Okay, thank you very much. Muito obrigada, many thanks to everyone for being with us. Saludos a los amigos de Argentina, Venezuela, Honduras. Sandy, querida, ya nos veremos en algún lugar. Raid, mi querido. Carolina, Ruth, Osvaldo, todos los amigos. Y acá saludos de Adrián y de Claudio y de Mark y de toda la audiencia. Les deseo que tengan en Argentina, América Latina, una buena noche y acá que tengamos un buen día. Adiós, gracias a todos. Gracias. Gracias. Bueno, muy lindos. Siempre me termino medio llorando. Es como un hijo para mí. Es mi tercer hijo. Es como mi tercer hijo. It’s over. Te dijo que sí. Bueno, anda el bus y se va.