Empowering Youth: FNF Sponsors Blogging-Podcasting Workshop for Young Liberals
In a move to help empower fellow liberals with hi-tech means of communication, the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) organized a workshop in Malaysia to teach blogging and podcasting skills to members of its partner organizations.
 |
Different on the outside, identical on the inside: Young liberal democrats and resource persons in front of the Penang State Assembly Hall.
|
"We want our fellow liberals to communicate their programs and values effectively within their country and across the region,” YLDA Secretary-General Jan Argy Tolentino said. “Effective communication is important because if people don’t know we exist, everything we do becomes useless.” The YLDA is the Asian federation of liberal youth organizations and individuals.Sponsored by the East and East Asian Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the workshop was held at the Gurney Hotel in Penang from 17 to 22 May 2007. A total of 23 people, including three resource persons, from nine Asian nations participated in the workshop. They were from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand.All the participants were given an individual assignment to create a blog which they had to update everyday. They also worked in a team to produce a podcast based either on a made-up radio script or an interview with a Malaysian official during their visit to the Gerakan Party office.
Participants said the workshop was practically useful not only to non-technical people but also to those who were already familiar with these hi-tech means of mass communication. “As I'm a web developer, the terms were not new to me. But during the workshop, I came to know more about the power of blogging and technical aspects of the making of a podcast,” said Safar Pokharel from Nepal. “I believe these technologies can make a difference in our daily life and the development of our nation.”
 |
No chance to touch the beach, but the participants were allowed a ten-minute break to pose by the sea. Back row, from left: Ms. Camelia Astuti from Indonesia; Mr. Lakmina Wickramasinghe from Sri Lanka; Mr. Sophorn Poek from Cambodia; Mr. Sandun Gamage from Sri Lanka; Ms. Warangkana Tempati from Thailand; Mr. Jan Argy Tolentino, Ms. Marleynda Mariko, Ms. Ivy Marie Ganadillo from the Philippines. Front row, from left: Mr. Ross Parkash from Pakistan; Mr. Kimheng Srey from Cambodia; Mr. Abe Olandres from the Philippines, and Mr. Sabillah Ardie from Indonesia.
|
Mr. Ooi Zhi Yi, a participant from Malaysia, described the workshop as “a refreshing break from the routine.” “I can use the new technologies that I’ve learned to help promote my organization’s activities such as a fund-raising campaign,” he said.
Mr. Tolentino said he considered the workshop “a success”. “We got good feedback from our participants,” he said. “I was happy to hear that our ICT workshop is being replicated in several countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan by our participants who wish to share this knowledge with fellow liberals at their organization.”
On the last day of the workshop, FNF Philippine representative Siegfried Herzog delivered a speech on using the Internet as a tool for fund-raising. As effective as it can be, Mr. Herzog said that internet campaigns are best for reaching small donations but for big donors, relationship and personal contact are indispensable.
 |
The participants with Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon (far right).
|
As the host of the event, the Manila-based YLDA took the opportunity of the presence of many of its executive members to hold a half-year general meeting on the last evening of the six-day workshop. During the meeting, YLDA members who also represented various organizations reported their recent activities and future plans to promote liberalism, political awareness and community leadership programs among young people.The liberal organizations represented at the workshop were: the Youth Initiative of Nepal, Future Youth Group of Pakistan, the Gerakan Pemuda Kebangkitan Bangsa of Indonesia, the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas of the Philippines, the Democratic Progressive Party Youth of Taiwan, the Liberal Youth Guild of Sri Lanka, the Parti Gerakan Youth of Malaysia, the Khmer Nation Youth Movement of Cambodia and the Sam Rainsy Party of Cambodia.
 |
An ancient cannon at the Fort Cornwallis on the northeastern coast of Penang. Originally built in 1786, the star-shaped fort underwent reconstruction, which was completed in 1905.
|
Besides the technical training and meetings, the participants had a chance to visit the Penang State Assembly. They met Chia Kwang Chye, secretary general of the Party, as well as Eric Hoo Saw Ho, secretary general of the Gerakan National Youth. They were also honoured to have a casual dinner with Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, chief minister of the Penang State and acting president of the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, a ruling party under the Barisan National coalition. Dr. Koh kindly took time to explain and answer questions about Malaysia and Penang.
Towards the end of the workshop, the participants were driven on a coach over the 13.5-kilometer Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Southeast Asia. They visited the 221-year-old Fort Cornwallis that now houses ancient cannons, cells and other historical objects. They were also brought to the Penang State Museum, which houses priceless artifacts and state treasures such as oil paintings, porcelain, furniture, photographs, costumes and jewelry from past eras.
[ Back ]
|
News