This morning, the call for applications for the Youth Internet Governance Forum Summit 2019 ended. The German Informatics Society had called on young people aged between 18 and 30, and based both in Germany and worldwide to express their motivation to participate in Next Gen activities in the field of Internet Governance. The formats should enable young experts to bundle their messages and demands, and transfer them in a multi-stakeholder approach to politics, business, civil society and technical innovators.

Within the three-week application period, more than 320 potential participants from all regions of the world submitted their expressions of interest. More than 40% of the applications were from women. In cooperation with the project partners, the most suitable participants are now being identified. As youth delegates at the German Internet Governance Forum in September and at the global UN Internet Governance Forum in November, they will develop and represent the "Youth Messages".

Elisabeth Schauermann, project manager of the Youth Internet Governance Forum: "Digital policy is a crucial issue for many young people. The expertise and experience of digital natives are indispensable in debates about the future of the Internet. The Youth IGF is an opportunity to give more visibility to those, who are already working on relevant topics."

Successful applicants will be contacted over the next weeks.