From Lyon to Lom=?UTF-8?Q?=C3=A9=2C_?=850 reasons made this my most unforgettable ICANN experience.

[Emmanuel Vitus]

Dear all,

Last week, I spent my holidays in Lomé, Togo, with the Internet Society
Chapter (ISOC Togo), a proud NPOC member organization, to help organize
what was likely the largest Universal Acceptance (UA) Day event to date.
And I must say, this might just be the most rewarding experience I have had
since joining the ICANN community.

We gathered at the École Polytechnique of the University of Lomé, where we
had initially planned to host around 50 participants. But the response was
overwhelming. To accommodate the unexpected turnout, we regrouped the event
across 2 separate amphitheaters. One was set up for onsite participants and
the other enabled hybrid participation, allowing us to successfully engage
over 850 bachelor and master’s students, including 300 onsite and 550
online. We were joined by 35 lecturers, including 22 full professors in
computer science and related fields. The energy, curiosity, and level of
engagement from both students and faculty were truly inspiring.

Spending a day with ICANN staff, including Yaovi Atohun who joined us in
person and Nabil Benamar who participated virtually from Morocco, brought
immense value to the program. The sessions were highly interactive,
covering both awareness on Universal Acceptance and hands-on technical
training and configuration exercises. The results were powerful and
immediate. A total of 223 new members joined the ISOC chapter that day, the
largest single-day recruitment since 2001. 79% of participants expressed
strong interest in joining ICANN and UA-related working groups.

This experience reminded me why we do what we do. Togo, a small country
with over 42 local languages, where only French is currently supported
under the Latin Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ LGR), was at
the heart of a moment of deep pride. I am convinced that in 5 to 10 years,
these young people will achieve what many in my generation never dared to
attempt.

For those wondering where Togo is located, it is a beautiful West African
country, a former German then French colony, nestled between Ghana and
Benin, and known for its peaceful coastline and white sand beaches.

I also realized something personal. Sharing knowledge is far more
fulfilling than my 8 to 5 routine back in France. That was my honest
reflection.

And one last exciting note. The University of Lomé has officially expressed
interest in integrating Universal Acceptance into its academic curriculum.
This could be a real game-changer for sustainable capacity building in the
region. That was how the ICANN UA Day 3000 USD grant was spent :)

See the hopeful faces and the energy of the day via this album
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/201552796@N05/albums/72177720325123386/>

Warm regards,

*Emmanuel Vitus, **NPOC Policy Chair*
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