[ICANN Academy WG] post to list regarding pilot SO/AC Leadership training in Toronto

[Avri Doria]

On 5 Jul 2012, at 10:05, sandra hoferichter wrote:

> <<<"The ICANN-Academy concept is still being developed and reviewed within
> the SO-AC groups and further consensus is ongoing though a process led by
> ALAC / At-Large. While this process is ongoing, in early anticipation of the
> direction of the effort, a staff pilot project will be focused on the
> executive training of new SO-AC leaders on ICANN organisations, policymaking
> and related activities. The pilot would include usage of online tools where
> possible and an orientation session in Toronto. This pilot project should be
> seen as a first step in testing the overall concept and providing a basis
> for a future training program as well as experience to build on for future
> improvements if deemed necessary. ">>>


I have to say I have a problem seeing how this can be a step in testing the concept when someone who has not been part of that process is the decision maker in the pilot.  This is not about the WG doing something with staff help.  This is a staff program that may or may not ask for help.

If I understand the progression:

- The academy effort starts out as a way to educate the At-Large community on ICANN in the general IG environment
- We become convinced that we should pilot this as program for newly s/elected volunteer leadership 
- We start to focus and narrow down to just the leadership program
- We are told that since it is now about the whole leadership we MUST bring in all the other SO/ACs
- We get bogged down and stops making progress on planning a pilot because we need time to include all the other  SO/ACs. No criticism just fact of organizational life: charge structure -> burn a minimum of 3-6+ months in a schedule.
- The program gets funded as a Staff run program partly because there isn't enough time anymore and the Academy WG isn't getting anything finished.
- Staff is now in a rush mode that is going to get something or other done by Toronto

It is nice that the board said what it did, but I still see this as something other than what we started working on.  
And I think we are still in the position of waiting to see what help, if any, the staff ends up requesting from the newly enlarged WG.

avri