By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, July 2: The ‘Tibetan Youth Convention 2024,’ organised by the US based National Democratic Institute (NDI), is currently underway in Dharamshala until July 5. The event has brought together nearly 30 young leaders from 24 youth organisations across India and Nepal.
The primary aim of the convention, according to the organisers, is to empower Tibetan youth by enhancing their participation in Tibetan democracy through targeted capacity-building initiatives. Over the next few days, these young leaders will engage in open discussions, critical thinking exercises, and collaborative learning sessions to boost their political participation and leadership skills.
The keynote address was delivered by the President of the Tibetan government-in-exile known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). In his speech, Sikyong Penpa Tsering emphasised the significance of understanding the responsibilities that come with being a Tibetan. “As Tibetans, we inherently understand our responsibilities. We have two core responsibilities. First, we must address the Sino-Tibet conflict. Given the current situation, the official stance of the CTA is the Middle Way policy, which is also adopted by the 16th Kashag. Middle Way Policy recognises polarities particularly political ones: these polarities include the current repressive situation in Tibet and its historical status as an independent state. By combining these two perspectives, we must navigate towards a future,” Sikyong stated.
Speaking to Phayul, Tenzin Yangdon, representing the Lady Shree Ram Student Association said, “This convention gives us an opportunity to interact with very important stakeholders within the Tibetan democracy, especially with the Sikyong’s presence. I also think it is a great opportunity to voice our opinions and give the youth an opportunity to speak their thoughts and opinions. Understanding our identity and staying updated on politics is crucial for effective engagement.”
Tenzing Dhamdul, a research associate from the Foundation for Non-violent Alternatives (FNVA) shared his thoughts with Phayul, “The biggest motivation for me is meeting the Tibetan youngsters. They are the future at the end of the day. What they are doing and someone like me, who resides in Delhi and does work on policy works. But sometimes when you do this work, you feel disenchanted from reality so coming here and meeting the very Tibetan youngsters even though I am a youngster myself, so listening to what they want to say and what they see as a future Tibet is very crucial. That is one of my major goals in attending this convention.
“Furthermore, the programs that have been outlined include engagement with current Tibetan parliament members in exile. All of these bring the scattered youths together to the hub of the Tibetan government-in-exile is very crucial. So getting to catch up and update what they are doing, also understand what new Tibetan youth leaders are doing, and try to share my bit of advice but also gain a huge amount of knowledge from them. The challenges they faced, I might not have faced during my time as a college student. All of these are very crucial because if one wants to do something or change the nation, youth is important. How do you change the youth, you need to understand their concerns.”
