Burma Link | June 29, 2017

As the President of the Karen Student Network Group (KSNG), Saw Htoo Htoo Stin has an important role in shaping the future of the youth of Karen State.  He and the KSNG organization are committed to creating educational opportunities that will empower the next generation and prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders.  One of the programs that Htoo Htoo is most proud of is the “Youth Exchange,” which unites youth within refugee camps and the Karen State.  This helps the youth see each other’s similarities and at the same time, accept their differences.  Other valuable lessons that the program teaches are in leadership and politics.  Htoo Htoo feels that education is the most important topic to address, with job opportunities, drugs and political changes following closely behind it.  While Htoo Htoo does all he can to provide opportunities for today’s youth, he feels that finding good opportunities will continue to be a difficult challenge as long as ethnic groups don’t have fair and equal access to education, health, and employment.

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The following interview was conducted as part of the joint documentary “Unrecognised Leaders, Tomorrow’s Hope: Raising the Voices of Forgotten Youth” by Burma Link, Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and Karen Youth Organisation (KYO), which was launched in a press conference in Rangoon on February 22, 2017, (Burmese version) and initially screened in Mae Sot on April 6 (English version). The 52-minute documentary amplifies the voices of displaced ethnic youth who live on the Thailand-Burma border, highlighting their calls for inclusion in political processes and recognition of refugee education certificates.

Burma Link started planning this documentary film project in August 2016, consulting numerous refugee-led organisations and other organisations working on refugee issues and producing advocacy films to set the direction for the project. Based on our positive experiences working with refugee youth along the Thailand-Burma border for years, we decided to focus on creating a film that would amplify the voices of the youth, share their stories, and enhance national and international awareness and support for the realisations of social and political aspirations of the youth. The project was planned and conducted in close collaboration with two local youth organisations: the Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and the Karen Youth Organisation (KYO).  We also partnered with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Right to Play who support the distribution and advocacy of the film. The central role of education in the film grew organically during the filming and interviewing process, as did the youth’s strong pleas for national and international actors to recognise and support their education.

Burma Link’s team members involved in planning the project all have years of first-hand experience from the Thai refugee camps and working with young refugees. Over the years spent along the border area and in the refugee camps, we have developed a thorough understanding of the security context and how it has changed over time. This context has been given serious consideration ever since the beginning of the planning process, and appreciating its complexity and state of constant flux, we started the planning process by arranging meetings with central actors including various local organisations. Considerable time was spent in considering the security aspects about this project before the filming started. Everyone taking part was clearly explained about the project and that it will be spread to local, national and international audiences as widely as possible. Everyone taking part has been given the option to be anonymous and unidentified.

For more information and screenings, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

This interview is the last one in the series that we have been publishing during the past weeks. This interview series is meant to give more in depth understanding into the situation of young ethnic refugees from Burma as well as refugee advocacy and Burma’s political situation. The text has been edited and some parts have been omitted for flow and clarity.

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KSNG Youth Engagement: ‘For the youth be more mobilized we should have some activities’

Our KSNG objectives and the main activities that we do are finding educational opportunities for Karen students and to be able to lead their communities and their country. Another thing is that we expect them to maintain the Karen culture and tradition.

The main things for engaging the youth are being united and giving knowledge. Because there are many different kinds of youth. Some of them can play sports only and some of them only know how to study. For them, these two things are important for their lives. The leaders or senior youth need to give encouragement to them, to let them know their value. But whether a student or a youth, studying is not the only thing that they have to do. After they play or do things that they want to do, they should learn other knowledge as well.

In my own opinion, for the youth be more mobilized we should have some activities. First we need to know what is their interest. Then we should let them join and participate with us more. We should have short workshops, summer trainings, different competitions for them. There are different ways that work for them and we need to give them a chance. After they have done the task they also need to have a chance to take work on. Where are they going to study? Which organization are they going to work and help? This is one of the possible ways for the youth to mobilize more.

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Youth Participation: ‘We can see many Karen youth help and support each other’

There are many ways in which we can make the youth participate and one of them is to let the youth discuss with each other, also called “youth exchange.” We do it in many locations in Karen State. We also do it in the camps. We also do other activities such as drama shows.

Due to the activities and participation of the youth, the results and benefits that we can see are; the first one is they got more contact to each other. We have seen that many youth from other places come and participate in these activities with us. Because of the participation of youth, there is a lot of success. We can see many Karen youth from different places meet each other, help each other and support each other. And we also figured out that by using this technique

[youth action] many Karen youth are very interested to participate and they do like it. The second is that youth are strong, and they have skills and energy. They can do many things. There is some stuff that old people cannot do anymore but they still always advise the youth. Youth that have participated and worked with KSNG, the results that we can see from them are 1) they can take the responsibility for the people and 2) we can see that they can support the youth society and also know how to use the things for what they have learnt.

When we are working on development, youth should be involved in many parts, whether it be in education or health, supporting each other etc… They should join hands and work together with the villagers. And youth should help, participate when the village or organization is working on the project for the development, so that they will see what is the benefit and what is the harm. They will also know things that are not good for their area so they can prevent it.

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Community and youth: ‘The community thinks youth are important because they are the new generation’

Before, we could see that many youth were willing to help or work for the people but they didn’t have a main objective that they wanted, so they made the wrong decision. But today, we can see that youth are doing what they want to do for the community, and also the communities are now opening opportunities like “OK, this is what you want and this is your opinion, so we will support you to do [this].” Most of the communities think that we youth are very important because they know that youth are the new generation. People who will need to take the responsibility in the future are youth when the old people gone. After the old leaders are gone, youth are the one who are going to take up every duty and responsibility.

Since they have to work together, they have much impact. For example, some schools inside Burma don’t know about the education system under the KED (Karen Education Department). They don’t know that there is a different education system between the KNU (Karen National Union) and the government of Burma. They didn’t have any idea of the conflict between Kaw Thoo Lay [KNU] and Burma military. They didn’t know the history. Because of those activities, the youth know more about the difference between the education system and also about the political situation. Our youth are trying to bring the knowledge to them. They also learn leadership skills. These are the achievements from working together with the youth. This is all because the youth are working hard.

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Challenges for the youth: ‘The biggest problem is education’

The biggest problem the youth are facing is about education. We also heard from youth that the education that they have is not recognized. Most of the places are in the ethnic youth area. In some places, we also can see that youth are trying on their own to get opportunities. The second [challenge] is opportunity, the third one is drugs, and the fourth one is political changes.

They don’t have much chance to participate though they want to, because according to the development of Burma they don’t get much space. Youth people should found a committee so they can project their voice to any development project.

In my opinion, I believe that the youth are the most important people for Burma in the future because youth are the ones who need to take all the responsibilities for their local area and country level. Youth are important. They are willing to take in positions and work, but they still don’t have enough skills to work on a national level yet but I believe we need to work step-by-step to take responsibilities and duties as youth, but they still need to learn and still need more experience and knowledge.

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Improving the future of youth: ‘The government actually really needs to encourage the youth more’

The government should give enough education or job opportunity to every youth. We should include the youth for the success. Actually, now there are many youth who are smart but the youth who get opportunities to show their skills are related to the people who have the authority. In other common people, there are many smart youth as well. But they don’t get a chance. So, they should give the opportunity to these smart youth. I believe that if these smart youth could get the right place to show and exchange their skills, it’s going to help to develop Burma.

As for the government and communities, what they should change is, because they are worried that youth would take chances and that youth are going to be better than them or their children. Smart and skilled youth aren’t going to destroy the country. Rather, the country will be improved and that’s why the government actually needs to encourage the youth more.

In our culture, if a young person wants to do something, they have to ask for permission from their parents. If they do or think what they want, parents and elder people scold them, like “You don’t listen to what we’re saying.” Whether the leader of government or community leaders, they should know and have to recognize our youth. As a youth, we are the strength of the country, and we are the stars of the country for all of youth.

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Future of Burma: ‘youth are the strength of the country

If I were in the government in Burma, I would change the constitution first because of the current political situation, we are facing difficulties and are suffering until today. Because in the 2008 constitution, they have deprived or ethnic youth of education opportunities. And also for the future of youth, they have deprived them of opportunities in many ways. If we change this constitution it will become more comfortable and smooth for the youth on what they are working on. Now the youth are in fear of this constitution.

In the future, I would like to a see Burma where the military cannot control and take the authority. Second, every ethnic group should have same opportunity such as freedom to have education and health, working together and helping each other. And all the leaders cannot be voted by only the Burman ethnic. Every ethnic should have nominations and compete for votes. You can see that the military in Burma took all the authority and controlled Burma for more than 70 years. That’s why these people can’t take the power in the country anymore. If possible, I actually want to say that the military have to stay under control and protect the nation. They cannot abuse the ethnic nationalities.

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For more information and screenings, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

 

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