Mapping a New Path for the RIPE Fellowship

If you're interested in the RIPE Fellowship and its future, please come share your views on the ideas outlined below at our RIPE NCC Open House session on 15 September at 14:00 - 15:30 CEST.

Since its launch in 2017, the RIPE Fellowship programme has welcomed over 100 Fellows from 38 countries – that’s half of the RIPE NCC service region! Yet while that’s quite an achievement, what also matters to us is that people who come to the community as Fellows go on to engage in future discussions and events. Seeing fresh faces at RIPE Meetings is good - but what’s better is seeing those same people returning, forming connections, and developing voices that shape community discourse.

This longer-term goal isn’t one the programme has always met, partly due to its design: a one-size-fits-all approach aimed at catering to a diverse range of backgrounds and interests. The problem is that a general approach doesn’t always make for a lasting individual connection. Going forward, we hope to pave the way for more meaningful engagement by paying closer attention to the specific motivations that bring each RIPE Fellow to the community in the first place.

Earlier this year, we began a project to rethink the programme along these lines and the result is a plan for a new RIPE Fellowship that, in true DIY spirit, connects the individual interests and passions of RIPE Fellows with the community’s core work.

Methodology

The RIPE Fellowship is about people, so we want to shape it in a way that puts Fellows at the centre. To rethink the programme with this as a main focus, we've adopted a design thinking approach - a flexible, people-first way of problem solving that focuses on understanding real needs and coming up with practical solutions. This involves a lot of testing, feedback, and iteration all aimed at assessing what would best connect the interests of each fellow with the needs of the community.

One aspect of all this is to combine the data we have for participation with stories. We carried out more than 30 interviews with people who know the programme well - former Fellows, RIPE NCC staff, the RIPE Chair and Vice-Chair, RIPE mentors, and colleagues at APNIC, LACNIC, ARIN, ISOC, and ICANN. We also ran research activities at SEE 13 and RIPE 90, including an interactive presentation at the Diversity in Tech session. Having these conversations has really helped us uncover needs, challenges, and opportunities that weren’t always obvious from the numbers alone.

As a result, we identified that the new RIPE Fellowship should:

• Adapt to individuals - recognising different backgrounds, interests, and levels of experience, and offering a simple, cost-effective model inspired by choose-your-own-adventure gamebooks.
• Select for motivation - through a pre-application 101 course and quiz.
• Offer personal guidance - via an experienced RIPE community member, the RIPE Fellow Coach.
• Respect community independence - letting Fellows co-create their own learning experience.
• Deepen engagement - by connecting Fellows with relevant learning resources.

Outlining a new approach

Thinking over these requirements and taking the next steps in our design approach, we've come up with an outline of what a new RIPE Fellowship might look like, and we would very much appreciate feedback from the community.

Every adventure starts with a map

One of the biggest design changes is the introduction of a ‘101’ course and quiz before applying to the RIPE Fellowship. Think of it as your map at the start of the journey - helping you find your bearings, set expectations, and prepare properly.

This step tackles two recurring challenges we identified in our research:

• Many past applicants had only a limited understanding of the Fellowship’s industry focus.
• The programme requires a big investment of time and resources from both RIPE NCC and the community, so it’s important to prioritise applicants who show clear motivation.

The 101 course covers the essentials: what the RIPE community and RIPE NCC are all about, what the Fellowship involves, and what’s expected of Fellows. Only applicants who complete the course and pass the quiz will be invited to submit a Fellowship application.

The RIPE Fellowship learning tracks

Inspired by the choose-your-own-adventure concept, the RIPE Fellowship offers the opportunity for fellows to design, with the guidance of a RIPE Fellow Coach, their own personal learning path, by connecting their personal interests with any of the following six core areas of interest, or tracks, of the RIPE community:

• Internet Governance
• IPv6
• Routing
• Security
• Internet Measurements & Tools
• IP Address Management (Internet Registry)

The RIPE Fellowship Coach

A new role within the programme, the RIPE Fellow Coach builds on the successful and ongoing RIPE Mentoring Programme.

RIPE Fellow Coaches are experienced community volunteers who support Fellows in defining and navigating their learning path, and in gaining confidence through:

• Three 1:1 virtual sessions (45 minutes each) before the meeting
• On-site support during the RIPE Meeting
• Optional post-meeting follow-up

RIPE Fellow Coaches should have:

• A solid understanding of the RIPE ecosystem
• A coaching mindset
• Experience attending RIPE Meetings (3 or more)
• Added bonus: prior RIPE meeting mentorship experience.

Time commitment:

• Pre-meeting: minimum 2h45 (three virtual 1:1 sessions with the Fellow), up to 8 hours if also serving on the Selection Committee
• At the meeting: ~2 hours

Benefits:

• Opportunity to help shape the RIPE community’s future
• Deeper connection with emerging contributors
• Certificate of appreciation

A three-stage RIPE Fellowship journey

Before the RIPE Meeting (approx. 3 months)

Fellows are onboarded and begin their structured learning journey with the support of their RIPE Fellow Coach and their peers that will last about three months. Activities include:

• Define learning goals and draft a personal learning path (mandatory)
• Participate in 3 coaching sessions (mandatory)
• Join group trainings, including sessions on public speaking and confidence (mandatory)
• Engage in group-based discussions and peer support

The Fellowship is not only about each Fellow’s individual learning path, but also about becoming part of a community and experiencing what it means to support one another. To that end, through group calls before each meeting, Fellows build trust and awareness of each other’s goals, so that if someone cannot attend, their peers can step in to carry those goals forward.

At the RIPE Meeting (1 week)

This stage takes place during the RIPE Meeting itself. Fellows attend the RIPE Meeting prepared to engage meaningfully, present their work or reflections, and connect with working groups, mentors, and community members.

After the RIPE Meeting (approx. 1 month)

Fellows will provide feedback on a survey and join a call where they will reflect on what would be their next step. By RIPE 93 we expect to be able to launch a more structured way to stay engaged with Fellows.

We’d love to hear your opinion!

The new RIPE Fellowship is designed not just to help each Fellow shape their own path, but to foster lasting connections with others. By experiencing what it means to be part of a community, we hope to help RIPE Fellows carry their voices forward and play an active role in shaping the RIPE community long after their first meeting ends.

That said though, the vision for a new RIPE Fellowship outlined here will only succeed if it resonates with the community. So, if you're a past Fellow, or Mentor, or simply someone passionate about strengthening inclusivity and impact across the RIPE community - we’d love your feedback!

Share your thoughts here in the comments and/or join us at the RIPE NCC Open House happening on 15 September at 14:00 - 15:30 CEST.