DHARAMSHALA, March 20: A three-day meeting, aimed at training Tibet activists “to do better and smarter campaign planning” concluded Sunday in the American capital city of Washington DC.
The meeting was the fourth in the series of America regional meetings of the International Tibet Network, a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organisations.
55 Tibetans and supporters from US, Canada, and Mexico, including participants from UK and India, took part in the meeting.
In a release, the Network said that briefings, presentations and trainings were held to ensure Tibet groups in the US are “equipped and trained to do better and smarter campaign planning when they return back to their respective areas.”
The meeting also hosted a panel discussion to gauge the “political reality” in which Tibet groups around the world are working and to look for “possible changes” lurking on the horizon.
Panelists included well-known China expert Gordon Chang, Lobsang Nyandak, the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the US, and Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China.
During the session, which was “meant to set the context” of the meeting, the panelists gave presentations on Tibet and China in their “distinct approaches.”
Tenzin Jigme, International Coordinator of the International Tibet Network said the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet gave added significance to the meeting.
“It was important that we came out with a concrete campaign planning,” Jigme said.
Meeting participants appreciated the strategic campaign techniques and media trainings given at the meeting.
Dhondup Phunkhang, a representative from Tibetan Community of Boston recommended Tibetan communities all over US to attend such meetings in near future noting the meeting’s “enormous help” in building “stronger and strategic campaigns.”
Another participant, Tsedup Wangdu, the President of the Tibetan Association of Northern California said: “Media training and other workshops given at the meeting were really helpful and I wish there are more Tibetan community leaders. There are so many things they can learn from this.”
Earlier American regional meetings of the International Tibet Network, which aims to “maximise the effectiveness of the worldwide Tibet movement,” were held in the US and Mexico.
