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BPAN and Young Leaders of Indigenous Peoples

 

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In the context of the indigenous peoples movement, indigenous youth have a strategic role in sustaining community life. Conflict about tenurial rights and criminalization are already familiar between indigenous peoples and corporations and hereby the indigenous youth is the most potential to sustaining community life but they are at the same time also the most vulnerable group.

They are often fragmentatized by the interests of other parties which makes them to be stand ever further from their roots and identity as indigenous people. Woken up from the paradigm among indigenous youth that matters relating to the "ancient customs is".

Reality forms a scourge for the life of indigenous peoples, as well as an inspiration and motivation for the great movement of the indigenous youth in Indonesia to organize themselves into a new power and fight together for a better future of indigenous peoples.

At the end of 23 to 25 February 2015 in Cisarua (Bogor), ranks of the indigenous youth (BPAN) conducted a leadership training for young leaders of indigenous peoples. These indigenous young people understand the political, social, economic and cultural impact on their customary territories.The training aims to return the indigenous youth to taking care of their communal land and becoming the driving force to maintain and protect indigenous territories.

BPAN, since 29 January 2012 a part of the organization Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN), needs to position itself and create a strategy to face the challenges of the future organization. The participatory leadership training method invites participants and facilitators to engage actively in the training but also to join in a ritual dance of Dayak Kanayatn (Kalimantan Barat).

Group discussions, film screenings, role play, ‘warung kopi dunia' and talk shows are some methods practiced in training. In the discussion group, facilitated by Serge Marti, the participants discuss the situation, conditions and important events in Indonesia that affects the lives of indigenous peoples in three main periods : before 1980, from 1980 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2015.

To foster motivation and share experiences, three speakers are presenting during the talkshow. The first guest speaker is Syukran Amin. He discussed the expierence of leading a mass with 3000 people from 3 sub-districts for a demonstration at the Regent's office. The demonstration was to demand the revocation of a decree that favors the whole area of Paser in East Kalimantan. The demonstration forced the Regent to sign the repeal of the decree. The second guest speaker, Jhontoni Tarihoran, tells of his experience as an alumni of leader of the future generation of Indigenous Peoples training organized by AMAN, Samdhana and RRI in the Sui Utik community. Hasnah, the third guest speaker, tells of his experience training the indigenous youth in traditional communications in Central Sulawesi so that they could be involved in the decision-making process in their own communities. Currently, Hasnah also takes care of the administration to run for head of the village.

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