CMB Training Center implemented the Youth Leaders for Community Development through Internet Governanceproject, supported by the Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat (GKPS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the period of 2007- 2008.

This project has been implemented in partnership with DiploFoundation, Malta; APTI Romania, RWCT International Consortium, Romania; Universities Dunarea de Jos, Galati; AEGEE Beograd, Serbia and the Better JL World Institute, LA, USA.

One of the main outcomes of the project is a Methodological Guidebook ”Keep an eye on Community Development and Internet Governance in your country”. This Guidebook has been developed by the CMB Training Center as a resource for capacity building programs in which best practices and lessons learned are the key components.

Launching capacity building programs in the area of Internet Governance and Community Development is a great challenge for any stakeholder in a developing country.

This guidebook is aimed mainly at NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in developing countries, but any other type of organizations interested in promoting capacity building programs for multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary teams in their respective countries is welcome to use the Guidebook.

Our purpose is to suggest a methodology, with sequential steps, that can be adopted and used in-country. The Guidebook focuses on the Training Program Methodology, as well as on the Research Phase, followed by the interpretation of research results by using Community Development methodology.

The goals of this Guidebook are:

• To provide a resource to organizations and their trainers for the development of training programs in the area of Internet Governance and Community Development;
• To introduce a number of techniques which assist in the analysis and interpretation of research findings;
• To serve as a guide for the development of workshops, and other capacity building activities, in which an experiential model of learning is employed.

Please feel free to consult our guidebook and your feedback is welcome to assist in the revision and improvement of this guidebook in light of national and international experiences. Download the guidebook from here: Keep an eye on Community Development and Internet Governance in your country
(Guidebook Cover Page: Ghidebook Cover)

What was the need for this project in Moldova and how did CMB team approach Internet Governance and Community Development in the same project???
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS - http://www.itu.int/wsis) in Geneva 2003 the topic of Internet Governance was put on the table. Since no general agreement existed even on the definition of what comprised Internet Governance, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan set up a Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) to clarify the issues and report before the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis 2005. In Tunis it was then decided to establish an Internet Governance Forum (IGF - http://www.intgovforum.org) to be convened by the United Nations Secretary General before the end of the second quarter of the year 2006. The first Internet Governance Forum was hosted by the Greek Government in Athens (http://www.igfgreece2006.gr) and the second Internet Governance Forum was hosted by the Brazilian Government in Rio de Janeiro (http://www.igfbrazil2007.br).

In accordance with the IGF mandate, the second IGF offered Internet regulating bodies the opportunity to debate cross-cutting issues and identify various emerging issues bringing them to the attention of the wider public. Participants also discussed public policy issues related to the key elements of Internet Governance in order to foster sustainability, security, stability, robustness, and development of the Internet.

The IGF is an excellent platform at the international level, but what do participants bring home with them after the IGF and how do they use the discussions and debates at the national level? What impact does Internet Governance have on Community Development? What components are most affected? Which ones are affected less? What are the main challenges? Who are the main actors involved at the national level in IG related issues? What mechanisms are needed for multi-stakeholder participation at the national vs. the local level?

These and many other questions have been the target issues of the “Youth Leaders for Community Development through Internet Governance”. The project developed through several stages and this current Guidebook will provide details for each stage of the Project: The Capacity Building Program, The Research Phase and The Promotion of Project Results.

I. CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM on INTERNET GOVERNANCE and COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Launching Capacity Building programs in the area of Internet Governance and Community Development is a challenge in any developing country. The current project mirrors the approaches of two organizations: DiploFoundation’s experience in online training programs on Internet Governance (www.diplomacy.edu/ig) and the CMBTraining Center’s experience in various issues related to Community Development.

The focus of this chapter is on Capacity Building training methodology. The Capacity Building Program has been chosen as the first stage of the overall project. The training program had 16 young leaders with key positions within various institutions from Moldova as target group participants.

The main issues covered in the program are related to Internet Governance “Baskets” or themes (DiploFoundation’s methodology: Infrastructure and Standardization Basket, Economic Basket, Socio-Cultural Basket, Development and Legal Baskets) as well as to community development areas (methodology developed by the project team). Learn more about this Phase of the Projecthttp://www.cmb.md/igf/19-igcd-moldova-.html”

II. RESEARCH PHASE
As part of the “Youth Leaders for Community Development through Internet Governance” Project, Moldova Program participants investigated issues of particular concern to Moldova. This collaborative research was conducted both online and offline. One of the main objectives of the initiative was to facilitate the involvement of representatives of various organizations from Moldova in the research and analysis of the results from a multi-dimensional perspective. Four research teams investigated issues related to e-Commerce, the Moldova IT Infrastructure, Moldova User’s habits, and Moldova Cultural Diversity and Multilingualism on the Internet. During this phase several workshops on research methodology were organized for each research team. The workshops also focused on the interpretation of research results, on analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data. Learn more about the results of this Phase of the Project here:http://www.cmb.md/igf/60-research-phase.html”

III. PROMOTION OF PROJECT METHODOLOGY and PROJECT RESULTS

There were two main events in which the project methodology, results and partners were presented as part of a “Youth Leaders for Community Development through Internet Governance” Project.
*In November 2007, Project leaders Veronica Cretu and Nicolae Cretu participated in theSecond Internet Governance Forum in Rio, Brazil (http://www.igfbrazil2007.br).Learnmore about CMB @ IGF in Rio here: http://www.cmb.md/igf/79-cmb–igf-.html”

*In December 2007, the CMB Project Lead, project partners and a project participant from Moldova, took part in the Global Knowledge 3 (GK3) – Event on the Future, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia –
The CMB Training Center organized an interactive session/workshop during GK3: “Facilitating Innovative Approach to Community Development” which was actually a simulation exercise based on the current project’s main stages and achievements. The workshop received excellent feedback and comments from its participants. Learn more about CMB @ GK3 here: http://www.cmb.md/igf/82-cmb-gk3.htmll”

The last activity of this project is the development and dissemination of a Methodological Guidebook:”Keep an eye on Community Development and Internet Governance in your country”. The Guidebook is part of the Stage 4 activities. It contains all the tips and techniques, steps and stages that were implemented during the project. The Guidebook will be disseminated via the project partner networks and the CMB team is open to sharing its experience in the field of IG, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Community Development with any organization interested in implementing a similar initiative in their home country.

Read more about this project on www.cmb.md/igf