The Office of Tibet, Brussels, organised a Talking Tibet gathering of young Tibetan minds aged from 15 to 29 on Saturday, 19 October 2024, in Brussels. Around 12 curious youths participated in this gathering, which consisted of Belgium V-TAG Director Tenzin Paldon and some other V-TAG members, as well as a few other Tibetan Youths from different parts of Belgium. The meeting was also attended by three staff of the Office of Tibet, Brussels: Secretary Thinley Wangdue, EU Advocacy Officer Tenzin Phuntsok and Accountant Tenzin Nordhen.

EU Advocacy Officer Tenzin Phuntsok welcomed all the young minds and gave a brief introduction about the importance of organising this event to nurture the young minds. He highlighted some accounts of recent developments inside Tibet. The EU Advocacy Officer further elaborated that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is going to celebrate the entire next year as His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama’s grand 90th Birthday as “the Year of Compassion” worldwide.  Therefore, he implored the youths to take an active role in every initiative of CTA to inch towards succeeding in our final goal to restore Tibetan freedom.

Secretary Thinley Wangdue briefed on the condition of Tibetans inside Tibet as the first-hand eye witness’s account during his days in Tibet. He mentioned how the CCP’s grassroots-level tactics to lure the Tibetan villagers with their monthly screening of Chinese propaganda movies to dilute the Tibetan language, which is the essence of keeping the Tibetan cause alive. Accountant Tenzin Nordhen also briefed the gathering by encouraging the youths to be informed about Tibet and its status in their everyday life.

Later on, a thought-provoking exclusive documentary film, ’A Liberation that Never Was: 70 Years of Occupation & Repression in Tibet’ compiled by TTV, DIIR, was screened at the gathering to impart the current critical situations inside Tibet and the resilience of Tibetans inside Tibet. The youths watched it intensely, absorbing the visuals and narratives that painted a harsh reality of present situations inside Tibet, which filled the room full of emotions and solidarity with tears in their eyes.

Tenzin Thoesam, Director of German Tibet House, talked to the youths virtually about the “Importance of being Tibetan in the Western World” and how one can preserve the rich Tibetan culture of kindness and compassion, followed by question and answer.

Before wrapping up, a youth who was born in Exile and recently visited Tibet for the first time shared her feelings and what she saw during her 15-day visit.

Finally, the Office of Tibet, Brussels, distributed the 16th Kashag’s Vision Paper ‘Securing Tibet’s Future’ to every participant. The takeaway points from this gathering were about Tibet and how one can contribute to it. The participants departed to their own destination with the hope of at least initiating something for the Tibetan cause.