Chin Youth Conference Successfully Concluded
September 4, 2006- Dallas, Texas: The Third North America Chin Youth Conference organized by the Chin Youth Organization of North America was successfully held on 2nd and 3rd of September, 2006, in Dallas, Texas, USA.
During a two-day long conference, attended by about 400 Chin students and youth, the participants engaged in various sports and other activities such as soccer, volleyball, fashion show and beauty contest. The competitions organized on various items include a Chin cultural related drawings, extemporaneous speech on Chin related topics, essay writings on a given topics, and singing competitions.
“This kind of gathering is very good and necessary because this is the place where we the young people get a chance to get together to promote mutual understanding among us”, said Monica Uk, a sophomore Biologic student at Hook College of Maryland, who led the audience during the singing of the song entitled “Ahme Ram Lai Tlang” what could be considered as National Enthem of Chinland.
In his address to audience in the conference, Salai Elaisa Vahnie, a delegate from the newly formed Chin Student Union of North America emphasized the importance of coming together and working together as Chin youth. “We must work together where our objectives and goals are similar so as to eliminate the gap between youth and student while working towards bringing about the betterment of the future Chin society as a whole. We also must be convinced ourselves that CSUNA and CYO are not doing any individual’s interest, but our National interest”, said the delegate.
During the conference, leaders of CSUNA, CYO, and Dallas Chin Community also discussed means and ways to strengthen a unified effort to build national unity and solidarity among the Chin people.
Commenting on his appointment as newly elected chairman of the CYO, Salai Lairamthang says, “As I have been here in the United States for a short period of time, taking the chairmanship role of CYO indeed is a bit challenging for me because at this time, I am not so familiar with the thinking and attitudes of our Chin youth on which I want to spend sometimes actually”.
“However, if our young men and women are to stand with me and support me in behind, I am ready to lead. With the close cooperation and solidarity of all youth in our future movement, I am confident that we can move our Chin Youth Organization (CYO) from regional level to the national level where all youth from different tribes of the Chins together join and be accommodated”, he adds.
CYO was founded in December, 2000 with the aims to preserve social, national and culture heritages of the Chin, and to promote and protect the Chin literature and traditional values. The next conference is slated to be held in Washington DC.
By Our Staff Reporter
Chinland Guardian
