As part of the Development and Public Responsibility Department's (DPRD) ongoing work to support the next generation of Internet users, the NextGen@ICANN program has been formalized as a staple DPRD initiative to engage regionally based undergraduate and graduate students at ICANN meetings, and introduce them to ICANN through guided programming. The NextGen@ICANN program was initially organized at ICANN 49 in Singapore with DotAsia and NetMission, and has been successfully replicated at both ICANN 50 in London and ICANN 51 in Los Angeles by our Department.
As anyone attending the past three ICANN meetings will know, the NextGen@ICANN program has become highly successful and very well-received by the community. Due to the immediate popularity of the NextGen@ICANN program, there is a need to revise selection criteria, explore avenues of expansion, program capacity building, and build engagement practices following ICANN meetings. To ensure this process has ample time to be completed, and due to the move of the ICANN 52 meeting from Marrakech to Singapore, the NextGen@ICANN program will not be held at the Singapore meeting, but will resume at ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires.
The application for the NextGen@ICANN program at ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires will be available in January. More information about the program and application, as well as requirements will be posted on the ICANN blog. I hope the community will join us in promoting this important work so that ICANN can continue to meet the needs of potential and new community members.