By Tenzin Dickyi
RTYC, San Francisco
San Francisco – The 6th Annual North America Tibetan Youth Congress (NATYC) Conference was held at the University of San Francisco (USF) on August 12 and 13, 2006.
President of USF, Father Stephen Previtt, on behalf of the University, welcomed all the guests and participants and wished all the success for the conference.
The Chief Guest, Kasur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong strongly expressed the need for Tibetans and youth abroad to be more involved in knowing the current situation in Tibet. Invited especially for the conference was President of Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) Centrex, Mr. Kelsang Phuntsok Gadrupa. Present during the conference were members of the Central Committee Member of the World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI)/USA and Taiwanese American friends who strongly support freedom and human rights of the Tibetan people. The sixteen representatives of each Regional TYC (RTYC): New York and New Jersey, Minnesota, Portland/Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco. RTYC of Toronto could not attend due to difficulties with obtaining a visa, but they had extended monetary contribution and submitted public opinions from their region for this Conference.
Important ideas and issues tackled at the conference were how to further enhance young North America’s Tibetans’ participation in our movement, whether through organizing Tibetan cultural dance competitions for them, or coordinating their participation in peace marches. The representatives brainstormed ideas on how to recruit these young Tibetans to travel to Dharamsala, where they can attend TYC Centrex Camps, learning Tibetan and the issues of Tibet-China relations. Under the Political Activism Agenda, a plan to communicate more closely with other organizations such as Taiwanese groups that seek independence from China was developed. The debate on the Chinese government’s railroad, which is swamping Tibet with Chinese and diluting the unique Tibetan culture and its people, led to the consensus that RTYC need to raise public consciousness.
Every regional TYC considers the Beijing Olympics to be a significant opportunity to make the world see the current face of, and learn the history of, China’s brutal occupation of Tibet. Through non-violent direct action, TYC must continue to work for the call for justice and freedom and demand respect for human rights. This scale of an opportunity for visibility of Tibetan movement will not likely recur soon.
Finally, the discussion on the need for a central office in North America to better coordinate the Regional TYC chapters was extensive. Until a central office comes forth, RTYCs resolved to ask the TYC Centrex to appoint a public relations’ officer to work with RTYC chapters in North America.
The NATYC conference once again brought not only all the Regional TYC activists together but all the way from India, the President of TYC Centrex, Kalsang Phuntsok la–thus further strengthening and inspiring RTYC from different States to continue the struggle for Tibet’s independence.
