08.01.2015 YACA Newsletter#3

YACA NEWS
Issue 2
YOUTH
June— September 2013
In this issue:
competition encourages creativity
The 2013 Anti-Corruption Song Writing Contest themed
‘Be the Change’ kicked off on Friday 7th June 2013 and
ended on Friday 30th August 2013, calling on youth aged
between 15 to 30 years of age to come up with creative,
inspiring and original lyrics with the words ‘Be the
change’.
Keynote Music House came to the aid of YACA by
donating the first prize—a digital keyboard. Mr Jim
McNeil, General Manager for Keynote Music House was
eager to support YACA.
Chin H Meen also donated an Acoustic Guitar and Electric Keyboard as the second and third prizes
for the song writing contest. “Anything supporting our youth, especially through music, we will
always be happy to support!” Mr Braden Chin, Music Manager at CHM said.
YACA members
participate in climate
change open day.. Pg 1
Youth competition
encourages creativity...
Pg 2
Meet the founder..Pg 2
YACA supports TVI with
the Clean Generation
Campaign…. Pg 2
MMYDC brings together
change makers… Pg 3
Kimbe youth take
action.. Pg 3
Voices of the youth
strong in Madang… Pg 3
Both companies were delighted to support a great
initiative and look forward to hearing the winning song.
Our contribution as
active citizens…. Pg 4
Their contribution helps to give the members of YACA
and opportunity to be heard by a wider community and
create a new generation of young people actively taking
a stand against corruption.
Writer’s Corner. Pg 4
My Fiji Experience. Pg 6
Corruption: Q&A… Pg 8
GYAC… Pg 9
The three overall winners will be announced in
September and the winning song will be produced in the
lead up to International Anti-Corruption Day on 9th
December 2013.
Member’s Profile,,, Pg 9
My liaising experience..
Pg 10
What is YACA?
The Youth Against Corruption Association, or YACA, as it is commonly known is a membership
based organisation that is run by youth who are committed to the fight against corruption in
Papua New Guinea by refusing to practice corruption in oneself and rejecting the attitudes that
support it.
A YACA member:
Is committed - say the pledge everyday to remind yourself that you are a good person,
committed to honesty, integrity and good citizenship.
Uses their voice - take part in YACA forums, speak out and publicly reject dishonesty, violence
and corruption
Shows leadership - be a leader and always show others by your behaviour that you have high
principles and are a good role model for younger people to follow.
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Joining the climate
change fight… Pg 11
Meet the YACA
Executives… Pg 12
YACA in pictures… Pg 13
Word Search.. Pg 14
Advocacy & Legal
Advice Centre. Pg 15
YACA around PNG. Pg
16
YACA Members participate in Climate
Change Open Day!
PNG is already being
affected by Climate Change
and we as young people
need
to
help
raise
awareness in our local
communities and with our
people.
Eleven enthusiastic YACA
members volunteered their
time on Friday 16th August
2013 to participate in the
Climate Change Open Day
organized by the Office of
Climate
Change
&
Development (OCCD) at the
Sir John Guise Stadium in
YACA
Port Moresby. The Open
Day was themed ‘Changing
our Mindsets’ and was
aimed at raising awareness
on Climate Change in PNG.
YACA was invited to be part
of the float parade, set up a
booth, do face painting for
kids and to give a paper
presentation
on
our
involvement in the fight
against Climate Change.
in— 350 Pacific. 350 Pacific
is led by young climate
change activists and is a
grassroots
network
working with communities
to fight climate change
from the Pacific Islands.
350 Pacific works with
organizers across 15 Pacific
Island nations to highlight
the vulnerabilities of our
island countries to climate
change while showcasing
YACA also took this
our strength and resilience
opportunity to speak about
as one people.
the
climate
change
network we are involved
supports The Voice Inc. with
the Clean Generation campaign!!
As early as 6.00am, over 300 young people gathered at the UPNG Drill Hall to
participate in the Clean Act, an event organized by The Voice Inc. YACA also showed its
support with members signing up and helping to clean the streets from UPNG to
Waigani and back again.
The Clean Act was not just a clean up. It was a symbol of change. We as young people
have a responsibility to speak out against violence, crime corruption and all that
threatens society. It was about creating a generation of young people willing to be the
change they want to see in this country. To have purpose, to be virtuous and to be
honest, were the three things that the Guest Speaker, YACA Coordinator, Ms. Arianne
Kassman, encouraged young people to remember and work towards building the
society we want.
YACA continues to support the work of The Voice Inc. and looks forward to working
together with them in empowering young people for change. It is our hope that
together, we can create a clean generation of like minded citizens working to develop
the PNG we want.
Meet the
Founder!
Fr. John Glynn first arrived in PNG at
the age of 27. He came from Ireland to
Australia in 1961, and was recruited
from Sydney to come to Papua New
Guinea to be a Primary School teacher
in 1963. In 1969, he worked at the
Education Department writing the
Primary Mathematics Syllabus before
becoming a High School teacher in New
Ireland. In 1975 he went to Australia,
studied for the Catholic Priesthood, was
ordained in 1980 and returned to serve
in the Diocese of Kavieng, Manus and
New Ireland until 2000. He became a
PNG citizen in 1987.
Since retiring from active ministry in
2000, he has been living in Port
Moresby where he is the Chaplain at the
Jubilee Catholic Secondary School and
helps out at Sacred Heart Parish in
Hohola and at other parishes too when
needed.
He was teaching at Jubilee when he
came up with the idea for the Youth
Against Corruption Association. It was
in 2002 that he began challenging his
students on the issues of corruption
and the general acceptance and
tolerance of it by the population as a
whole. He designed an anti-corruption
pledge which led to the formation of the
Youth Against Corruption Association.
Fr. John also set up an organization
called WeCare! Foundation, sits on the
TIPNG Board and Digicel Foundation
Board.
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MMYDC
brings
together change makers
Transparency International PNG, in line with its
continuous efforts to build relationships and empower
young people in PNG to take action against corruption, and
also contributes to instilling a higher level of integrity, as
stated in the Constitution of PNG brought together fifty-two
students in Kefamo in Goroka. From the 1st to the 10th of July
2013 , these students participated in the 6th Mike Manning
Youth Democracy Camp. They were taught about basic
advocacy skills, leadership skills, notions of human rights and
about democracy. The participants took part in hands-on
activities, capacity and skills building exercises, simulations
and presentations by guest speakers, giving students a wide
ranging learning experience. Two students from the Mt Sion
Centre School for the Blind also took part in the camp.
Governor for Easter Highlands Julie Soso was one of the 24
guest speakers invited to the camp, including former
politician Dame Carol Kidu and Dame Meg Taylor, Vice
President and Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, World Bank
Group. The participants have now returned to their schools
and communities to use the tools and information they
receoived from the camp to help raise awareness on
corruption in PNG and empower other young people.
VOICES
of the
youth strong in Madang
Youth in Madang are speaking out strongly and
expressing their opposition to corruption in PNG!
Kimbe youth take
action!
Sixty youth came together at a beautification activity at the Kimbe
Police Barracks, organized by Jonty Rangit, 2013 Mike Manning
Youth Democracy Camp participant. Jonty explained that he started
the group in his community because he believes that he must first
start with himself and his community before going out to other
communities. The ’Police Barracks Youth Against Corruption’ have
come up with a motto of their own: ’TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A
CHANGE!’ When asked about what some of these are Jonty says,
‘We came-up with plans to visit schools, communites, villages,
blocks, and churches in WEST NEW BRITAIN informing and
advocating about the things in relation to CORRUPTION and
different issues affecting our country and economy. Some of the
areas I have targeted to visit are GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS IN
WEST NEW BRITAIN and also visiting sick patients and less fortunate
ones.’ The volunteer Sir Anthony Siaguru Walk Against Corruption
Committee in Kimbe is also supporting the youth in their efforts to
fight corruption in Kimbe.
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Anna Omba, YACA DWU President says being a member
of YACA means so much to her. It shows others that she
is a young person who strongly opposes the practice and
attitudes that cause corruption. ‘It identifies and gives
meaning to my citizenship, and as the elite of this nation
YACA gives me the strength and responsibility to fight for
my rights and the rights of my other young friends in
saying "No to Corruption”, YACA makes me feel
responsible, be responsible of my actions and thoughts to
become a good role model’ Anna adds. Her passion and
commitment empowered the DWU YACA group to take
up the responsibility of organizing this year’s Sir
Anthony Siaguru Walk Against Corruption in Madang on
behalf of TIPNG. Ms. Omba attended the MMYDC in 2009.
Stanley Phillipae, a student at Tusbab Secondary School
and a participant at this year’s Mike Manning Youth
Democracy Camp has also obtained a partnership with
NBC Madang, using it as an opportunity to speak to the
people of Madang about corruption and its effects. His
efforts have inspired his friends and there is now a
growing interest of young people wanting to be part of
YACA. He plans to visit other schools and communities
and build the YACA movement in Madang.
We are youth against corruption
We are pledged to honesty
By our actions, by our words
We the students of Kila Sec
We know what we gonna do
We promote integrity!
Honesty & Citizenship
Turn on the radio what do you hear
YACA! YACA! YACA!
Give us a cheer! We gonna beat it! Bust it fight corruption!
Go YACA!
One person: I said what?
Everyone: you said boom! Chika!!
Waka! Chika! YACA bin bon!
One person: show me the glory?
Everyone: wha wha!!!
One person: give me the glory?
Everyone: Kauka!!
Go YACA!!!
This was the war cry chanted by the students of Coronation Primary School when 45 students from Kila Kila Secondary School and Gordons Secondary School combined
to raise awareness on the Youth Against Corruption Association. The interactive session included two dramas:
‘Corruption in the Workforce’ and ‘Things that amount to
Corruption’. Four speakers went on to speak about YACA,
the history of YACA, Good Citizenship and Patriotism
while the rest of the students held up posters and gave
out brochures.
This same inspiring group took their message to
Wardstrip Primary School addressing five groups of
grade eight students about corruption, YACA, what they
do as members of YACA and a number of them shared
their own experiences.
The combined visit is the first of its kind for YACA and we
look forward to more schools getting involved!
Written by: Kaleichris Maha, YACA member
My name is Christopher Lam and I am a Year 11 student at Lae Secondary School.
After attending the 2013 Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp in
Kefamo, EHP, I became interested in the work of YACA and TIPNG. I
felt empowered and inspired to come back to my school and make a
difference. So after discussing with my senior, and camp-mate Raylance Mesa, we both agreed that we should establish a YACA group in
our school.
We talked and organized with our teachers for a school talk and in
Week 4 we spoke to the school about what we thought were important things that we learnt at camp. Even though the majority
seemed disinterested, we stood and talked on, because we believed
that somewhere somehow it would be relevant to them, and that
there were good students who would also like to make a change. I
also talked about YACA and by the time we ended our talk, 29 interested students turned up to give in their names.
Right now I am organizing for us to become financially part of YACA. I
have also included us to take part in the BSP Go Green Clean-Up Campaign that will be coming up. My hope is that we become official
members of YACA as soon as possible and to start making a difference
in our local areas.
1st - 10th4 July -
Gender
based
violence is one of
the biggest social
issues in PNG
today.
YACA
members,
VInzealhar
Nen,
Oliver
Nobetau
and Jacob Segodi
joined with other Port Moresby residents at a
photo shoot for a viral campaign to stop
gender based violence in PNG. The Leniata
Legacy, the group that organized this session is
a Brisbane based group started by four young
passionate Papua New Guinean women. They
continue to work on this campaign and we
urge everyone to join in and support.
17th August Sports Clinic
Song Writing—Title: Believe
Living in a world
That is full of corruption
I bet we can take the risk
To fight for your own rights
Lets work together
As youths we fight
Let us fight
Somewhere beyond this life I see
change
Somewhere beneath this misery I see
hope
Under all the turmoil I see light
Through all fear I see courage
The world is bleeding a new set of
army
With eyes set ablaze
And jaws set on straight
They are here to restore peace and
humanity
They are the world’s unanswered
prayer
They have set their goal to destroy
Destroy and smile the termites that
eat us
Never let go of anything
Like a bushfire, no wonder we don’t
go far
You have to believe
Bridge
Too much greed and need
Taking the chances everyday
Such a small country
Never losing hope in yourself
It takes us slowly 1,2,3
Too…fight corruption…
Less development
Change of cords
All words said are not meant
B2 V1
It happens here, it happens there
Verse 2
In front of everyone, everywhere
Living in a world
When will it stop?
That is full of corruption
that we don’t know
I bet we can take the risk
For a better nation
To fight for our own rights
Stop Corruption!
Lets work together
Composed by: Yolandrea English,
YACA Member, Pom Grammar
Never losing hope or anything
They are here to advocate for change
You have to believe
Opportunities everyday
They display my vision of change
Never losing hope in yourself
They have my hand
To fight against corruption
We are taking a stand
For we will mend
Written by: Solomon Mape, YACA Member,
Gordons Secondary
The destruction corruption has
brought
Composed by: Vinzealhar Nen, YACA
Member, POMIS
5
It’s 5.30am and I’m sitting in the Airport Cafe having a cup of coffee before I head to the departure
lounge to wait for my flight to Brisbane which will connect on to Fiji. The Fiji Islands...aaaaahhhh...
One place I’ve always wanted to visit and now I was finally going there. Waiting in the departure
lounge made me excited and anxious at the same time, excited because I was visiting another
pacific island, anxious because Fiji is...well...a dictatorship. I’d never travelled to a place which was
under a dictatorship so I didn’t know what to expect. So my flight finally gets called and I board
the Air Niugini flight so eager and excited. The whole journey from Port Moresby to Brisbane
then Nadi and Suva will take a full days travel. I’m scheduled to arrive at Nausori Airport at
8.15pm Fiji time (10.15pm PNG time).
When I get to Nadi airport I have to come out of the International terminal and make my way over to the domestic terminal
to check in for the flight from Nadi to Nausori. I check in and find out that the flight is delayed. I pass time by reading a novel
and by 8.15pm I’m on the plane to Nausori airport. It’s a short flight, taking approximately 40mins. When I get to Nausori,
I’m greeted by the smiling faces of Tokasa Alefaio, Taina Natube and Jone Siqila – three of the staff from Transparency
International Fiji. These are the people who’ve invited me to Fiji, to be part of their Youth Integrity Initiative Workshop
which will be held from June 14 – 16.
The Youth Integrity Initiative is a two-day training camp for young people and is themed “Mobilising Youths Against
Corruption.” The workshop is being organised by the Youth Integrity Programme at Transparency International Fiji (TIF). I
was invited to take part in the workshop as facilitator because I run a similar programme at Transparency International
Papua New Guinea called the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp. Also before actually travelling to Fiji I was already
assisting the programme manager, Tokasa, with putting programme content together and giving her tips on how to pull
together the logistics for such a workshop. After my luggage has been loaded, we start the drive to Suva, the capital city of
Fiji. The drive takes about 40 minutes and I get a specialised tour from Tokasa, Taina and Jone. We finally get to Suva and I
check into my hotel and am informed I’ll be picked up at 8.30 to visit the TI Fiji office.
The next day I get picked up and we make our way to the TI Fiji office. Their office is different to ours. It consists of two
buildings, old houses that were converted to offices. I meet the staff and am surprised to find two PNG wantoks interning at
TI Fiji. Tokasa makes other preparations and the support staff for the workshop are allocated to 5 buses that will go around
to all the different schools to pick up the selected participants. We leave at 1.30pm and drive to the Centre for Appropriate
Technology in Nadave which is going back towards Nausori Airport. We get to Nadave and find all the students are already
there waiting for us. Everyone makes their way to the conference room for the official opening of the workshop.
Registrations and introductions are done and then the workshop is officially opened by Mr Joseva Sania, the Permanent
Secretary – Ministry of Youth & Sports. During Mr Sania’s speech he says one important thing, “leading is not what you do,
but who you are.” That same evening after dinner, we watch a movie – The Power of One. After that everyone is sent off to
bed to rest and prepare themselves for day 1 of the workshop.
Day 1 of the workshop covers mostly topics about leadership. Various speakers talk about leadership in democratic
development, what it takes to lead and good governance and civic education. After lunch time is given to talk about Fiji’s
electoral system. This was an interesting topic for me as Fiji was going to have elections in 2014 and I wanted to know how
it all worked in a dictatorship. That afternoon I also gave my presentation about mobilizing youths against corruption. I
spoke about the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp and the Youth Against Corruption Association which are examples
from PNG and then I also told the participants about the Global Youth Anti Corruption Network where young people can
connect, learn and share with each other at an international level. The students were very receptive to the presentation and
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discussed ideas about how they could start their own youth organisation dedicated to promoting good governance and good
leadership in Fiji.
Day 2 of the workshop focused on Human Rights during the morning part. The afternoon part was the report back session
where the students were split into groups and told to creatively report back about what they had learned or gained from the
workshop. There were eight groups in total and they all chose different ways of presenting what they learned. One group
wrote a song about all the things they learned and sang it to the tune of “We are the World”. Two groups did role plays, one
group made a short video and another group did a power point presentation. Another group wrote a poem and the group
that I assisted made a newsletter and then presented it as a TV news item. It was very encouraging and inspiring to see how
much all these students had picked up in two days and also how closely they had bonded in such a short period of time. The
workshop was officially closed by Apisalome Tudreu, the Chairman of Transparency International Fiji.
Day 3 was pack up day. All the participants and facilitators had to return home. We drove back to Suva and gushed about
what an awesome experience it all was, not only for the students but also for the TI Fiji staff and me also.
I felt proud knowing that our youth initiative is being replicated in Fiji. This strengthens the TI movement in the Pacific.
Feeling elated, I thought about how awesome it would be to have a regional forum, bringing together young leaders from
PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands to participate in a camp to share their TI movement ideas with each other. Maybe
one day this thought of mine will become a reality and will be something that youth in PNG and Fiji will push for.
I thought about this some more on the plane as we were leaving Nadi airport. It truly was a whirlwind trip - short but very
fruitful and I made some new friends. When I returned to Port Moresby, I checked my facebook profile and found that the
participants had created a group/page called Teens With Integrity, which Fijian youth use to share what they learned, ideas
for campaigns and networking. It’s my hope that YACA and Teens With Integrity will link up and share ideas and
information.
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Corruption
Questions and Answers
By Father John M.Glynn
What is Corruption?
Corruption is the abuse of power and authority for private benefit. What this means
is that only people who have power and
authority can be corrupt. People who have
power and authority might be leaders in
Government or the Public Service. They
might be leaders in the Church, or in the
private industry or in business. They have
been given power and authority so that
they can take responsibility on behalf of
their people, and be leaders, and look after
their people, and get things done.
How do people Practice Corruption?
Abuse means to use something in a bad
way. People abuse their power and authority by using bribery, extortion, influence
peddling, nepotism, fraud or embezzlement.
Why is Corruption bad?
There are many reasons why corruption is
bad—here are some of them:
1.
It creates poverty
2.
It prevents development
3.
It steals away our freedom and our
Democratic Rights
4.
It destroys the economy
5.
It kills the State
How does Corruption Create Poverty?
Corrupt people soak up money like a
sponge soaks up water. They will not do
things that help other people unless it helps
themselves even more. The only way to
overcome poverty is by creating jobs, and
developing local business and agriculture so
that people can work and provide themselves with a steady income. Corrupt leaders do not like spending their time and energy working for these things. They want to
How does Corruption prevent Development?
Development means making new things—
infrastructure, like roads and bridges,
schools, hospitals. It means helping people
to use their resources and assets, to set up
businesses, to create employment opportunities. Development requires putting in
money, hard work, good ideas, motivation,
cooperation, good leadership and so on.
Corruption involves taking away from other
people, and diverting money, time and energy towards serving self, and not the community
How does Corruption Steal Away Our Freedom and Democratic Rights?
We live in a free and democratic country
and therefore we have the right to freedom
of expression, freedom of religion, freedom
of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom to elect our own leaders and sack
them if we are not pleased with their performance. We have the right to education,
and health care, the right to be informed
about the affairs of the country, the right to
security and protection from crime and
exploitation, the right to justice.
Many of these rights and freedoms do not
support corrupt leadership. A corrupt leadership does not like ‘watchdog’ organizations like Transparency International, Human Rights Watch or others. Corruption
likes to operate in the dark, in secret, so too
much information is bad for corruption, as
is too much talking about it, or writing
about it. Therefore, Corruption is the enemy of democratic rights and freedom.
How does Corruption destroy the Economy?
The life blood of the economy is money.
When money is put to work it creates new
money. Corruption soaks money up and
takes it out of the economy. Good citizens
invest in their own country and help our
economy to grow. Corrupt people get their
money here in PNG and invest it outside the
country, helping another country’s economy to grow and weakening ours. In a weak
How does Corruption kill the state?
When Corruption becomes widespread,
and widely accepted and tolerated, the
lives of the people are placed in danger.
The failure in the Police Force becomes
worse, and the Public Service becomes
more and more ineffective. The services
people need, in Education, Health, Communications, etc., begin to fail and poverty
drives more people into crime and violence.
The structures that hold the nation together will begin to break down.
What can I do about Corruption?
First of all you must understand that SILENCE SIGNIFIES CONSENT! What that
means is that if you say nothing you are
saying yes. If you say nothing, and do nothing, to oppose corruption you are accepting
it and giving it your approval—even if you
despise it. At the moment in Papua New
Guinea there is a general acceptance of
corruption as a natural part of life. This is
why we have increasing poverty, a slow
collapse of infrastructure, little or no
maintenance on roads, schools, police stations, health centers, etc, a very bad crime
rate, loss of confidence in our leadership,
and so on. You must ask yourself -’Is this all
right? Am I going to accept this passively?
Am I just going to do nothing and wait for
someone else to do something to put
things right? If you think this is not all right
then you must do something about it yourself.
What is the opposite of corruption?
The opposite of corruption is Integrity.
Someone who has integrity can be believed
when he or she speaks, and can be trusted
to do what he or she says they will do, and
can be relied on to do their work honestly
and well, and will repay any debt without
being asked
Will we ever put an End to Corruption?
Yes, when we tell our leaders that corruption is unacceptable and that corrupt leaders must all go.
Do your part by saying NO to Corruption for a better future in PNG
Memorize and Recite the YACA Pledge every day to remind you of your commitment to opposing corruption.
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60
Member NGOS
1000+
Members
45
Countries
Supported by the World Bank Institute (WBI), the Voice Against Corruption Program facilitates the Global Youth AntiCorruption Network (GYAC), a network of young leaders, journalists, artists, and experts in information and communication
technologies (ICT) from civil society all over the world who work to improve transparency and social accountability for
better governance. GYAC provides a platform for its members to share knowledge and experience, so they can learn from
each other. It also provides its members support for capacity and knowledge building in various governance areas, and on
using ICT tools so that the youth will be enabled to drive reform processes and contribute to positive changes in their
respective countries and regions.
The Youth Against Corruption Association PNG is a part of this network and contributes ideas and stories to other members
on a web based platform called Voices Against Corruption. We work with other member countries in the East Asia Pacific
Region to see what we can do to raise awareness among not only young people, but the general public as well. The GYAC
assists YACA by providing tools and resources that we can use to help advance our fight against corruption in PNG.
If you would like to become a member of GYAC, log on to their website: GYAC—Voices Against Corruption and fill in the
necessary details.
YACA Member
Profile
Dagia Aka
18 years old
Papua New Guinean - originates from
Central Province
Active member of the Jubilee Catholic
Secondary School YACA Group
Why did you join YACA?
I joined YACA because I wanted to make my country and the world a better
place. I joined YACA because I believed and now have confirmed that YACA
can help me make the change I want to see—to fight and oppose corruption.
What YACA activities do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy the forums because a lot is learnt about YACA and Corruption and
other organizations that can be used as vehicles of change. I also enjoy YACA
outings because they give me the chance to share my passion for change,
share my passion for YACA.
What has been most outstanding for you in YACA?
I have realized that as a YACA member, I can make a difference in PNG.
Through the activities we do, I am able to use my voice effectively and speak
out against corruption.
What activities do you plan to do?
I plan to educate my peers and other youth on social issues such as
corruption and encourage them to join YACA. I plan to empower youth, as a
youth who has been empowered by YACA. Last but not the least, I plan to use
the skills I have to promote YACA and educate more people on corruption
and other social issues.
9
My Liaising Experience
I was told at a training I attended with
my fellow YACA member Dagia Aka that
we were possible Liaison Officer
candidates for the upcoming big meet in
April after Dagia as usual inspired and
greatly impressed the facilitators with his
extremely young charismatic and
confident personality and I with, oh well
I do not recall much but we were the
youngest leaders at the Leadership Skills
Training that gave us the opportunity to
be Liaison Officers in the 8th
Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting
in April from the 15th-18th 2013 that
Papua New Guinea was hostess to.
Believe me when I say we were both
excited at the widened exposure but we
had no idea what a liaising was, so it
became a memory until April arrived and
we received texts messages to be
informed of a string of meetings that was
to be held at Adcol to arm us with very
much needed knowledge of the Foreign
Ministers that were going to set foot on
our shores, the National Youth
Commission ran the show. At those
meetings we were educated simple basic
protocols of know how’s, do’s and don’ts
and we learnt which VIP’s we were to be
Liaison Officers for alongside 50 other
selected
youths
from
different
Educational Institutions, I was appointed
to liaise for Katherine Ellis the
Commonwealth Secretariat Director and
Head of Youth Affairs.
On the Saturday the 13th we attended
the final meeting. Good manners were
strictly stressed on, appropriate formal
dressing of black lower clothing and
shoes because uniforms for the upper
top of the body were going to be
provided and we were reminded of the
great responsibility we carried as youth
ambassadors of our Nation. I was
unlucky to have caught the Tiger Malaria
outbreak on that same day, the next day,
Sunday, were to collect our uniforms but
the thrill of being a Liaison Office beat
my feeling of being sick I must say. I
forced myself to get better, at least half
better. When I went over to Adcol to
collect my uniform, I was informed that
my VIP was already in the country, with
other Liaison officers whose Ministers
had arrived, the Welcome Barbeque was
at Paddy’s, bar, there for the first time I
met Katherine Ellis, she is very lovely
person and an expertise with Youth
Affairs. And I felt so much pride just
donning my uniform.
The (5) five days that followed were
hectic ,the delegation I was responsible
were familiar with Port Moresby so they
found their way around very easily, I was
told if I was needed they’d give me a call
so I went out of my way to assist my
other friends with delegations that had
10
plenty delegates. We mostly dealt with
meeting with them and checking in for
them at their respected hotels, ensuring
they are familiar with the (5) five days
meeting timetable or remind them of the
daily program so as to ensure their
arrival in a timely manner, confirm
ground transportation arrangements’ to
and from where it is they are to go,
familiarise them with standard protocol
requirements and lastly to make them
feel at home as best we can by
discussing the local history, different
cultures, services and everything that is
interesting else that makes our country
diverse.
This experience has greatly enhanced my
knowledge base, I made great friends
with similar mindsets like mine and
international figures who promise to visit
the country again someday, all of the us
the 52 Liaison Officers were all were
honoured to be Youth Ambassadors,
Dagia and I again the youngest, despite
mini hiccups and setbacks we had, we all
stuck together as a group, we worked
alongside and helped each other get our
tasks done, we all managed to send off
delegations that spoke highly of our
hospitality, which greatly reflects Papua
New Guinea as a whole. “The eversmiling very kind people”
Written by Lisa Kasnari
Joining
the Climate Change fight!
‘We are not drowning, We are fighting!’ were the words echoed by the
Pacific Warriors at Global Power Shift in Istanbul, Turkey from 24th30th June 2013. YACA Coordinator Ms. Arianne Kassman was invited to
represent PNG at this youth climate change conference.
500 young climate leaders from around the world spent the week
undergoing training, community building, aligning their different
strategies and building a global movement called 350.org.
YACA is leading 350 PNG and will be hosting various activities aimed at
growing our warrior base in PNG, mobilizing young people to join with
us and to build their capacity to fight climate change not only PNG, but
within the Pacific and the world.
dioxide—measured in “Parts Per Million”
in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it’s the
number humanity needs to get back to as
soon as possible to avoid runaway climate
change. From the beginning of human
history until the Industrial Revolution,
global atmospheric carbon dioxide did not
exceed about 280ppm. Now, after three
the lights on, cook food, or heat or cool
our homes rely on the combustion of
fossil fuels like coal and oil, which emit
carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping
gases when burned. This is a major
problem because global warming
destabilizes the delicate balance that
makes life on this planet possible.
If we are already past 350, is it too late?
What is 350 Pacific?
No. We’re like the patient that goes to
the doctor and learns he’s overweight, or
his cholesterol is too high. He doesn’t die
immediately—but until he changes his
lifestyle and gets back down to the safe
zone, he’s at more risk for heart attack or
stroke. The planet is in its danger zone
centuries of burning coal, oil, and gas,
because we’ve poured too much carbon
we’re at 400ppm – that’s above any levels
into the atmosphere, and we’re starting
we’ve seen in recorded history.
to see signs of real trouble: melting ice
caps, rapidly spreading drought. We need
What is global warming?
to scramble back as quickly as we can to
Global warming is caused by releasing
safety.
what are called greenhouse gases into the
What does the number 350 mean?
atmosphere.
The
most
common The 350 campaign is focused on making
greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Many the connections between our actions and
350 is the number that leading scientists
of the activities we do every day like turn climate change easier to understand so
say is the safe upper limit for carbon
we can turn this around.
350 Pacific is a youth led grassroots
network working with communities to
fight climate change from the Pacific
Islands, working with organizers across 15
Pacific Island nations to highlight the
vulnerabilities of our island countries to
climate change while showcasing our
strength and resilience as a people. We
are part of a larger global climate
movement, 350.org. It is well recognized
that the pacific contributes minute
amounts to the carbon problem, but are
at the forefront of the climate impacts.
For our Cultures, our Islands, our Homes…...
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YACA President
Vinzealhar Nen is an year 11 student at Port Moresby International School. She comes
from Southern Hghlands , Morobe and Manus.
This young woman is leading YACA and believes that together with other young people
from all over PNG, we can find a way to promote the YACA principles of Honesty, Integrity
and Good Citizenship with all young people everywhere.
YACA Vice-President
Oliver Nobetau is an year 11 student at Port Moresby International School. He comes from
a mixed parentage of West New Britain and Bougainville.
He is passionate about fighting corruption and wants to do his part to positively
contribute to PNG’s development.
YACA Secretary
James Lunge hails from Yangoru in the East Sepik Province.
This year 11 student at Jubilee Catholic Secondary School is enthusiastic and eager to
bring the message of YACA to more young people throughout PNG.
YACA Treasurer
Tadius Sesega an year 12 student at Port Moresby Grammar School.
Tadius commitment to growing the YACA movement is strong and he believes that all
young people should take an active role in the fight against corruption in PNG.
12
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YACA Groups in PNG!
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Port Moresby National High School, Port Moresby Grammar School, Port Moresby International School, Gerehu Secondary School, Gordons
Secondary School, Kila Kila Secondary School, Jubilee Catholic Secondary School, La Salle Hohola Youth Development Centre, Kopkop
College, Sogeri National High School, Badihagwa Secondary School, Don Bosco Technological Institute, University of Papua New Guinea,
Aiyura National High School, Kimbe Police Barracks Youth, Tusbab Secondary School, Divine Word University, Lae Christian Academy, Lae
Secondary School, Don Bosco Vanimo, Malala Secondary School
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
MEMBERSHIP FEE—YACA Membership Fee = K5.00
Name:_______________________________________________ Each new member will receive a Membership Certificate, a
Pledge Card and a Membership Badge.
Organization: _________________________________________
PAYMENT METHOD & BANKING DETAILS
Postal Address: _______________________________________
Payment can be made in the form of bank transfer OR direct
Place of Residence (Village/Suburb): ______________________
deposit.
Phone: ______________________________________________
Account Name : Transparency International (PNG) Inc.
Mobile: _____________________________________________
Account Numbers
:
1000038232
Fax:_________________________________________________
Bank
:
Bank South Pacific
Email: _______________________________________________
Branch
:
Douglas Street
PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH IN THE MAIL!
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