The Internet Society, the global non-profit organisation that promotes an open and secure global Internet, has launched a new fellowship program to develop a new generation of Internet Champions.
The Internet Society’s Early Career Fellowship is designed to empower a new, diverse generation of Internet champions who will bridge the gap between technology and policy, and become advocates for an open, globally-connected, secure and trustworthy Internet.
The Early Careers Fellowship is open to people who are beginning their careers in an Internet-related field and who have ideas for projects that would grow or strengthen the Internet.
Over five months, Early Career Fellows will meet and learn from Internet luminaries, build professional networks, and take part in bespoke courses developed in partnership with leading universities, including the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). They will learn about Internet policy, technology, project management and advocacy.
Applications for the initial group of fellows open on 22 March and close on 11 April. The fifteen initial fellows will be chosen by the Internet Society Fellowship Selection Committee.
“The coronavirus pandemic has shown how vital the Internet is to billions of people around the world, allowing them to continue to work and study from home, communicate with friends and family, and access healthcare. But there are threats to the fundamental principles that underpinned its creation and development. This fellowship will create a new generation of advocates to respond to the challenges facing the future of the Internet,” explains Constance Bommelaer de Leusse, Area Vice President, Institutional Relations and Fellowships for the Internet Society.
The Early Careers Fellowship builds on the Internet Society’s previous leadership programs, including the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Youth Ambassadors Program.
Lily Edinam Botsyoe, an Internet Society fellowship alum from Ghana said that the Internet Society’s program has made a huge difference for her: “I learned about Internet governance, participated in discussions on cybersecurity, youth inclusion, and advocacy around diverse Internet issues which has set me on the career path I am currently pursuing in technology policy.”
She continued: “The Early Career Fellowship will be important because it bridges the gap between technical expertise and policy research. Though the fields are different neither of the two can work without the other in the ever-changing world of technology.”
Full details of the application process and the eligibility criteria can be found on the Internet Society website.
The Fellowship is open to people with an undergraduate/vocational degree and at least two years of work experience in an Internet-related field; OR at least four years of working experience in an Internet-related field.
Candidates must be early career professionals working in the Internet ecosystem in a technical, policy, economic or social capacity who have initiated or would like to initiate a specific project designed to grow and/or strengthen the Internet.
It is designed for those working, or aiming to work, in fields such as (but not limited to):
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Internet infrastructure/
telecommunications companies; -
government agency/department on policy issues related to technology;
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Internet services companies;
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technology-related associations;
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non-profit/civil society organizations;
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academic institutions as a researcher or teacher/professor;
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journalism agencies writing about the Internet;
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Internet-related start-ups;
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international organizations on information society, the platform economy, data privacy;
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VC firms that invest in new technologies; and
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technical Internet-related engineering projects, such as a community network or IXP.
Lily Edinam Botsyoe
Botsyoe Edinam Lily is an aspiring global ambassador and world changer. She hails from Tsrukpe-Tota in the Volta Region of Ghana. She has the best experience from a diverse variety of cultures having stayed and schooled in almost all ten regions of Ghana. She is poised to leave a lasting legacy and does not stop at anything in achieving this goal.
Botsyoe Edinam Lily has over two (2) years of experience in Computer Networking, basic Computer Programming and Website Development. Currently, Lily works with the Ghana Community Network Services Limited under IT projects team where she works on an employee electronic health management system as well as a disease surveillance health project. She is also the Team Lead, Community engagement and Internships for Hacklab Ghana.
Juliana Novaes
Juliana Novaes is a law Student at the University of Sao Paulo and researcher in law and technology. She is currently head of projects of the Youth Observatory for the Internet Society’s Youth Special Internet Group. She is also a fellow of the 2017 Youth@IGF Brasil Program organized by CGI.br and of the 2018 Youth@IGF Program organized by the Internet Society.
Mohammad Atif Aleem
Mohammad Atif Aleem is a Chemical Engineering Graduate from the Aligarh Muslim University in India, who is currently engaged as an analyst in Information and communications technology at a multinational firm, along with managing his social startup initiatives. He has relevant experience in research, consultancy, information technology, business analysis, marketing, corporate social responsibility and cyber security. He has been associated with the Internet Society, Delhi Chapter in India and has also been involved in activities to advocate for the causes of Internet and propagate digitization in the underrepresented section of the society.
Atif has worked recently in a fellowship program to co create wearable technology in partnership with a global clothing retail company and is enthusiastic about human centered solutions leveraging Internet as an important tool. He has attained relevant certifications in the field of Internet Governance from ICANN learning platform and Internet Society and hopes to advocate better for Internet through the platform of IGF.
Nicolas Fiumarelli Santana (Uruguay)
Nicolas Fiumarelli is a Computer Analyst under-graduated from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, currently studying Computer Sciences at the same institution. He works as a Software and Networks Engineer at the Internet Address Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACNIC) since 2012. Nicolas has participated in the development of systems such as RPKI and RDAP, which seek to improve the security and stability of networks and Internet routing. Today, Nicolas continues to actively participate in the deployment of IPv6 and RPKI in the region, He specialized himself on Routing and Security having 3 co-authored drafts in IETF on IPv6 security and Routing security.
Nicolas is co-founder of Youth IGF Uruguay, a non-profit organization that started its activities in Uruguay in 2016, whose goal is to build capacities and promote training to young people on issues related to Internet governance. He also participated in the South School of Internet Governance (2017), LACIGF (2014-2018), IETF 88, 90, 95, and has been selected as a Fellow to ICANN 61 last year.