Young leaders Programmes
UnionAID’s young leaders programmes bring young community leaders from Myanmar, Eastern Indonesia and Mindanao to Aotearoa/New Zealand every year. Participants learn about community development, democratic processes, Māori development, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, conflict resolution, sustainable development, gender justice and human rights.
Our programmes aim to build networks of highly skilled leaders who help contribute to the peaceful and just development of their communities and countries.
Stories from our young leaders

Early voting for young learners in Myanmar – a MYLP project update
New ways of teaching have been introduced into Karon school by one MYLP alumni.

Geopolitics a Tough Topic At Myanmar Young Leaders Conference
High profile speakers on geopolitics, including our Ambassador Steve Marshall, had alumni enthralled at the alumni conference in Bagan recently. Myanmar is rich in resources and with a number of

Successful Eco Project Sustains Whole Myanmar Village
In a remote village in Myanmar, a recent harvest of gourd, corn, pumpkin, beans, cucumber, radish, and marrow – to mention just a few of the many crops – provides clear

Two alumni masters graduates
Zin Mar Lar Tay and Zet Nan have both recently graduated with a Masters in Public Policy from Victoria University. Now they will take their new knowledge and skills back

Young Leaders Work to Prevent COVID Spread
With their everyday work activities on hold, several of our young leaders have initiated practical strategies in response to the Covid-19 outbreak in their home countries. In Indonesia, Rosa is

Hsai Wan freed at last
Two weeks ago, after 225 days in prison, Hsai Wan, from our 2020 Myanmar Young Leaders Programme (MYLP), was released along with over five thousand other political prisoners. He was