On November 19, the 16th webinar of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Academy took place within the Safe Information Environment for Children community. As tradition holds, the event brought together special guests for a live discussion on current issues related to the development and security of today’s digital space.
The webinar was aimed to demonstrate to RuNet users that every person, regardless of social role, age, professional experience, or academic background, can contribute to shaping the future of the internet, its accessibility, web standards, and the usability of digital services.
Anastasia Savelyeva, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Info Communication Systems at the St Petersburg State University of Telecommunications, opened the meeting with a brief introduction to internet governance mechanisms in both a narrow and broad sense.
Anastasia previously took part in a CCTLD webinar last spring, where she provided a detailed overview of this topic, including internet architecture and the connectivity of web services at various levels.
In the practical part of her presentation, Anastasia spoke about the Global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and its regional branches, including the Russian IGF, which is held annually and celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. She highlighted that the forum offered a Special Course for Youth, resulting in a youth address to the main RIGF, which subsequently laid the foundation for the Summer School on Internet Governance, another educational initiative of the Coordination Center aimed at actively engaging young people in the development of the digital environment.
Next, Arevik Martirosyan, Research Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary International Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Head of the IIB School, shared her personal experience participating in international educational programs, including the IGF Youth Ambassador and NetMission Academy. According to Arevik, such programs provide young professionals with significant opportunities to develop leadership skills and gain valuable international experience.
Andrei Aleynikov, Chairman of the Youth Council of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ, spoke about ICANN’s international programs: ICANN Fellowship and ICANN NextGen. He shared his impressions of taking part in these initiatives, noting that they offer real opportunities to engage in internet governance processes and influence decision-making at various levels. Andrei also encouraged internet users to join the Digital Reality community, which hosts meetings of the Discussion Club of the same name and produces podcasts covering current developments in the world of digital technology.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by Sergei Tyumin, Leading Specialist in the Department of Student Research Organization at Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI). He described activities carried out jointly with the Coordination Center’s Youth Council at MTUCI and partner universities: lectures on cybersecurity, educational quizzes, sections on internet governance at the Telecommunication and Computing Systems international scientific and technical forum, and events held during Computer Science Days at MTUCI. Sergei emphasized that participation in such initiatives, both at the university and international levels, offers exceptional opportunities to expand professional networks and deepen one’s understanding of trends in digital industry development.
Videos of all Coordination Center webinars in the Safe Information Environment for Children series are available in the Coordination Center’s official VK community.
