We are looking for 30 young people from all over Europe to participate in a pre-event programme which prepares young people who are interested about topics related to the Internet to become active participants in EuroDIG.

During YOU^thDIG you learn about Internet Governance, and discuss and exchange ideas with experienced internet policy practitioners but also experience peer-to-peer learning and networking with youth residing in Europe. You will be actively involved by developing policy messages (see Reporting) that you will be presenting at EuroDIG but also the global IGF.

The YOU^thDIG event will be composed of an online phase with virtual meetings and the physical event. The YOU^thDIG in person meeting starts just before EuroDIG on 14 June 2024 in Vilnius.

The application period for YOU^thDIG started on 17^th January 2024 and ended on 14^th February 2024 at 23.59 CET. We received 275 submissions from all over Europe, of which 159 applicants were women, 113 men and 3 are non-binary. We could offer 30 fellows funding to participate.

During YOU^thDIG, participants discuss and exchange ideas with experienced Internet policy practitioners but also experience peer-to-peer learning and networking with youth residing in Europe.

At the end of YOU^thDIG, the participants design the Youth Messages. These messages are presented at EuroDIG and the global Internet Governance Forum that is convened by the United Nations with a view to contributing to global, other regional and national debates on Internet Governance.

YOU^thDIG is held in English. Thanks to our donors, travel grants are provided to youth participants.

Every year the YOU^thDIG Organising Team is compiled of former YOU^thDIG participants who design the programme for the upcoming edition. This is a chance to reflect and improve the programme from last editions, build further connections with YOU^thDIG alumni and the EuroDIG community and to provide an opportunity for young people throughout Europe to participate in the Internet Governance Ecosystem focusing on topics that are important to youth in the field.

The Youth Messages are an opportunity for the YOU^thDIG participants to share their knowledge and expertise about topics that are important to them that are related to Internet Governance. Using a systems approach, these messages are build with the group with the aim to exchange thoughts and ideas and bring forward their priorities and insights.

Have a look at the Youth Messages from YOU^thDIG participants.

• Youth Messages 2024
• Youth Messages 2023
• Youth Messages 2022
• Youth Messages 2021
• Youth Messages 2020
• Youth Messages 2019
• Youth Messages 2018
• Youth Messages 2017

The programme for YOU^thDIG 2024 you can find at our wiki.

When will YOU^thDIG and EuroDIG be held in 2024?

You will arrive in Vilnius on 13 June and in the evening join us for a welcome gathering. The YOU^thDIG programme will be held from 14 – 16 June, and you will join EuroDIG 17 – 19 June. Departure will be on 20 June. You will be expected to attend 5 pre-event webinars, YOU^thDIG and EuroDIG.

When will the YOU^thDIG webinars be held?

• YOU^thDIG Webinar 1: Welcome to YOU^thDIG & Introduction to Internet Governance (Monday 13 May, 18:00–20:00 CEST Brussels time)
• YOU^thDIG Webinar 2: European Digital policies & YOU^thDIG Messages prep (Monday 20 May, 18:00–20:00 CEST Brussels time)
• YOU^thDIG Webinar 3: Introduction to the Internet Infrastructure & group presentation prep (Monday 27 May, 18:00–20:00 CEST Brussels time)
• YOU^thDIG Webinar 4: Group presentations (Sunday 2 June, 15:00–18:00 CEST Brussels time)
• YOU^thDIG Webinar 5: YOU^thDIG Messages (Monday 10 June, 18:00–20:00 CEST Brussels time)

I cannot make the dates or times of the webinars! Can I still apply?

Yes you can still apply. We will be making recordings for you to view, and you must be prepared to complete a small piece of homework, a quiz, or participate in a discussion over the mailing list to make up for the session that you missed. If you miss the group presentation, you will be required to submit a video with your contribution in advance in coordination with your group in addition to viewing the webinar and completing the homework.

What is included in the travel grant and accommodation grants?

If your application is successful, you are offered a travel and/or accommodation grant to attend YOU^thDIG and EuroDIG 2024 in Vilnius, Lithuania. You must attend the pre-event webinars, YOU^thDIG and EuroDIG, including mandatory sessions in full to receive your reimbursement. You will pay your travel in advance and we reimburse you on successful completion after the event. We reimburse return travel from your country of residence Airport A to Airport B in the host country, and will provide shared accommodation. You are responsible for any costs related to COVID-requirements, insurance, visa, local transportation, and daily needs. We ask participants to keep costs as low as possible, this will give us the opportunity to invite more participants to join us.

What about meals?

For those who are staying with us in the YOU^thDIG accommodation, breakfast is served on all days.

On 13 June, we will have welcome gathering, however you will organise your own dinner.
14 – 16 June (YOU^thDIG), we will provide lunch, a social programme and dinner.
17 – 19 June (EuroDIG), the host will provide a simple lunch, however you will organise your own dinner so that you can network and join members of the EuroDIG community. There may be social events organised where food is served. This will be confirmed nearer to the date.

Am I eligible to apply?

Anybody between the ages 18–30 (by 13 June 2024) residing in the Pan-European region is eligible to apply.

Who are you looking for?

We especially welcome newcomers to Internet Governance to apply, those who do not have any prior experience and want to learn something new or those who work on a specific subject area (e.g. AI, cybersecurity, law, art, communications, biology, medicine, or other) and want to broaden their understanding on how digitalisation or Internet policies would impact their fields.

Who are you not looking for?

Young professionals with more than 3 years of professional work experience do not need to apply for YOU^thDIG, you are welcome to attend EuroDIG directly. We believe that you have the necessary confidence to participate in our community.

Former recipients of the Internet Society’s IGF Ambassadors scheme or ICANN fellowships are also welcome to attend EuroDIG directly. At YOU^thDIG, we will be addressing many of the same topics that you learned during your fellowship, and we believe that these fellowships have prepared and empowered you to directly contribute to the topics and events that we are holding at EuroDIG.

If you need support with funding, please check out our Funding FAQ below

What should I include in my submission?

You can tell us about your background, interest or connection with Internet governance but we are also very interested in finding out why you find the topic interesting and what you would like to achieve with YOU^thDIG.

Note that we ask in our application for your motivation:

• Please do not write about the state of the Internet or a quote from an Internet pioneer. Write about you!
• Please do not write that you want to join YOU^thDIG because you want to share your experiences. Be specific about what you want to share: which topics? Which experiences? What unique perspective or circumstance?

How are participants selected?

We use blind peer review to select participants. The YOU^thDIG Organising Team consists of former YOU^thDIG participants who know what it is like to experience YOU^thDIG. Submissions are anonymised and every one of them are read by the entire YOU^thDIG Organising Team who will give them a rating from 0 (not eligible) to 5 (good candidate). Based on these ratings, we create a cohort that is geographically diverse, gender balanced, with/from various interests and backgrounds.

What if I don’t get selected?

• You can still come to EuroDIG! EuroDIG is free of charge and you can come and join us for our main event. If you do not have funding, please see our Funding FAQ below. You are also welcome to join us online – EuroDIG has always been and always will be – hybrid.
• You can reapply for YOU^thDIG next year if you still meet the age and residence criteria.
• You can reach out to your national IGF and participate in their events.

Funding: I would like to come to EuroDIG, but I cannot afford going!

If there are any funds available, EuroDIG will launch a travel grant programme, in that case, this would be communicated through the newsletter (you can sign up here!). But to ensure beyond doubt that you can attend EuroDIG, we recommend finding alternative support. Here’s some food for thought:

• Ask your university/school faculty/students’ union. Make a plan why you want to attend, a budget, which sessions you are interested in and indicate speakers that you want to meet. Sometimes they are willing to sponsor you!
• Ask your employer whether there is funding available for professional development
• Ask for private sponsorship from businesses.
• Check if your country offers travel grants.
• Reach out to your embassy in the host country to ask if there are any travel grants.
• Hold a cake sale, they are surprisingly profitable.

If you have any other questions, please contact nadia(at)eurodig.org.

• To be eligible for the travel and accommodation grants, you must complete all components of YOU^thDIG. This includes attending all online webinars, 3 in-person YOU^thDIG days, 3 in-person EuroDIG days, including the YOU^thDIG Keynote speech during EuroDIG, and other mandatory sessions during EuroDIG as will be indicated in further correspondence. Attendance will be recorded.
• You will pay your travel in advance and we reimburse you on successful completion after the event.
• We reimburse return travel with aeroplane/train/bus from country of residence to Vilnius, and we will provide accommodation. You are responsible for any costs related to COVID-requirements, insurance, visa, local transportation, and daily needs.
• You are required to submit your receipts on paper during EuroDIG with the EuroDIG Travel Approval sheet signed by the YOU^thDIG Coordinator and yourself. We will not consider any receipts that are received after signing of the EuroDIG Travel Approval sheet.
• You will be reimbursed after the event by bank transfer for SEPA countries (EU/EEA) Those from non-SEPA (outside EU/EEA) countries will be reimbursed in cash on the last day of EuroDIG.
• You must submit your travel plan and costs for approval before you buy your ticket. We will guide you through the process of booking your tickets once you have confirmed your participation. However, we require you to try and find the cheapest option possible. We recommend using the website kiwi.com to find the cheapest booking options.