Discussing natural resources in the New Mexico governor's office

Young leaders learn peace media; explore resource protection
The concept of peace media is resonating with a  team of young Southeast Asian leaders who are wrapping up a fellowship in the United States.

The young leaders from across Southeast Asia, aged 18-25, were in Honolulu for 25 days,  and Santa Fe, NM for five days. They’re in Washington, DC now to wrap up the fellowship. During this program, they're learning about natural resources and their management while they develop community projects to enhance natural resource protection in their home countries.

My part in this project has been to work with the young leaders on understanding and mitigating disinformation, using peace media approaches, and developing a communications plan to promote their natural resource protection projects. In informal discussions after my sessions, the concept of peace media seems to especially intrigued the young leaders. Peace media is when content creators, and those who share content online, disseminate information with peace in mind. This means rejecting hateful and divisive language and images, and instead using their platforms to build bridges and encourage a sense of community.

The plans they created to promote their natural resource protection projects were nuanced and sophisticated, taking into account their audiences and the best platforms for disseminating information. I was impressed with their work.

Mock trial, Honolulu--Land rights

Our communication discussions were only part of the larger project, cleverly designed by the East West Center’s Lance Boyd. The fellows were constantly challenged and engaged by fascinating activities like a mock trial centering on indigenous land rights; a visit to ancient cliff dwellings in New Mexico; and a boat trip to look at resource protection along the Anacostia River in Washington. One of the highlights was a meeting in the New Mexico’s governor’s office, where the fellows discussed natural resources (indigenous lands, water resources, and food insecurity) with the governor’s staff, who were impressed with the research and thoughtful analysis done by the fellows. 

As the project concludes, the fellows will return to their home countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.) and launch their resource protection projects. Given the fellows’ professional competence and boundless energy, I have no doubt that each of these projects will be an overwhelming success.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I had to leave the program a few days early to deal with a family emergency. Upon hearing the news, the fellows showered me with kindness and warm wishes that I will never forget. Thank you, young leaders.

Stargazing, and staying warm, in Santa Fe, NM