NEW Youth Forum Alumni Network

Dear ITU Youth Forum Alumni!

We are pleased to inform you that the online Youth Forum Alumni Network is now ready for you to use!  As a 2009 Youth Forum fellow, you requested us to redesign and refresh and update our former online network for Youth Forum Alumni. We have been working with several Youth Forum Alumni to create a brand new tool to enable you to stay in touch with one another. We invite you to register and start using the network at: http://www.ituyouthforumalumni.net/

This network provides Youth Forum Alumni a platform to connect, discuss ideas, share information about their work or studies and learn from and collaborate with one another to keep alive the spirit of the Youth Forum. The network will also serve as a bridge between Youth Forum Alumni and ITU, allowing Alumni to voice their opinions on the latest ICT issues and stay informed about ITU activities. We developed this website to enable Youth Forum Alumni to build upon their Youth Forum experience and emerge as leaders in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

This network is your network! We encourage your active membership and participation. After registering, please input your profile where you can also upload pictures, web links and other information or files that will interest your peers.  The network's content management system also includes Forums. We invite you to open Forum discussions on any topic you wish.  We simply request that you keep the level of discussion professional. Of course, only with your participation will the Network become alive.

As you may remember, ITU launched the Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative with your help during the 2009 ITU TELECOM Youth Forum. Since that time we've created a toolkit of best practices for policy makers and a repository of training materials for connected schools which is available at: www.connectaschool.org. Please visit and you will find a picture of you and the United Nations Secretary General gracing the home page! This website is designed to provide support to countries seeking to connect their schools and opening school-based community ICT centres.  In this way ICTs can be used to promote the social and economic development of the children and youth who attend these schools as well as everyone in the local community. 

ITU has also held a number of meetings with its members, to raise political awareness for the need to connect schools, and we've provided policy advice to countries in the Americas, Arab States and Africa on developing national school connectivity plans. We hope to expand this advice to a growing number of countries. We will also be organizing an Americas Regional Forum on Connect a School, Connect a Community in June.  Just log on to the Connect a School website to follow our latest activities.

Now we have a challenge for you. Some people say that today's youth only use ICTs for fun or to stay in touch with friends.  Teachers often complain that all the time students spend online detracts from their studies.  Recent events, however, have shown the power of youth and ICTs. To launch your Youth Forum Alumni Network, we invite you to share your thoughts on the initial Forum entitled:

"Youth and ICTs can . . . " 

We would also be delighted if some of you would wish to volunteer as Moderators on the Youth Forum Alumni Network to add new Forum topics.

Let's build the Youth Forum Alumni together!

Please contact the site administrators if you have any suggestions or questions.

Warm regards,
ITU Special Initiatives Team