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FROM THE
YOUTH IGF

Youth IGF
European Union

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Imagine a future where your voice shapes the digital policies of the EU—a future where young leaders like you drive the transformation of the internet landscape.

Born from the dynamic discussions at IGF 2023 Open Forum, the Youth IGF EU is a platform to influence and create impact.

The first Youth IGF EU took place on 22 February 2024!

For its very first edition, the Youth IGF EU took take place onsite at the European Parliament in Brussels hosted by MEP Cristian Busoi and online.

2hours session included the dialogue between the young and the EU decision-makers and contained a parallel capacity–building activity.

Young people took this opportunity to learn more about internet governance and digital policies in the EU. Young people discussed the most important digital issues and make sure your voice is heard by EU decision-makers and the Members of the European Parliament.

We are very proud of hosting at the European Parliament the first edition for the Youth IGF EU. It is important that the European Union shows the way on how to integrate young people in the shaping of the future of Internet and digital regulations. This remarkable group has demonstrated exceptional levels of engagement and innovative views exemplifying the invaluable role of youth in shaping our digital future. I am certain that future digital leaders will emerge from this outstanding group. - Cristian-Silviu BUSOI, ITRE Committee Chair

What our participants say

Youth IGF EU_What our participants say_youth

Objective

Our main objective is to allow the voice of young people to be heard by Information Society leaders on issues related to Internet Governance and to help young people to take an active part in the decision-making processes in the EU countries.

Vision

By allowing the young people to take an active part in the discussions and to have a real impact on ICTs and Internet policies in the EU, we have a mission to assist in creating future European Union ICTs Leaders with a solid vision and knowledge on Internet Governance.

Background

The importance of hearing the voice of the younger generations on digital cooperation was underlined by different stakeholders during the annual UN Internet Governance Forum.

In efforts to fulfil the UN IGF’s mandate and build on the recommendations of the UN IGF’s Retreat in 2016, the UN IGF Secretariat is conducting systematic efforts to engage young people on internet governance.

To sustainably engage digital natives in the IGF processes, the Youth IGF EU is closely cooperating with all EU stakeholders involved in Internet Governance.

The Youth IGF EU secretariat is hosted by the Global Youth IGF, of which the Youth IGF EU is an affiliated member. The Youth IGF EU is an independent Youth IGF.

The Global Youth IGF is the global Youth IGF Movement, which is a capacity development initiative of an international scope. The Global Youth IGF is recognised by the UN IGF.

IGF

Born from the outcomes of the IGF 2023 Open Forum co-organised by the EU Delegation to the IGF and the Youth IGF and the growing number of requests from the global Youth IGF community, the Youth IGF EU has been created by a group of volunteers. It aims to raise the awareness of the young in the EU countries on Internet Governance and also help to create the next generation of the EU digital leaders.
We also want to reinforce the existing European platforms on Internet Governance by strengthening the youth participation in the European events such as the EuroDIG.


The Youth IGF EU community foresees an active participation in digital policy dialogue at the EU and global levels. It will also generate the youth vision on EU digital policies proposals.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Rominia Matei

Romina Matei

Romina Matei has been actively involved in the field of international youth work and volunteering since 2005.

She served as a personal advisor for the State Secretary on Youth issues in the Romanian Government for one year, providing her with comprehensive knowledge of both sectors, private and public. Furthermore, Romina has served on the boards of international youth organisations, including Youth Express Network for six years and the Romanian Federation for Development (FOND) for two years.

Currently, Romina is engaged with the European Solidarity Corps program, an EU initiative supporting European volunteering, where she specializes in a value-based approach to international volunteering.

Yuliya Morenets

Yuliya Morenets

Yuliya is a Barrister with over 15 years of professional expertise, specializing in digital affairs and cybersecurity.

Her role as a #SaferInternet4EU Ambassador, appointed by the EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, underscores her commitment to fostering a safer digital environment.

Yuliya is a dedicated advocate for youth engagement in digital policy discussions, evidenced by her founding of the Global Youth IGF Movement. Her legacy includes serving on the Advisory group to the UN Secretary-General on the Internet Governance Forum for three consecutive terms, highlighting her significant impact on shaping internet governance.

Bernardo Sequeiros
Antoan_Shotarov

Bernardo Sequeiros

João B. F. Sequeiros received the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and engineering from Universidade da Beira Interior, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in the field of cybersecurity, applied to the IoT.

His master's dissertation focused on the development of a box for automated network-based security assessments. His main research and interest areas are network and application security, cryptography, cybersecurity, and IoT security. He has authored and coauthored several journal and conference papers mainly in the security field.

Antoan Shotarov

Antoan is an entrepreneur and university lecturer with interests primarily focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, science, digitization, and business development.

Currently, over 60 people work in the companies he manages. He holds a doctoral degree in economics, researching the impact of innovations on the competitiveness of economies and businesses. In 2017, Antoan led a team at Societe Generale Expressbank, overseeing the development of innovative products, projects, and startups. Shortly after, he founded Innowave, assisting corporations in changing their business models, transforming, and developing and implementing innovations.