The web\’s birthday (and other stories)

FYI

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Nnenna Nwakanma via Governance <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2021 at 3:06 PM
Subject: [Governance] The web\’s birthday (and other stories)
To: Governance <[email protected]>

Happy New Year!

March 12, 2021 is the 32nd birthday of the World Wide Web. To mark the
anniversary, we will be spotlighting and celebrating young people who are
using the web for good.

Do you know an outstanding young person (32 and under – the age of the web)
using the web to empower, educate, activate or connect people, who we
should feature?

Each year on the web’s birthday, our founder Tim Berners-Lee writes an open
letter <webfoundation.org/2020/03/web-birthday-31/> reflecting on
his invention. This year young people will be at the heart of his message,
demonstrating how this generation can reshape the world in positive ways
using the power of the web.

What kind of stories are we looking for?

–

Individuals using the web to respond to challenges they have encountered
in their lives as well as those using the web to create new opportunities.
–

We hope to cover a range of themes, such as education and skills,
activism and social justice, entrepreneurship, community-building, health
and mental health, safety, etc.
–

We want to feature people who are working to improve the web (e.g. by
tackling online gender-based violence), as well as those whose work
demonstrates the web in service of society (e.g. using web tools for
activism, improving access to healthcare, etc)
–

We will feature young people from a diverse range of geographies,
socio-economic backgrounds, gender, ethnic and cultural identities.

How will we use these stories?

–

With their permission, we will feature a selection of young people (via
various formats across various platforms) to mark the web’s birthday on
March 12.
–

Beyond March 12, the stories we gather will be used as a longer term
project to share the positive stories of the web.

How to get in touch:

If you would like to propose a young person for this ongoing project,
please tell us about them or put us in touch with them directly. We will
then look to set up a time with the young person to chat about their work
and discuss their participation in the project.

Contact Lisa, Web Foundation Communications Manager –
[email protected]

Informed consent and safety of young people is critical. Appropriate
processes will ensure young people are safe and give fully informed consent
to how their stories and identities are portrayed, with extra care taken in
contexts where there may be additional risks.

Warm regards

Nnenna

Chief Web Advocate