YOURS has recently partnered with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for their NextGen programme which focuses on youth and road safety issues. Road accidents are the #1 killer of young people world- wide. ISO NextGen – Road safety is looking for the next generation of experts to discuss the major challenges in this field and how International Standards might help. It has a sister project, ISO NextGen – Climate change, with similar aims.
These are brand new projects for ISO and they are all about reaching out to a wider community of young professionals to discuss today’s hot topics. This workshop (webinar) marks the kick-off of ISO’s online community for the next generation of road safety experts, who will discuss the major challenges in this field and how International Standards can help.
Speakers lined up include:
Assoc. Prof Gord Lovegrove (Uni. of British Columbia) will give an overview of the scale of the problem and discuss evaluating levels of safety and sustainable road safety strategies.
Kathleen Elsig from the International Road Federation will focus on building safer road infrastructure, whether there is such a thing as a ‘safe’ road, and how we can promote safer roads.
Mathew Gatt from BP will give us the perspective of a big corporation whose business revolves around road use. He will share with us the ways BP addresses the challenges on risks and responsibilities related to road safety.
The first ISO online webinar discussing road safety (Google Hangout) can be viewed by clicking the image or viewing it in the right column.
What do I have to do as part of the project?
- Be an active member of an online community using a platform to share ideas (via blogs, discussion forums, polls, etc.) and collaborate on a document outlining how International Standards can help to address the most pressing challenges in road safety. The platform will be open for 6 weeks starting from August 4.
- Attend online events to open and close the 6 week period where guest speakers will discuss their ideas.
- Explore how international solutions,such as International Standards, should be developed in the future.
Can anyone get involved?
We’d like to hear from young professionals who repre- sent the future generation and are not already involved in standardization work.
The ideal profile for our participants is:
- 25 – 35 years old
- Qualifications – a formal qualification from a higher educational institution related to the subject area
- Experience–5 years of professional experience in the subject area
- Little to no involvement in national or international standardization activities
- Demonstrated passion and vision for the subject area – takes initiative, thinks innovatively and influences others
- However, if you are interested in getting involved and you don’t exactly fit these criteria, do let us know!
What will I get out of it?
Participation in ISO NextGen – Road Safety will help you:
- Make contacts and interact with other passionate experts in your field of expertise
- Make contacts with established international experts (from ISO committees and working groups)
- Learn from guest speakers who will participate in the online events
- Bring your ideas to a wider, international community
- Influence the future of standardization in the sector and make a contribution to solving the most important global challenge in your field of expertise
- Contribute to raising the visibility of the issue of road safety at the international level
If you are interested in participating in the ISO NextGen – Road safety online community, please send an email with a few words about your motivation and a copy of your CV to Katie Bird (bird@iso.org).