Workshop 1: Democratisation

Nowadays we pride ourselves in the fact that we are one of the most successfully organised communities in exile. In fact, since the establishment of the Tibetan exile administration on 29 April 1959, there has been a gradual evolution of a democratic Tibetan government in exile. The Tibetan constitution was adopted in 1991 and the official charter provides a clear framework to separate power among the three governmental branches, judiciary, legislature and executive.

Critically reviewing the progress of the democratization process in the Tibetan society, we strive for an objective analysis of how well the Tibetans perform their rights and obligations in such young democracy.

For instance we aim to understand the reasons for the low voter participation in the last Kalon Tripa election. Back then, out of 120 000 eligible voters only 60% of them were registered to vote and merely an estimated fraction of 30% actually voted.

Furthermore, what seems to hinder the development of a democratic system, are traditional practices such as linking our actions to other individuals rather than to the system. Overall we need to accept the fact that the evolution of democracy is based on a process of debate.

Addressing these issues, the workshop elaborates on the role of the Tibetan youth thereby.

Workshop 2: Activism & Resistance

After nine rounds of dialogue, there are still no constructive results from the discussions with the Chinese government. Moreover, H.H the Dalai Lama even mentioned in his speech on the 10th March that: «although I have clearly articulated Tibetan aspirations, which are in accordance with the constitution of the People′s Republic of China and the law on national regional autonomy, we have not obtained any concrete result. Judging by the attitude of the present Chinese leadership, there is little hope that a result will be achieved soon».

Consequently we will discuss our position on the dialogue approach and other options for a political solution. In Tibet, the young generation is leading the struggle for resistance, as the peaceful protests in 2008 have clearly shown. In this Workshop we will also discuss future options of actions that could help to support the Tibetans inside Tibet and the young Tibetans in particular. Concerning this matter, a fundamental question is what role the young Tibetans in Europe should play in the Tibetan resistance movement.

Workshop 3: Secularism

Secularism is the concept that government should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief.

The separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent from each other. It refers to the view that human activities and decisions, especially political ones, should be based on evidence and fact unbiased by religious influence.

Is the tibetan society ready to apply these principles of secularism? Why should we consider seperation of church and state? In this workshop, we will discuss whether we simply can take over the western version of democracy or if we have to think about if and how far our system should be secularised.

Workshop 4: Relation between the Tibetan Youth and the Tibetan Gov. in Exile

Young Tibetans that live abroad increasingly become skilled in different fields of practices. Many of them express a strong interest in the Tibetan issue and wish to work in part or full-time for its cause. However, it is difficult for them to navigate between the large numbers of non-governmental organizations and the departments of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in India. Similarly, there is little guidance on how to engage in the diverse activities of these institutions. There is little information on the existence of any trainee programs and the skills required for aspirants. While there is much talk about the brain-drain from the Central Tibetan Administration, it would be interesting to elaborate on how CTA could acquire and make use of the talent from young Tibetans abroad. This is a potential that could contribute positively to the work of the CTA.

This workshop explores what the Tibetan youth expects from the CTA to strengthen mutual cooperation.

Workshop 5: Young Tibetans in Europe

The focus of this workshop is on the young Tibetans in Europe. We aim to discuss the situation of young Tibetans living in Europe and to elaborate on opportunities to work together for the Tibetan cause.

Nowadays the challenge is that young Tibetans are scattered all over Europe. Most of us were born in exile and the majority has never been to Tibet. Still there are very strong feelings for our heritage and solidarity with the Tibetans living in Tibet. Although local youth organizations campaign for the Tibetan cause, up to present there were only few attempts to jointly work on a European-wide level. However this could facilitate synergies in order to reach our common goal: an improved situation in Tibet. Therefore, in this workshop we will elaborate on questions such as: We are Tibet! Are we? What makes you feel being a Tibetan? What do we all have in common? And what is our responsibility for Tibet? From this we seek to find answers to the overall question how we shall engage TOGETHER in the Tibetan cause from now on.