Empowering the Vision
September 2009:
The Dalai Lama meets Tibetan professionals from GTPN in Delhi. <<more>>
If you would like to help young Tibetans gain confidence and skills to take their place in the workforce and give back to their community, you can make a donation here.
Comments we received at the end of Empowering the Vision’s conference, February 2009 ...
"It is so wonderful to know that we ourselves can come up with such great ideas and I thank the whole team who helped us in realising that we are more not less. I never knew that coming here would change my life, my thoughts, and my aspirations. THANK YOU!"
"Best week of my life – I will never forget how I felt."
"Thank you for establishing such a great and inspirational institution, and thank you for helping us to know better our own self."
"I had my most meaningful week of my life."
"Your organisation is doing a great job to empower the Tibetan youth and it really helped me a lot and I will try my best to change myself."
Useful links
Every year around 1,000 young Tibetans living in exile will graduate from school or college. Up to half of them will struggle to find work. In 2003 Tibet Relief Fund established a youth initiative, now known as Empowering the Vision, to tackle the growing problem of youth unemployment in the Tibetan community.
Empowering the Vision exists to transform the lives of young people through education, careers guidance and advice.
Why was this so essential? Because it is no exaggeration to say that many Tibetan young people are in crisis. Many remain deeply traumatised by events witnessed in their early youth in Tibet. They feel the constant sorrow of missing their families, anger at the occupation of their country and the apparent hopelessness of their situation.
Many have faced discrimination in India. They have often had difficulties with foster families and some have even been tempted to lose themselves in western ‘remedies’ such as alcohol or drugs. For many, the crisis among this generation has resulted in a lack of direction and a feeling of powerlessness over their lives.
But, more than anywhere else in the world, Tibet needs a determined, united, young generation to keep Tibet’s unique culture alive: to be a strong voice in the world and to speak out eloquently for the future of their country.
While the older generation is largely driven by a desire to return to their homeland, Tibetan youth realises it must carve out a place for itself in here and now. Sadly, despite being exposed to different cultural, social and professional influences, many young Tibetans find themselves ill-equipped to participate in the workplace as equals.
Young people describe feelings of low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, poor communication skills and a fear of the competitive world as some of their biggest obstacles to finding employment.Failure in the workplace leads many into depression and there has been an increase in drug and alcohol abuse within the refugee settlements. This is where Empowering the Vision steps in to help.
Based in Delhi, a team of talented Tibetans fulfils Tibet Relief Fund’s ambitions to motivate, encourage and support young people in their efforts to find employment. Empowering the Vision is an invaluable source of professional and practical advice and runs energetic and inspiring workshops to build skills and confidence, both in schools and for school leavers and graduates.
It has now held two "Global Vision" four-day conferences in south India where over 100 young Tibetans aged between 15 and 30 attended. Jampacked with workshops and activities with mentors and teachers, it gave the opportunity for participents to take back control of their lives and make life-changing decisions about their future.
Innovative website
Young Tibetans are also increasingly tapping into the project’s excellent and unique website www.empoweringvision.org which is an immensly useful and popular resource for wide-ranging career information, useful links and job opportunities.
The website also showcases the Global Tibetan Professional Network (GTPN), an innovative platform where Tibetan professionals from diverse backgrounds and living all over the world can network with each other and find creative ways of contributing to the community and mentoring and encouraging young Tibetans.
GTPN was launched in Delhi in November 2008 by Empowering The Vision, supported by Tibet Relief Fund and also in close cooperation with the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi.
If you would like to help young Tibetans gain confidence and skills to take their place in the workforce and contibute back to their community, you can make a donation here. Or give someone special a virtual gift and Give Youth A Chance.
"Will be one of the best informative, motivational and learning sessions of my life" Gelek Sangpo, after attending a Leadership Workshop, January 2007
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17.05.2008. 08:58