For its very first launch in 2016, the Global Issues Network was very successful hypnotizing more than 300 participants to attend the three-day conference. Those participants came from different parts of the world including Indonesia (Kalimantan, Jakarta, Bali), Singapore, Korea, and Australia to share their creative ideas in order to influence the future.
After gaining great success in the first GIN Kalimantan 2016, currently Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) works together with Bina Cita Utama (BCU) School to host The 2nd Global Issues Network (GIN) Youth Conference that will be hosted on 7 – 9 September 2018.
GIN Kalimantan 2018 will bring the theme ‘Writing the Wrongs: Overcoming Global Issues to Create a Kinder World’. The event this year will be very special because it will take place at the same day of the International Literacy Day that falls on 8 September 2018.
In addition to that, the conference also features special keynote speakers that will join you in the conference this year. They are Lawrence Blair and Davina Veronica. Lawrence Blair is an explorer, author, filmmaker, and anthropologist. Throughout his life, he has spent quite long time to explore and make films in Indonesia. Blair is also a writer and presenter of internationally acclaimed series Ring of Fire that won Emmy awards. With him, the participants could learn about filmmaking, creative writing, and cultures.
Additionally, as many Indonesian drama lovers are familiar with, the beautiful Davina is both fashion model and an actress. Moreover, she also co-founded the animal-welfare organization namely Garda Satwa Indonesia and supported some of the related organizations in the animal protection. Davina will share about filming and women participation in taking the opportunity for protecting the environment. There will also be some of the widely-known figures and organizations that participate in the conference such as Made Bayak (a contemporary artist), Bye-Bye Plastic Bags (youth-led social initiative) and Aini Abdul (the author for children’s storybook).

Photo by Desi Natalia|BNF
By taking the aforementioned theme to the upcoming conference, it is expected that the prospective participants of GIN Youth Conference can use the opportunity to dig up their creative minds by joining the three-day conference with inspiring figures and workshop leaders to tackle the up-to-date issues on human rights, education & literacy, environmental degradation, and food security.
Therefore, the event welcomes the students from all over the world to take the initiatives as the young changemakers to participate. By joining the three-day events, the participants will benefit long-term experience through workshops, field trips, Dayak cultures, and various celebrations. From the experts, the participants could learn about various issues that become the current global concern particularly on sustainable environment, global economy, community involvement, education & literacy and many more. The change makers are expected to be able to create responses to these challenges by sharing what they think is right to be the solutions to the problems.
GIN Kalimantan 2018 will be hosted in magnificent Rungan Sari, 36 kilometres north of the capital city of Palangka Raya, which serves an easy access from the Sabangau National Park, a home to wild orangutan population and Dayak cultural sites. The place is dazzling for you to focus on the workshop and the conference.
By the end, we hope to have more new changemakers to come in order to create a difference with us at Global Issues Network Youth Conference 2018 that could work together to provide solutions and take the actions for the better world! (AE)

Photo by Desi Natalia|BNF