Archives

Month: December 2016

Editorial

Winter Edition , Youth Matters The future of Bhutan lies in the hands of Bhutanese youth. Does it? At a recent Druk Journal Conversation one participant argued that the future is decided by today’s leaders who make the decisions that determine this future. And youth have no say in these decisions. However,...

Adolescents and Youth in South Asia: A Force to Reckon With

Winter Edition , “The future of our nation depends on the worth, capabilities and motivation of today’s youth. Therefore, I will not rest until I have given you the inspiration, knowledge and skills so that you will not only fulfill your own aspirations but be of immense worth to the nation. This...

Bhutan’s National Youth Policy: A Gap Between Commitment and Output?

Winter Edition , The endorsement of a National Youth Policy by the Lhengye Zhungtshog¹ and its official launch in December 2011 was an important milestone for the youth and people of Bhutan, as it signaled a promised move towards consolidating the quite vibrant but disjointed efforts related to youth in the country. Prior...

Unintended Forces That Shape Youth Values: A Theoretical Analysis of the Implicit Messages in the Structure and Processes of School Education Shaping Youth Development

Winter Edition , Introduction Disappointments with youth are aplenty. They range from concerns about their values and attitudes to viewing them as a group to be wary of as drug abusers and gangsters. These are common themes when the topic of youth comes up in formal and informal conversations. Employers find it...

Reflecting on the Past to Forge the Future: What Can Modern Bhutan Learn From Ling Gesar’s Youthful Bodhisattva Warriors?

Winter Edition , Who Was Ling Gesar? Ling Gesar was a Bodhisattva warrior King in the Kingdom of Ling in ancient eastern Tibet. Ling is an historical and idyllic place where Ling Gesar was born in 1038, an Earth Tiger Year. He is believed to be the “heart son” of Guru Rinpoche...

The Promise of Broken Youth: A Positive Perspective

Winter Edition , It was a grey evening in the summer of 2014. I was invited to an ad hoc meeting in the attic of a hotel in Thimphu. In the wake of the furor over the government’s initiative to start what it called “meat processing units”, and what its critics saw...

Dreams, Opportunities, and Realities

Winter Edition , What is it that the young people in Bhutan aspire to? How do they perceive the world they live in? What is their pulse and plight? What are their dreams? Gopilal Acharya A Song With a Message A Saturday in October, 2015. I am driving my family to Phuenstholing...

Let’s Focus on the Gaps: Educational Disparities and Youth Potential in Bhutan

Winter Edition , “…is the education our youth are receiving attuned to needs of the nation? And once educated, will our children find employment and realise their full potential?” – His Majesty the King of Bhutan (National Day, 2011) The Facts It is a well-established fact that education is one of the...

“I Didn’t Know What I Was Capable Of ”: The Voice Of a Bhutanese Youth

Winter Edition , Introduction …government can’t solve all the problems, you know… Because if you look at Bhutan today… we have a lot of skilful, talented youths. I think it is very important that youth come together, they discuss, debate and if they can come up with a good solution… I think it is a...

Raising Them Right: Role of Adults in Shaping Youth

Winter Edition , With more than half the Bhutanese population under the age of 25, youth play an important role in building Bhutan’s future. In almost every Royal address, His Majesty the King highlights the importance of youth in developing the country and carrying the torch forward. However, it is also very...

Protecting Children in Bhutan from Violence: A Call to Action

Winter Edition , The 2030 development agenda, popularly known as the Sustainable Development Agenda, includes a global commitment towards the elimination of all forms of violence against children. The world over, countries have made significant progress in enacting legislative provisions to protect children from violence. In Bhutan, the Constitution and progressive legislation...

Recreation for Youth

Winter Edition , “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at leastprepare our children for the future.”                                                      ...

Leveraging Youth Groups for Change

Winter Edition , Democracy. Sexual and reproductive health. Crime prevention. Gender parity. Art. Environmental conservation. Substance abuse. Sports. Child protection. Sustainable development. LGBT rights. Civic engagement. Mental health. Employment. What do these topics have in common? They are all issues to which various youth groups in Bhutan are dedicated. With a majority...

Surviving in a Sea of Information

Winter Edition , Today’s youth are drowning in a sea of Internet-fed information. And the increased amount of time young people spend on the Internet raises the question, “What do they do online?” Following trends in many other societies, Bhutanese parents complain that their children are “addicted” to the screen. There has...

Effects of Rapid Urbanisation on Youth in Mongolia

Winter Edition , Nomadic Mongol tribes have lived on the unforgiving steppes of Central Asia for centuries. Seasonal migrations in search of the best pastures for livestock underpin the Mongols’ nomadic lifestyle. Even today, one-third of all Mongolians are still nomadic herders living a lifestyle largely unchanged since the founding of the...

Youth Participation in Democracy: The Danish Experience

Winter Edition , Danish youth play an important role in maintaining and nursing Danish democracy. This was underscored when the global report by the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Study identified Danish youth as the most democratic-minded among 38 nationalities¹. The study, in particular, praised Danish youth’s active citizenship skills and understanding...

Korean Youth Flap Their Wings Towards Their Dreams

Winter Edition , The Republic of Korea has been a vibrant country in more ways than one and its youth have always played an important role. In just a short time, only 50 years after the Korean War, the Republic of Korea has grown into a powerhouse that ranks 11th in the world economy...

The Need for Critical Thinking Against a Tide of Social Media

Winter Edition , While Tshering Eudön bases her thought piece on her own experience with Facebook, the Druk Journal believes that it is relevant to all Bhutanese wading through the social media landscape. I am a Bhutanese student in my late 20s currently working towards a Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA)...

Inspired and Driven: Aiming High

Winter Edition , A few kilometres from the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan city that is Thimphu, in the anonymity and seclusion of an almost invisible location, Bhutan’s first-ever waste transfer station is coming up. The transfer station, on nearly one acre of land, will have magnets to pull metal objects...

Pursuing a Passion: Making a Dream Come True

Winter Edition , Thrinlay Dorji, 29 years old, was born in Bartsham, Tashigang, and raised by his aunt and uncle in Thimphu. His life’s journey—from struggling young student to creative professional—is a story that is often by-passed in the expectations of most youth, most parents, and by society. It is a story...