Although the Internet is very widely adopted in Hong Kong, Internet Governance issues are often neglected. Hence, our NetMission ambassadors decided to hold the first-ever Youth Internet Governance Forum (yIGF) Camp 2010 in Hong Kong, an idea inspired by their participation in the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum (UNIGF) in Egypt last year. The yIGF mirrors the core vision of the UNIGF, and serves as an open platform for the e-generation (young people aged 16-22) to voice their opinion on how to build a better digital world. The yIGF demonstrates NetMission’s dedication in upholding the spirit of the IGF to reflect the concerns of Netizens of the Internet, where stake-holders can work together to address issues concerning the misuse and abuse of the Internet—a growing concern that we feel is often inadequately addressed by the public.
Participating in the yIGF gave participants in Hong Kong a chance to understand and discuss relevant topics from the point of view of various stakeholders. During the 3-day forum, participants role-played different stakeholders in society, such as Children, youth, government, parents, teachers, business leaders and so on. The three main topics revolved around censorship, privacy and the digital divide. We interacted with international and local experts, who offered us valuable guidance and support.
The yIGF camp achieved remarkable success – brand new ideas were conceived, intensive discussions were created, awareness among the youth was enhanced, and most importantly, we realised our role in creating a better Internet environment. After the yIGF, NetMission Ambassadors worked together with YIGF participants to draft the yIFG report, which would be submitted at the UNIGF in Vilnius, Lithuania 2010.
The report of yIGF 2010 Hong Kong is now available on our website, you may click here to find out more.
