freemexy's blog
How to survive an internet shutdown
Internet freedoms are declining.
For an eighth consecutive year, Freedom House recorded a global decrease in internet freedoms in 2018, attributing the decline to governments determined to stifle online dissent.
One strategy in particular—internet shutdowns—has been used to great effect. During elections, several countries across Africa and Asia have attempted to silence speech online, especially on social media.
With heavy-handed governments becoming more comfortable with these tactics, users are looking for ways to avoid censorship and ensure access to a free and open internet.
What is an internet shutdown?
According to AccessNow:
“An internet shutdown happens when someone—usually a government—intentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps to control what people say or do.”
Internet shutdowns can either be total, where all access is blocked, or partial, where only certain websites or apps (like Twitter, Google, and Facebook) are inaccessible.
Total shutdowns are rarer because the economic cost of keeping people from doing business on the internet could quickly run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Where are these shutdowns happening, and why?
Partial shutdowns are happening with greater frequency in Asia as well as East and Central Africa.
Already in 2019, shutdowns have been reported across Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, and Gabon in response to political unrest, elections, and attempted coups.
The official reasoning behind these shutdowns has been to uphold national security, ensure public safety, and prevent “fake news” from spreading. Though they have also conveniently given the authorities the means to stop protests and control elections and the information surrounding them.
With more elections happening this year, from Nigeria to India, it’s highly likely more internet shutdowns are on the way.
What are the consequences of internet shutdowns?
By diminishing the freedoms of internet users, governments are stifling their countries’ growth.
According to the Brookings Institution, shutdowns in a 12-month span of 2015 and 2016 cost economies $2.4 billion, with India racking up $968 million of that total. (The problem is so pervasive in India, there’s now a website devoted to tracking shutdowns.)
These lockdowns also infringe on the fundamental right to internet access, which the UN Human Rights Council adopted by resolution in 2016. By closing down the web, countries risk inflaming public resentment toward their governments, which could, in turn, encourage those governments to tighten their grip on internet access, sending countries spiraling into digital authoritarian rule. Some countries are already there.
What can you do to survive an internet shutdown?
With the increasing frequency of internet blackouts around the world,
users are forced to find ways to circumvent them. Though there’s not
much you can do when the internet is cut off completely, here are a few
ways to remain online if you get caught in a partial internet shutdown.
1. Use circumvention tools like Tor
Tor is a free and open-source software that will protect you from
people who may want to spy on your browsing habits. When it comes to
achieving anonymity on the internet, it is virtually unbeatable.
2. Get a good VPN that will protect you from detection
With a VPN you can secure your access to the internet in its freest and most open form.
Using Tor over VPN will increase your privacy further. Simply connect to your VPN, then open the Tor Browser.
3. Stock up on tools and apps that protect your privacy and security
Start by using HTTPS Everywhere (which ExpressVPN integrated into our
Chrome extension) to secure your browsing on a particular site. Make
sure you’re using a browser that puts your privacy first—Tor is our
firmly recommended favorite.
You’ll also want to start using more secure communications if you haven’t already, like Signal.
After
following these three steps, you’ll be able to survive in any country
with a partial internet shutdown. Just make sure to exercise caution
when using these tools, as you may be living in a country where such use
could be penalized.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, let recommend a toof called VPN. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service,
but it’s already making a name for itself. Its features include split
tunneling, double encryption, kill switch protection, makes it one of
the best VPN in 2019. Qwer432
http://www.buysecurevpn.com/
http://www.buyexpressvpn.net/
http://www.buyvpnservice.net/
Net neutrality is important, and we need to fight for it
Net
neutrality (before 2003, known as “common carrier concept”) describes
the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should route data
indiscriminately of its type or origin. For example, a video should have
the same priority, no matter if it is served by YouTube or a small
competitor.
Net neutrality is an important principle of internet regulation. Despite being regarded as a cornerstone of successful innovation in an open and free internet, net neutrality is under threat from ISPs, large corporations, and governments.
What does net neutrality mean?
Every packet of data transferred through the cables and switches of
internet providers should be treated the same, regardless of
application, user, content, or platform.
In practice, net neutrality means that your ISP is not allowed to scrutinize your internet use and slow down, or throttle, packets based on what service you’re viewing. ISPs would not be allowed to favor companies that they have agreements with and, for example, speed up YouTube while slowing down Vimeo.
It’s because of neutrality that ISPs are often regulated similarly to public utility companies (common carriers), which are not allowed to discriminate in delivering their service. For example, during a power outage or a water shortage, your utility company will likely be prohibited from favoring some households over others.
Why net neutrality is so important
The idea of net neutrality is seen as the most important principle to
guarantee healthy competition between internet companies and make it
easy for users to adopt internet innovations.
Without net neutrality, an ISP could collude with a video streaming service and deliver that service’s videos with high speed and quality while limiting all other services to slow speeds and poor quality.
The high-speed video streaming service would then be able to raise prices, share the profits with the ISP, and never have to worry about competition.
Who is threatening net neutrality and why?
Internet conglomerates and ISPs threaten net neutrality. The two groups
dislike the competition of a free and open market and would prefer to
create a monopolistic environment where they can overcharge for inferior
products—similar to how cable companies did (and still do!) before the
internet.
Some examples of net neutrality breaches in the past:
Throttling of BitTorrent traffic
Offering free data, but only for a particular company (like Facebook or Spotify)
Disabling of Apple Facetime
Blocking of free internet calling services
Some large internet companies also stand accused of dismantling the
principle of net neutrality. Facebook’s internet.org campaign aims to
deliver free internet access to the developing world, but at the same
time, it will restrict access to certain platforms and heavily favor
companies owned by Facebook (WhatsApp, Instagram).
The fear is that without the principle of net neutrality, nobody will be able to create an internet startup anymore, because ISPs will favor the traffic of the major incumbent monopolies.
Net neutrality in the balance: A hand labeled ISP holding a scale with internet content on each end.
Net neutrality rules around the world
United States
Net neutrality rules were adopted in the United States by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in 2005. However, the legal basis of the
FCC rules remained contentious, and repeated attempts to turn them into
law failed in Congress.
In 2017, under a new administration, the FCC decided to repeal its rules. The repeal went into effect in 2018 despite many online protests.
European Union
While individual
countries may still decide on stronger net neutrality rules, the
European Union has been setting a minimum standard since 2002. This
standard still allows telecoms to downgrade their customers’ services
under some circumstances.
Some European countries have robust net neutrality laws, such as the Netherlands and Slovenia, but others, like Portugal, allow for discriminating pricing models that by most people’s definitions violate net neutrality rules.
Brazil
The Brazilian
Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (Marco Civil da Internet) of
2014 in principle upholds the idea of net neutrality but has also
blocked services like WhatsApp.
China
China does not have net neutrality laws and regularly censors services and data.
India
Since 2018, India has strong net neutrality rules that ban any form of data discrimination.
Is net neutrality the perfect solution?
In theory, yes. But there are many instances when net neutrality is far
from ideal. Some data simply has a different priority compared with
other data. It seems absurd to route a computer backup at the same
priority as a phone call, for instance, and the world’s bandwidth use
would be far more efficient if data were assigned an express and low
priority.
Sadly, we have no mechanism to assess the priority of data accurately. If we were to allow internet service providers to decide, we would end up with monopolistic behavior, and if we let the users, or companies, make the call, we would likely face a situation in which everybody would flag their data as high priority.
How we could keep net neutrality
With the rise of cryptocurrencies, it might one day be possible to pay
for bandwidth, not on a month-by-month or GB-by-GB basis, but by
attaching a price to each requested packet based on priority.
The ISP would collect this fee as a reward and be incentivized to deliver some data first. Of course, this might mean that a GB of online videoconference footage would cost far more than a GB of backing up data, or a GB of BitTorrent, but it is a more efficient use of bandwidth.
As long as the user—not the internet service—pays for the data, ISPs and conglomerates would have little opportunity to collude. Streaming a movie in high speed from the biggest provider would cost just as much as streaming it from the smallest provider.
What you can do to save net neutrality
If you suspect that your ISP is throttling your bandwidth selectively
or blocking certain services, you can use a VPN to get around it. Your
ISP will not be able to look inside your encrypted VPN tunnel and will
not be able to slow some services down while prioritizing others.
To protect net neutrality, you can also contact your local regulatory agency or legislator to let them know that this is something you find important.
If you are in the U.S., you can use OpenMedia’s The Internet Fights Back form. In Europe, you can use this form.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, let recommend a toof called VPN.
RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name
for itself. Its features include split tunneling, double encryption,
kill switch protection, makes it one of the best VPN in 2019. Qwer432
http://www.buysecurevpn.com/
http://www.buyexpressvpn.net/
http://www.buyvpnservice.net/
Begini Cara Menghilangkan Jerawat Secara Alami
Jerawat adalah
salah satu masalah kulit yang sering terjadi. Kondisi ini bisa
menimbulkan rasa tidak nyaman dan menurunkan kepercayaan diri. Berbagai
cara mengatasi jerawat bisa dilakukan, mulai dari cara alami hingga
melakukan perawatan kulit ke dokter.cara menghilangkan jerawat kecil kecil dengan cepat
Salah satu cara untuk mengatasi kulit berjerawat adalah melakukan
perawatan wajah secara alami. Berikut langkah-langkah yang bisa Anda
ikuti:
1. Cuci muka secara rutin
Untuk menghilangkan jerawat
secara alami, disarankan untuk membersihkan wajah menggunakan sabun
berbahan lembut secara rutin. Biasakan untuk membersihkan wajah dua kali
sehari, dan jangan lupa membersihkan wajah setelah menggunakan make-up
dan berolahraga.
2. Oleskan toner ke wajah
Setelah mencuci
muka, Anda bisa mengoleskan toner ke kulit wajah. Toner bisa membantu
membersihkan kotoran dan sisa make-up yang masih menempel di wajah.
Selain itu, toner juga membantu mengembalikan pH kulit, mencegah kulit
kering, dan mengurangi produksi minyak. Hal ini akan membantu mengatasi
masalah kulit, termasuk jerawat yang Anda alami.
3. Oleskan pelembap ke wajah
Langkah selanjutnya yang perlu dilakukan adalah menjaga kelembapan
kulit wajah, dan salah satunya dengan mengoleskan pelembap. Kondisi
wajah yang lembap akan menghambat peningkatan produksi minyak. Hal ini
akan mencegah munculnya jerawat pada wajah. Untuk kulit berjerawat,
pilih pelembap wajah berlabel noncomedogenic dan bebas minyak.
4. Gunakan tabir surya
Setelah mengoleskan pelembap, jangan lupa untuk mengoleskan juga tabir
surya. Hal ini karena pada sebagian orang, paparan sinar matahari dapat
memperparah jerawat.
Namun karena umumnya tabir surya bersifat comedogenic, sebaiknya Anda berkonsultasi dengan dokter untuk mendapatkan jenis tabir surya yang cocok untuk kulit berjerawat.
JANGAN DIGARUK! LAKUKAN 5 CARA MENGATASI JERAWAT GATAL AGAR MEREDA
Jerawat
yang timbul pada wajah akan memberikan reaksi berbeda-beda tergantung
pada jenisnya. Salah satu yang sering mengganggu adalah rasa gatal. Pada
dasarnya ada beberapa penyebab yang dapat membuat jerawat terasa gatal
dan mengganggu.cara menghilangkan jerawat kecil di pipi
Jerawat yang muncul terbilang sangat mengganggu penampilan seseorang. Namun, saat reaksi gatal muncul sebaiknya Anda jangan digaruk, karena dapat menimbulkan luka yang lebih parah dan memperburuk keadaan.
Lantas, bagaimana cara mengatasi jerawat gatal agar cepat mereda? Ada 5 cara yang bisa Anda praktikan saat hal tersebut terjadi.Kondisi kulit wajah yang kotor dapat memicu timbulnya jerawat dan peradangan, sehingga akan mengakibatkan rasa gatal. Oleh karena itu, cara mengatasi jerawat gatal bisa dilakukan dengan membersihkan wajah secara teratur dengan pembersih wajah.
Sebaiknya, Anda mulai memilih produk pembersih yang bebas alkohol serta memiliki kandungan air lebih di dalamnya. Produk seperti itu memang lebih aman digunakan pada wajah berjerawat.
MENGHINDARI SENTUHAN PADA JERAWAT
Salah satu cara menghilangkan jerawat kecil dan gatal yang bisa dilakukan, tentunya dengan cara menghindari sentuhan pada wajah, khususnya area yang berjerawat. Tangan kita yang tidak bersih dapat membuat kondisi jerawat di wajah semakin buruk dan menyebar ke area lainnya dengan cepat.
Oleh karena itu, Anda perlu mencuci tangan terlebih dahulu sebelum menyentuh wajah untuk make-up atau pun pada saat membersihkannya.
MENJAGA POLA MAKAN YANG BAIK
Selanjutnya, Anda bisa mencoba cara menghilangkan jerawat gatal lainnya dengan menjaga pola makan yang baik dan bersih. Hindarilah makanan pemicu minyak berlebih seperti gorengan, makanan pedas, ataupun tinggi gula. Mulailah dengan mengonsumsi sayuran dan buah yang kaya akan vitamin juga mineral.
Selain itu, Anda juga perlu meminum minimal 8 gelas air per hari atau setara dengan 2 liter air putih untuk menjaga kelembapan kulit. Cara ini akan lebih efektif untuk mengurangi peradangan pada jerawat.
MENGATUR POLA TIDUR SECARA TERATUR
Menjaga pola tidur yang teratur sama saja dengan memberikan kesempatan pada tubuh untuk memulihkan kembali energi. Hal ini sangat penting karena akan memengaruhi proses regenerasi kulit agar tidak menimbulkan masalah lebih parah pada kulit wajah. Pastikan Anda memiliki pola tidur yang cukup minimal 7 hingga 8 jam setiap harinya.
MENGURANGI PEMAKAIAN MAKE-UP
Saat terjadi masalah pada kulit, terlebih ketika sedang meradang, cara mengatasi jerawat gatal secara efektif yang bisa dilakukan yakni dengan mengurangi pemakaian make-up di wajah. Hal ini bertujuan agar pori-pori kulit dapat bernapas lebih baik untuk sementara waktu.
Pori-pori yang tertutup make-up dan debu bisa menjadi salah satu pemicu utama dari jerawat yang terasa gatal dan tidak kunjung hilang.
Itulah 5 cara yang bisa dilakukan untuk mengatasi jerawat gatal agar mereda. Selain 5 cara yang telah disebutkan tadi di atas, Anda bisa membantu mengurangi peradangan dengan memakai rangkaian produk Tea Tree The Body Shop®. Dimana produk ini memang khusus diformulasikan untuk mengatasi masalah jerawat.
Rangkaian produk tersebut tersedia lengkap mulai dari sabun pembersih, toner, scrub, night mask, hingga night lotion. Anda bisa memiliki semua produk tersebut dengan mengunjungi gerai resmi The Body Shop® terdekat atau membeli secara online pada situs resminya.
Krones expands dairy, craft beer equipment lines with W.M. Sprinkman acquisition
The Wisconsin food and beverage industry experienced a shakeup this week, with Krones Inc. acquiring W.M. Sprinkman Corp.
Krones,
the North American subsidiary of German company Krones AG., purchased
Sprinkman, a multi-generation family company now based in Waukesha, for
an undisclosed amount with the intention of bolstering its product
portfolio in North America. Krones employs 500 people at its North
American headquarters in Franklin, and will add Sprinkman's 125
employees.beer brewing equipment
Sprinkman will retain its brand and become a wholly owned subsidiary. Sprinkman's headquarters will remain in Waukesha and its production facility in Elroy will remain operational.
"They have a strong brand in the brewing and dairy industries and that's very much aligned with Krones," said Susan Paprcka, Krones' head of marketing and corporate communications.
Paprcka said that before about 18 months ago, most of Krones' manufacturing presence was in Germany. The company has tried to return more manufacturing to its North American footprint, and the acquisition of W.M. Sprinkman contributes to that goal.
"We're giving our subsidiaries more control over their marketplace so we can serve our customers better," Paprcka said. "We needed a little bit more horsepower in processing technology locally."
W.M. Sprinkman primarily excels with brewing and dairy processing technology, and both of those industries are ones Krones hopes to enhance with the addition of Sprinkman. Krones' German-produced brewing equipment, branded Steinecker, typically serves large scale brewing operations, and Paprcka said Sprinkman's proliferation in the American craft brewing scene, in breweries like Milwaukee Brewing Co.'s new location, makes Sprinkman Krones' ideal complement.
"That gives us a little bit more agility to service different customers in the craft brewing area," Paprcka said. "They also manufacture the tanks, which we're not as strong in."Paprcka added that dairy is a much smaller footprint for Krones in the United States, and that Sprinkman presents a definite growth opportunity in that industry.
“Bringing Sprinkman into the Krones family not only adds an experienced team of employees and a great customer base, but also helps round out our U.S.-based process engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” said Holger Beckmann, president and CEO of Krones Inc.
W.M. Sprinkman president Brian Sprinkman added that the partnership will allow them to "exponentially widen" their product and service offerings.
Untangling where your hair extensions really come from
Go
online in search of a wig or hair extensions and you'll be presented
with a dizzying spectrum of choices. "Luxury" virgin hair from Brazil or
Peru. "Pure" Mongolian hair. "Finest remy" hair from India. Sleek
European weaves. But very rarely will you see hair from China advertised
- even though that's where most of it is from.
China is the biggest
exporter and importer of human hair and harvests huge amounts from its
own population, as Emma Tarlo discovered on a three-year quest to
untangle what happens to hair once it is no longer attached to our
heads.Hair manufacturers
Find us on Facebook
"People who work in the industry are conscious of the fact Made in
China is viewed as a negative label and market it in more glamorous ways
instead," says the professor of anthropology and author of
Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair.Consult the many online hair
glossaries, blogs and tutorials and you'll be told that Chinese hair is
the coarsest, that Filipino hair is similar but much shinier, that
Brazilian hair is "full-bodied with a beautiful bounce" and Indian hair
is "versatile with a natural lustre". Definitions are as varied as they
are vague.
The more you try to make sense of it, the more elusive it
becomes," says Tarlo. "European hair is the most valuable, partly
because of its fine textures, the variety of its colours and because it
is in shorter supply." Most of this hair comes from countries in Eastern
Europe, such as Russia, Romania, or Ukraine.
At the top end of the
market is "virgin" hair - hair that has never been chemically treated -
and "remy" hair, which has been cut or shaved directly from a donor.
And then at the opposite end of the scale is "standard hair" - often
used as a more marketable term for comb waste. Yes, Chinese or
otherwise, many sleek and shiny hair extensions start life as hairballs,
collected from combs and plugholes.
Chinese factories will often
call the comb waste hair 'standard hair' because a lot of the hair comes
through that route," says Tarlo.
"In terms of marketing it's up to
the integrity of traders all the way along the line to specify what hair
is what. Quite a lot of mislabelling goes on and often the people
buying it don't ask questions anyway."
I have another idea, but this time I’m fairly certain it’s genius, though I’ll run it past you guys anyway. I’ve decided to move to Tianjin, China. I know what you’re thinking: what a brilliant idea, go for it! Why Tianjin, you ask?
Well, the St. Regis Tianjin just opened a few months ago, and the rates are rather good, about ~$140USD/night.My plan is to move there and live on the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts rate, which includes complimentary daily breakfast, guaranteed 4PM check-out, a room upgrade, and a $100 food and beverage credit per stay. Add that to my Starwood Platinum benefits, and I’ll be living the high life for pennies on the dollar.
The only downside is that the food and beverage credit is per stay as opposed to per night, so I guess I’ll have to stay at the Westin every other night. Or maybe I need to move there with a friend and we need to have alternating reservations every other night.
Shanghai Shixi High School was one of the first experimental model high schools certified by the Shanghai Municipality authorities. Founded in 1870, the school changed its name to "Shixi High School" in 1946. In 1953 it was nominated as one of the first key schools in Shanghai.
The incumbent principal of Shanghai Shixi High School, Mr.Dong Junwu, graduated from East China Normal University with a master degree in Mathematics. The school has a teaching team of 5 professional special grade teachers and 78 Middle special grade teachers. Its research groups, including Chinese, Mathematics, English and Physics, have enjoyed high reputation in Jing'an District. It is also honored as the "Municipal Experimental School on Biology and Life Science Courses".
As a partly boarding school, Shanghai Shixi High School enrolls outstanding junior school students and some students of music or sports talent for their further growth and development. Meanwhile, Shixi Middle School actively participates in some international academic research programs such as "Project Healthy Youth" organized by UNESCO. It has also established relationships with schools in Germany, UK, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong, etc.
Partner schools include Dartford Grammar School (England) and St. Peters College (Australia) and Verde Valley School (Sedona, Arizona, USA).
In February 2005, eight Chinese students and two staff from the school visited England for 11 days and spent the majority of their time at St. Mary's Catholic High School, Menston.[1] Since 2009 they have also partaken in exchange programs with St Peters College.
In recent years significant achievements by the students from Shanghai Shixi High School have been witnessed in the national university entrance examination. Students have won more than 100 medals in various kinds of municipal, national and international competitions. Prestigious graduates of Shanghai Shixi High School were admitted to world-famous universities; namely, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Cambridge University, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, Cornell University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, NYU, University of Melbourne and Waseda University.
In real terms, CPD is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. It is an ongoing process and ensures you continue to be competent in your profession.
Participating in a CPD program delivers benefits to the individual, their profession and the wider community:
CPD ensures your capabilities keep pace with the current standards of others in the same field.
CPD ensures that you maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills you need to deliver a professional service to your customers, clients and the community.
CPD ensures that you and your knowledge stay relevant and up to date. You are more aware of the changing trends and directions in your profession. The pace of change is probably faster than it’s ever been – and this is a feature of the new normal that we live and work in. If you stand still you will get left behind, as the currency of your knowledge and skills becomes out-dated.
CPD helps you continue to make a meaningful contribution to your team. You become more effective in the workplace. This assists you to advance in your career and move into new positions where you can lead,
manage, influence, coach and mentor others.
CPD helps you to stay interested and interesting. Experience is a great teacher, but it does mean that we tend to do what we have done before. Focused CPD opens you up to new possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas.
CPD can deliver a deeper understanding of what it means to be a professional, along with a greater appreciation of the implications and impacts of your work.
CPD can lead to increased public confidence in individual professionals and their profession as a whole.
The Institute's CPD programme supports our mission “to enhance the international performance of the United Kingdom by setting and raising professional standards in International Trade Management practice”.
The CPD programme allows members of the Institute to maintain and develop their knowledge, skills and competence systematically throughout their career within international trade.
In addition to recognising the development of a member’s technical knowledge, our CPD programme takes into account the enhancement of the practical skills, which are required to operate effectively and professionally within the international trade arena.
How CPD works:
1. You can secure CPD points through a wide range of activities associated with International Trade; these include private study, conferences, meetings, training courses, imparting skills and recognised qualifications. Each activity is allocated a set amount of CPD points, which can be advised by the IOE&IT.
2. You record each activity in your online journal on your member account, selecting whether it relates to contemporary or generic issues, and enter the appropriate points for the activity. You should also upload documentary evidence to support your claim for CPD points.
3. To gain your Continuing Professional Development certificate, you will need to secure a minimum of 100 CPD points per year, 50 from Contemporary Issues and 50 from Generic Issues.
A year’s subscription to the CPD programme costs just £38 a year.
But while tennis fans remain glued to their TV screens to witness the continued brilliance of star players such as Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams — not to mention the exciting buzz surrounding breakout newcomers like teenage phenom Cori “Coco” Gauff — local courts across the country aren’t seeing quite as much action. According to research by the Tennis Industry Association, participation in the sport among core players (those who play 10 or more times a year) has slipped 15% since 2009. Play occasions, meanwhile, have decreased by 22% over the last decade, reflecting a growing shift toward more casual participation.
Considering that it’s core players who drive the $6 billion tennis industry — they buy about 90 percent of all apparel, shoes, equipment, lessons and court time — the trend is concerning, said TIA executive director Jolyn de Boer.
“Unfortunately, it is not only affecting tennis but the majority of sports in this country. In our constantly evolving society, people are faced with an unprecedented amount of options for activities, and we’re finding that they increasingly prefer to sample multiple activities and experiences rather than commit or dedicate time to one sport,” de Boer explained, also citing the emergence of smartphones and other digital entertainment as a significant factor behind declining participation rates.
So with an eye on the future, the tennis industry is ramping up its efforts to attract new players to the game.
Children are a prime target — not surprising considering research shows that people who begin tennis early in their lives tend to stick with it long into adulthood. Currently, 4.64 million youth are getting their swing on, but the industry is on a mission to reach millions more. “It’s all about the pipeline and getting kids engaged early,” de Boer noted.The United States Tennis Association is putting some serious muscle behind the cause with its Net Generation program, which launched in 2017 and marked the first time the sport has had one unified initiative aimed at kids. Through a dedicated online site, Net Generation brings together players, parents and coaches, offering a platform to locate and register for tennis programs across the country and access teaching and learning resources, and a digital app even lets kids track their training, complete challenges and earn badges for skills mastered. (Registered coaches are required to complete a background screening in compliance with the USTA’s Safe Play policy.)
Our goal is to make tennis accessible and get as many kids involved as possible,” said Leah Friedman, Net Generation’s national manager. “We know that if we can provide kids with a safe, welcoming and fun environment to play and learn the fundamentals of the game, we will keep them in our sport longer.”
And the need for these efforts is about much more than teaching kids the perfect serve or slice shot. “Tennis is a sport that goes far beyond the boundaries of the court. There are so many life lessons to be learned through playing tennis,” Friedman noted. “With Net Generation, we’re investing in the future. If we do this well, these kids will be our future players, our future coaches, our future industry leaders.”
Already, Net Generation is off to a strong start. Registration numbers show the program is well on its way to its initial goal of providing tennis participation opportunities to half a million kids.
The program is also spreading tennis beyond its typical demographics. “We are seeing barriers being broken down and more inner-city neighborhoods embracing tennis programs,” Friedman explained. “With the nets, tape and other equipment we provide, coaches can easily set up play in their communities. You don’t even need a court. You can do it in the street, on the basketball court — any flat surface.”
Also helping to ignite kids’ interest in the game are the inspiring young tennis talents who are making noise on the pro circuit. Take 15-year-old Gauff, for instance, who stole the spotlight at Wimbledon when she became the youngest player in the professional era to qualify for the U.K. tournament, and then pulled off a stunning upset against veteran Venus Williams in the first round. Even before her fairytale run at the All England Club, she caught the eye of Boston-based New Balance, which signed her to a multimillion-dollar
endorsement deal last October.