Joyce is passionate about creating connections and opportunities for people to generate an impact in their communities. When people connect around their passion you see magic happen. In her role at the Internet Society Foundation she has the honour and pleasure to serve a global community of people who believe in the power and the opportunities the Internet creates and who strive to extend the Internet’s reach and protect its well-being. Particularly over the last 3 years, they have seen how the Internet has been (and still is) a lifeline for people, one which connects people from all geographies, backgrounds and cultures. What gets her going every day is that they work to empower and ensure inclusiveness among the next generation of Internet champions—to grow and strengthen the Internet for everyone who needs it, benefiting the world’s diverse populations equitably.
What inspired you to work in the international association sector? Would you recommend this career to others? Why/ why not?
The most inspiring thing about international associations is how they bring people together who care about making a difference, creating impact, and making the world a better place. Business concepts like « purpose » and « creating communities » come from the association world, where since the early days communities were created around a given purpose.
I fell into the association space by accident, but I hope to inspire people to choose associations and, in particular, international associations as a conscious career choice. It is where passionate people come together to make our world a better, more inclusive, and diverse place.
How do you/ your association #EmbraceEquity? Does giving a voice and a space to diverse groups make for better results? What are the challenges you encounter? Did you solve them?
We #EmbraceEquity through active community listening and engagement, including from groups who may not have the strongest voices. This goes from a multi-stakeholder approach to designing accessible programs, for youth and gender inclusion. Not only does giving a voice and space to diverse groups make for better results, it also enriches everyone you engage personally. We still see a lot of groups underrepresented, especially in the tech sector. According to the World Bank, women make up less than one-third of the world’s workforce in the tech sector. So, we still have work to do…
The Internet Society is engaged in #EQUALSinTech global partnership and our programs are designed to include gender balance. It will take all of us to make lasting change happen.
How important are diversity, equity, and inclusion for the future success of associations? What initiatives, projects and ideas can you share that help other understand the real value of DEI?
Associations need to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. You cannot represent an international community if you don’t. The Internet Society is actively engaged in a global partnership supporting women in tech, and we have set up volunteer-led standing groups that focus on youth, gender, and accessibility areas to inform our work. We also work with our local chapters to encourage them to include diversity in their chapter leadership election process as well as organize local activities around International Girls in ICT Day or International Women’s Day.