OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek brings together Central Asian Youth Network Alumni in 2017 Reboot Camp
The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek brought together thirty Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) alumni from five Central Asian states as well as Afghanistan and Mongolia. The CAYN 2017 Reboot Camp took place on 29 August - 1 September 2017 in Bulan-Soggotu village, Kyrgyzstan.
As in past years, the CAYN participants were chosen through a competitive selection process out of more than 300 aspiring young leaders with different professional backgrounds in project management, IT, good governance, law, international politics, medicine and engineering.
"CAYN events are designed to have a regional focus, and annual alumni meetings serve as a showcase of talent and innovation by specially selected alumni to inspire young people in Central Asia and have them think about and propose solutions to relevant security issues," said William Leaf, head of the Politico-military Unit of the Programme Office in Bishkek.
CAYN 2017 Reboot Camp provided participants with an immersive learning experience designed to boost a culture of innovation and critical thinking skills. Participants get an introduction to the design thinking methodology that provides solution-based approach to solving complex problems. The event was also designed with a view to promoting tolerance and inter-cultural partnerships.
The Peer-to-Peer Xperiment exercise allowed participants to challenge the ability of their fellows to engage in co-operative learning, bringing them out of their comfort zone and teaching them to be flexible and adaptive.
The event also covered discussion on different innovative measurements and instruments in countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization Leading to Terrorism. In this workshop participants had to challenge their thinking processes and find inspiration to generate new ideas. Collaboration among the CAYN teams resulted in the development of a feasible concept for how the OSCE field operations and other organizations might support countering VERLT in Central Asia.
"The tools applied in design thinking can help to assess risks more sufficiently, better understand people, their feelings and needs, and contribute to preventing violent radicalization, which is more effective than later dealing with its consequences. Young people are more sensitive to change, and are eager to break stereotypes and open to advanced knowledge," said Nozimakhon Davletova, a CAYN alumni from Uzbekistan.
CAYN 2017 Reboot Camp was organized in the framework of the OSCE project “Empowering youth as agents of change to facilitate conflict prevention and enhance inter-communal relations”.
The Central Asian Youth Network was launched in 2004 to develop promising students' knowledge and understanding of contemporary security threats as well as of the OSCE's role in addressing these challenges.