Rakhine State will convene a youth conference next May in Taunggok to promote networking and community building, according to organizers.
The May 1-5 conference will cover topics related to politics, job opportunities, drug issues and education, the event leaders said following a December 18 meeting.
Rakhine youth from across Myanmar will be invited to participate.
“The [Rakhine] youth are scattered after they went to [work in] Hpakant, Yangon, Malaysia, and Thailand due to the lack of economic opportunities in our state,” said Ko Win Zaw, a Rakhine youth from Taunggok. He added that he hopes the conference can serve as a platform to help discuss solutions to the so-called brain drain plaguing the state, which is among the poorest in Myanmar.
Ko Kaung Myat Kyaw, a member of the conference organizing team, said the youth participants will be encouraged to take a more active role in shaping state policies. How that influence will materialize after the discussions he isn’t sure yet.
“It’s too early to talk about what we will do with the outcome of the conference. We will only know what to do during the conference since it depends on the views of the representatives in attendance,” he said.
