Palangka Raya 8 September 2016 – From 16to 18 September, Bina Cita Utama (BCU) School and Borneo Nature Foundation will host the first ever Global Issues Network (GIN) youth conference in Kalimantan. This international conference will bring together 100 students from Palangka Raya with over 100 young people from Jakarta, Bali, Korea, Singapore and Australia. More than 300 people will gather at the BCU School in Bukit Batu for the three-day conference.

The GIN Kalimantan 2016 conference will introduce children, aged from 12 to 17 years old, to exciting and inspiring young presenters from Kalimantan and other regions of Indonesia. It is the intention of this conference that in spreading knowledge and sharing experiences, it inspires the students to move towards practical solutions for issues that they care about. Topics that will be discussed include recycling, human rights, sustainable development, marine protection, wildlife conservation and food security. Students will return to their schools with a commitment to take action, and use the knowledge and skills they gain during the conference.

The conference consists of a mixture of workshops, field trips, Dayak cultural experiences and evening celebrations. Special guests include the lead singer of Navicula, Robi Supriyanto who was recently voted ‘Asia 2016 Youth Leader’ by Asia 21 and TV chef, Rahung Nasution.

Many Palangka Raya based organisations will be sharing their knowledge and expertise in the interactive workshops, including Borneo Nature Foundation, Borneo Productions International, Yayasan Permakultur Kalimantan, Ranu Welum, EarthHour Palangka Raya and Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

The conference will also welcome NGOs from outside the city, with Mongabay Indonesia, Indonesia Nature Film Society and Wildlife Asia joining conference activities.

GIN Kalimantan will also provide a stage to launch an exciting new photo exhibition, which exhibits the beautiful, unique flora and fauna of Kalimantan. The works of internationally recognised professional photographers from Indonesia and abroad, as well as photographs taken by talented local photographers from Palangka Raya and other parts of Kalimantan will be showcased.

The photo exhibition will be a reminder that we can all have a personal connection with the forest.

Palangka Raya is an ideal location for this event with a large network of NGOs, easy access for international participants, strong cultural identity and forests rich in biodiversity nearby. This provides the opportunity for education and collaboration, so together we can move towards a more sustainable future.