MYLP
Myanmar Young Leaders Programme
Programme Background
The Myanmar Young Leaders Programme was established by UnionAID in 2009, originally as the Burma Young Community Leaders Programme. It was initially established when the country was under military rule and a number of the first participants worked in exile on the Thai-Burma border. After Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irawaddy delta in 2008, there was a surge of young people joining humanitarian organisations to help with rescue efforts.
Many of our early participants were inspired by this work and established or joined organisations making a difference during a particularly difficult time under military rule. Eleven cohorts of students have completed the programme since 2009 with 95 alumni making a valuable contribution to their country. However, because of the Covid situation and the subsequent military coup in 2021 there have been no further programmes since 2020 and it is uncertain when the programme will resume.
What is the MYLP?
The MYLP is a full-time, intensive six-month programme the purpose of which is to build a network of highly skilled leaders who will contribute to the peaceful development of Myanmar and maintain strong links with New Zealand. Candidates must be aged between 24-35 and working in trade unions, non-governmental organisations, including women’s and ethnic organisations, or similar groups. The aim is to have a gender balance and a mix of students from across Myanmar to promote understanding and tolerance between the different ethnic and religious groups that make up this extremely diverse country.
PLEASE NOTE THAT SHOULD A NEW PROGRAMME BEGIN AT A LATER DATE THERE MAY BE CHANGES IN STRUCTURE AND CONTENT FROM THE PREVIOUS OFFERING.
Our Alumni
Enthusiastic Young Leaders Meet Online
Ten young leaders from Mindanao and Indonesia respectively have started their sustainable development course and met one another online for the first time. As with other years, participants are from
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
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.
Latest News From our Young Leaders Programmes
Inspirasi (Indonesia) and Mindanao: Both these programmes have recruited ten and eight participants respectively from a wide range of civil society organisations, with completely revamped sustainable development courses for each.
3 strategies for surviving a military regime
While the world’s eyes are on the war in Ukraine, the murderous military in Myanmar continues to kill, execute, and displace citizens across the country. February 1st will mark two years since the brutal coup which saw the illegitimate demise of a democratically elected parliament.
Youth voice brings changes in Myanmar border camps
Songs, poems, and video clips have illustrated the experiences of young people from Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camps in northern Myanmar. Working in pairs, these 154 young men and women