Burma News International (BNI) | November 7, 2016

The Karen Youth Organisation (KYO) ran a short course at a ‘Youth Empowered Society Camp’ to train youths on how to effectively participate in the peace process.

The six-day course was held at Naung Nai Village in Kawkareik Township, Karen State from 27 October to 1 November.

The course trainers explained that the aim of the course was to raise youths’ interest and knowledge in the peace process, help them to develop better mindsets, help them to take leading political, societal and national roles amongst others and to give them the confidence to communicate and cooperate in cultural and knowledge exchanges with ethnic people.

KYO Central’s Social Affairs Officer, Saw Phoe Kwar Gyi, said to KIC News: “We will select outstanding youths who are interested and give them a one-month training course. The aim is for them to participate effectively in the peace process. We are giving the training course in this area because we are targeting youths from rural areas.”

A total of 77 Karen, Mon, PaO, and Burmese youths from the Karen State attended the training course, where they learned about peace, environmental conservation, human rights, self-development, and leadership.

Nan Phaw Thein Htai, a course attendee from the KNU’s Doopalaya District, said to KIC News: “In this training course, we were taught how to participate in politics and organisations, how to become activists, how to teach

[others what we have learned] when we go back to our areas at the end of the course. I believe I can use what I have been taught and teach it back in my district to the best of my ability.”

The KYO has been running the course in Karen State and Bago Region. The KYO has also cooperated with the Youth Circle Group to run training courses in other states and regions.

Reporting by Nan Wai Phyo Zar for KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI

This article originally appeared on Burma News International on November 7, 2016.

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