YouthLACIGF

PROJECT OBJECTIVE 

YouthLACIGF, established in 2016, is a youth-led initiative developed by a growing community of individuals aged 18-35 from Latin America and the Caribbean who are passionate about Internet-related issues. The initiative is grounded in the goal of fostering meaningful engagement among young people interested in Internet governance. It provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and collaborative networking, particularly for those already engaged in national and regional Internet governance forums. Over the past eight years, the initiative has evolved in response to regional dynamics—shifting to a fully virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) and returning in 2023 with its first hybrid edition.

PROJECT IMPORTANCE 

Recognized by the United Nations IGF Secretariat and supported by a broad coalition of co-organizers, sponsors, and regional partners, the initiative has significantly influenced policy dialogue and youth participation across the region. It has served as a launching point for several Youth NRIs, such as Youth Costa Rica, Youth Colombia, Youth Chile, Youth Uruguay, and Youth Panamá, while also maintaining close collaboration with Youth Brasil.

The event promotes inclusive participation and equitable access as core organizing principles. Through clearly defined diversity strategies, YouthLACIGF ensures representation across gender, stakeholder groups, and geography. These efforts include guaranteed inclusion of Indigenous and traditional communities, enhanced visibility for people with disabilities, and dedicated space for underrepresented voices, such as trans individuals, teenagers, refugees, and rural communities. These commitments are operationalized through mandatory criteria in proposal evaluation, a robust regional scholarship program, and multilingual accessibility—offering content in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English.