| APrIGF 2025 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||||||
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| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||||||
| Ms. Sana Nisar | |||||||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||||||
| NetMission.Asia | |||||||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||||||
| Policy Analyst | |||||||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||
| Female | |||||||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||||||
| Pakistan | |||||||||||||
| Stakeholder Group | |||||||||||||
| Youth | |||||||||||||
| List Your Organizing Partners (if any) | |||||||||||||
| Nawal Munir, NetMission.Asia, nawal.munir@netmission.asia Socheata Sokhachan, NetMission.Asia, socheata.sokhachan@netmission.asia |
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| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||||||
| Not Just Participants: Youth as Co-Governors of the Internet | |||||||||||||
| Thematic Track of Your Session | |||||||||||||
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| Description of Session Formats | |||||||||||||
| Roundtable (60 minutes) | |||||||||||||
| Where do you plan to organize your session? | |||||||||||||
| Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants) | |||||||||||||
| Specific Issues for Discussion | |||||||||||||
| This session explores the role of youth as equal stakeholders and active co-governors in shaping inclusive, rights-based digital futures. While digital inclusion efforts have advanced infrastructure and connectivity, youth, especially from the Asia Pacific’s underserved and marginalized communities, remain underrepresented in digital policy-making and governance spaces. The session will unpack barriers that prevent youth from engaging meaningfully in Internet governance dialogues, including limited access to decision-making platforms, lack of capacity-building opportunities, tokenistic involvement, and cultural or political constraints. We will also explore how digital equity is not just about access, but about agency, ensuring that young people have the tools, platforms, and power to influence digital governance decisions. Participants will share regional experiences where youth-led initiatives have impacted policy or bridged local digital gaps. The discussion will further highlight how co-governance models, where youth are treated not as beneficiaries but as partners, can drive more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative Internet futures. Specific attention will be given to challenges and opportunities related to emerging technologies, digital literacy, and community-rooted solutions. |
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| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||||||
| Our session aligns strongly with APrIGF’s primary theme of Access and Inclusion, focusing on youth as a critical yet often overlooked demographic in Internet governance. Across the Asia Pacific, access disparities are compounded by generational divides in power and representation. By spotlighting youth voices, particularly those from smaller economies, indigenous groups, and underserved communities, this session advances the dialogue on equitable digital participation. The session also connects to the Innovation and Emerging Technology track by emphasizing the need for youth-driven innovation in governance models and inclusive tech design. As AI, data governance, and other emerging technologies rapidly evolve, decisions made today will shape the future online environment that youth will inherit. Therefore, their involvement is not only a matter of rights but of long-term sustainability and accountability. By reimagining youth participation through a co-governance lens, the session echoes APrIGF 2025’s broader call to rethink digital cooperation in the face of geopolitical fragmentation and inequality. It proposes not just more seats at the table, but changing the shape of the table altogether. |
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| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||||||
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| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) - (Required) | |||||||||||||
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| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||||||
| Our speakers offer a strong balance of youth leadership and governance expertise aligned with the session’s goals. Bea Guevarra (NetMission.Asia, Philippines) brings hands-on experience in youth mobilization, digital literacy, and Internet governance training across Asia Pacific. Her work ensures an authentic youth perspective from the region. Amrita Choudhury (Director, CCAOI; Vice-Chair, APrIGF MSG) brings deep expertise in digital policy, public access, and inclusive tech governance in India. Together, they reflect intergenerational and regional diversity, making them well-suited to lead a dialogue on meaningful youth co-governance in shaping inclusive digital futures. | |||||||||||||
| Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2025. | |||||||||||||
| No | |||||||||||||
| Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2025? | |||||||||||||
| Yes | |||||||||||||
| Upon evaluation by the Program Committee, your session proposal may only be selected under the condition that you will accept the suggestion of merging with another proposal with similar topics. Please state your preference below: | |||||||||||||
| Yes, I am willing to work with another session proposer on a suggested merger. | |||||||||||||
| Brief Summary of Your Session | |||||||||||||
| The session “Not Just Participants: Youth as Co-Governors of the Internet” explored how young people in the Asia-Pacific region can transition from being participants to equal partners in Internet governance. Organized by NetMission.Asia, the roundtable was moderated by Sana Nisar and Nawal Munir. Speakers included Amrita Choudhury (CCAOI & APrIGF Chair), Bea Guevarra (NetMission.Asia), and Ashirwad Tripathy (Internet Society Nepal Chapter). Through an interactive online discussion, the speakers shared inter-generational insights on youth empowerment, mentorship, and institutional participation in decision-making processes. The dialogue emphasized that digital inclusion is not merely about access to connectivity but about agency, representation, and shared power. The audience also engaged through an open Q&A using Slido, contributing regional experiences and questions on sustainability, AI ethics, and long-term youth engagement. |
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| Substantive Summary of the Key Issues Raised and the Discussion | |||||||||||||
| The conversation centered on how youth can become co-governors rather than symbolic participants within Internet governance structures. Amrita Choudhury highlighted that youth engagement must be institutionalized rather than occasional or tokenistic. She cited APrIGF’s own model of pairing senior community members with younger co-coordinators as a practical way to create learning-by-doing spaces. Bea Guevarra shared her personal journey from participant to regional youth leader, crediting mentorship and peer support as key factors in sustaining youth involvement. Her phrase “Nothing about us without us” resonated strongly with participants, reinforcing that policies concerning youth must be designed with youth at the table. Ashirwad Tripathy brought a grassroots perspective, explaining how community-level projects in Nepal link digital literacy, empowerment, and governance awareness. He stressed that true co-governance must bridge both policy-level participation and local inclusion. During the policy discussion, speakers examined how formal mandates for youth participation could legitimize their roles in regional and global Internet governance. They also reflected on inter-generational collaboration as a way to ensure continuity and accountability. In the audience Q&A, participants raised questions about sustaining youth networks after fellowship programs, integrating youth perspectives in AI policy and emerging-tech ethics, and addressing language and accessibility barriers in global forums. Speakers agreed that ongoing mentorship, inclusive communication, and long-term engagement strategies are essential to maintaining momentum beyond individual events. |
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| Conclusions and Suggestions of Way Forward | |||||||||||||
| The session concluded that youth inclusion must evolve from invitation to integration. Three major directions emerged: 1. Institutionalizing Youth Roles: Formalize youth representation in Internet governance bodies, through reserved seats, co-lead positions, or advisory councils, to ensure consistent participation and learning opportunities. 2. Building Sustainable Mentorship Loops: Encourage cross-generational mentorship programs linking experienced policy leaders with emerging youth advocates to transfer knowledge and maintain engagement beyond fellowships or short-term projects. 3. Bridging Access and Capacity Gaps: Address linguistic, digital, and socio-economic barriers that limit participation from marginalized youth communities, ensuring that co-governance is inclusive and equitable. Participants collectively agreed that co-governance is a partnership, not a hierarchy, and that the future of Internet policy-making depends on creating environments where youth and senior stakeholders collaborate as equals. The conversation underscored that today’s policy choices will define the online environment that youth will inherit tomorrow, making their voices indispensable in shaping a sustainable, rights-based digital future. |
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| Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||
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| Gender Balance in Moderators/Speakers (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||
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| How were gender perspectives, equality, inclusion or empowerment discussed? Please provide details and context. | |||||||||||||
| Gender equality and inclusion were reflected both in the panel composition and in the themes discussed. Two of the three speakers and both moderators were women, demonstrating the active leadership of female voices in regional Internet governance. The discussion also linked youth empowerment with gender equity, noting that young women often face additional barriers to access and representation. Participants highlighted that inclusive mentorship programs and safe, equitable online spaces are essential for ensuring that all genders can contribute meaningfully to digital policy development. | |||||||||||||
| Consent | |||||||||||||
 I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2025. |
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