Youth Camps and Conferences

Our youth camps and conferences introduce high school students to exciting and inspiring change-makers who are involved in making the world a better place. We give students the chance to gain knowledge and experience that can help shape their contribution to the way the future will unfold.

We bring young people together in the forests of Borneo to share ideas, collaborate and create sustainable solutions for the global issues that we are facing in the world today. Our international youth events are dynamic and immersive with interactive workshops, hands-on activities, cultural experiences and field trips. The natural surroundings provide an enriching and inspiring environment for stimulating student engagement and commitment.

We have welcomed students from Indonesia, across South East Asia and Australia, offering the unique opportunity for cultural exchange between the participants. Our youth camps and conferences are run in two languages, English and Bahasa Indonesia, and we offer scholarships to children from underserved communities in the local area to join these events.

Young people coming together to create a kinder world

Global Issues Network (GIN) Kalimantan

In 2016, we hosted the first-ever GIN Kalimantan with more than 300 people gathered for the three-day youth conference. Activities tackled global issues including human rights, education and literacy, environmental degradation and food security. Students had the opportunity to unleash their creative side, and learnt how media such as art, music and film can be used to share important messages and influence positive change. Our hope is that participants return to their schools with a resolve to take action for the global issues they care about, and use the new knowledge and skills they gained during the conference to effect real change.

Borneo Initiatives Youth Camp (BIYC)

Following the success of GIN Kalimantan, we created a more intimate event where we could focus on individual students, and nurture their interests and skills. In 2018, we co-founded BIYC and welcomed 32 students from Indonesia and Taiwan to Borneo for this youth camp. Over three days the students participated in interactive workshops related to the theme Creating a Kinder World. They took a day trip along meandering rivers to see orangutans in their natural habitat, visited local charities, and met inspiring leaders working on the frontline to fight against Borneo’s environmental degradation.