Indonesian Youth Conference (IYC) is an activity planned and organized by youth, and aimed at gathering Indonesia youth to share problems and ideas, enhance their awareness of current issues, and convince the public that youth voices must be heard and taken seriously. IYC consists of two activities that are intertwined with each other: 1. A forum that invites 33 young people aged 15 to 21 years from all over Indonesia to represent their respective provinces at this event. They are expected to be actively involved in communities and networks, respectively, are determined to make a change towards a better Indonesia, and want to start a movement or project in their community. 2. A festival, made up of organized seminars and workshops that can be visited by anyone by buying tickets. Seminar sessions and workshops at the festival are more general, covering a wide range of issues. It invites experts, professionals, government officials, and youth achievement to talk about law and governance, politics, culture, creative industries, information technology, environment, education, health, activism, social entrepreneurship, as well as journalism and media. (In Indonesian)

“There’s ridiculous things that teenagers can come up with.”

Long Beach's Patricia Tsoiasue shares about Makersville's work supporting the discovery and creative process of young makers.

Sophie Rea shares the Links between Poetry and Youth Work

Rajpal Singh Rathore. An engineer and youth leader shares his perspective on how the society should look like in the changing environment all over.

Elizabeth Wright presents "KnowHow" a local community organization that builds youth leadership and community engagement through the arts. KnowHow youth work at the intersection of creativity and critical thinking to engage with their communities, develop solutions to issues that affect their lives, and build vital life skills. Tonight, KnowHow adult allies  will share the inspiration and design behind this work, information about their many programs, and their dreams for the future of their organization and our city. 

Shanta Sundarason is a social activist and runs The Giving Tree Unionville where she mentors youth to empower them into becoming positive change makers.

She seeks to bring attention to community involvement, volunteering, and teaching the youth these same things to create a better future.

Carolyn Geck is the development director for the Detroit Boxing Gym’s youth program. For her, a boxing ring is a huge part of teaching kids how to become better adults.

15 year old Claudia McDonald has a head full of ideas.  She is involved with the Christchurch Youth Movement which creates youth opportunities and action in Christchurch.

For her talk, our presenter Jen Marchbank chose to discuss her passion for youth advocates and activists, particularly highlighting the work of the Youth for a Change organization.