AMERICAN CENTER PROGRAM PROMOTES ETHNIC DIALOGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000819

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: AMERICAN CENTER PROGRAM PROMOTES ETHNIC DIALOGUE
AND CIVIL SOCIETY

Classified By: Pol Officer Chelsia Wheeler for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d).

SUMMARY
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1. (C) Starting in January 2008, the American Center has
conducted a Professional Development Program to bring
together emerging leaders from throughout Burma to learn
about human rights, democracy, and community activism.
Graduates have joined local and international NGOs, created
organizations of their own, and conducted successful
projects, including rebuilding a school in the Irrawaddy
Delta. The course, which builds core skills among young
leaders and facilitates dialogue among ethnic groups, is an
important element of Post's efforts to promote human rights,
civil society, and democratic change. END SUMMARY.

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE
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2. (C) From January to August 2008, two teachers from the
American Center and Poloff conducted the first iteration of
the Professional Development Program (PDP). The goal of the
PDP is to bring together young people of diverse ethnic
backgrounds to facilitate dialogue and cooperation while also
encouraging them to become active in their own communities.
Fifteen students attended the initial program, including from
Shan, Chin, Kachin, and Rakhine states. The course covered a
broad range of topics, including human rights and democracy,
grant proposal writing, academic writing, and community
research, as well as basic skills in computers and public
speaking.


3. (C) The second PDP course began in mid-September and
will run for three months. American Center teachers and
Poloff personally recruited students from around the country,
including Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, and Pa'O, seeking to
identify active and emerging leaders who would benefit from
the additional PDP training. The course has been improved in
this second iteration to incorporate more hands-on learning,
with students conducting community organization projects and
research as part of the coursework. In addition, students
write draft grant proposals, learn about funding sources for
projects, and study democratic principles and practices,
including those enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and
Declaration of Independence. The readings are intended to
provide them with a basis to evaluate Burma's new
constitution and the upcoming 2010 elections. Students will
gain the skills and knowledge to enable them to spread the
values of democracy and human rights to other parts of Burma,
including some of the country's more remote areas.

PDP STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES
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4. (C) PDP graduates have gone on to implement real changes
in their communities. Three students created their own civil
society organizations and competed successfully for funding
through the Embassy small grants program. For example, Khin
Hla, a lawyer by profession, founded the Burma Laws Study
Group for Peasants and Workers to teach peasants and day
laborers from Rakhine State about existing Burmese labor
laws. She will also raise awareness among participants about
the role of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in
Burma and provide them with information on their rights and
the GOB's commitments, such as those included in its
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ILO.


5. (C) As another example, Kyi Pyar Chit Saw founded Action
for People Living with HIV/AIDS. She will use her first
Embassy small grant to conduct a tailoring and slipper-making
training program for men and women with HIV/AIDS. U Tun
Naing created a group called Rays for Youth, which provides
community development training to Rakhine youth who have
migrated to Rangoon. The training covered topics such as
gender equality awareness, intellectual property rights, and
NGO organization and management.


6. (C) Two other students went to Chiang Mai University on
a scholarship to attend a civic empowerment program. One
started work as the Nargis activities coordinator for Metta,
a prominent Burmese organization that conducts environmental
and capacity building projects throughout the country.
Another now works for the International Rescue Committee.
Separately, 11 of the 15 students from the first PDP course
pooled contacts and resources to help rebuild a monastic
school in the Delta that was destroyed in Cyclone Nargis.


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COMMENT
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7. (C) The early returns on the American Center's PDP
program are promising: it has proven effective at giving
emerging leaders (many hand-picked for participation because
of their background and potential) the skills and tools they
need to become effective community organizers, while also
building new networks among ethnic groups. In just the span
of a few months, the alumni of the PDP have already made a
difference in their communities, including in Rakhine and
Kachin States, and the Irrawaddy Delta. The PDP course is
also an important vehicle for promoting human rights and
democracy in Burma, and as such Post is looking at expanding
the program and membership in the coming months.
VAJDA