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Issue 2 June— September 2013

In this issue:

YACA members

participate in climate

change open day.. Pg 1

Youth competition

encourages creativity...

Pg 2

Meet the founder..Pg 2

YACA supports TVI with

the Clean Generation

Campaign…. Pg 2

MMYDC brings together

change makers… Pg 3

Kimbe youth take

action.. Pg 3

Voices of the youth

strong in Madang… Pg 3

Our contribution as

active citizens…. Pg 4

Writer’s Corner. Pg 4

My Fiji Experience. Pg 6

Corruption: Q&A… Pg 8

GYAC… Pg 9

Member’s Profile,,, Pg 9

My liaising experience..

Pg 10

Joining the climate

change fight… Pg 11

Meet the YACA

Executives… Pg 12

YACA in pictures… Pg 13

Word Search.. Pg 14

Advocacy & Legal

Advice Centre. Pg 15

YACA around PNG. Pg

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YACA NEWSYACA NEWS

What is YACA?

The Youth Against Corruption Association, or YACA, as it is commonly known is a membership based organisation that is run by youth who are committed to the fight against corruption in Papua New Guinea by refusing to practice corruption in oneself and rejecting the attitudes that support it.

A YACA member:

Is committed - say the pledge everyday to remind yourself that you are a good person, committed to honesty, integrity and good citizenship.

Uses their voice - take part in YACA forums, speak out and publicly reject dishonesty, violence and corruption

Shows leadership - be a leader and always show others by your behaviour that you have high principles and are a good role model for younger people to follow.

YOUTH competition encourages creativity

The 2013 Anti-Corruption Song Writing Contest themed

‘Be the Change’ kicked off on Friday 7th June 2013 and

ended on Friday 30th August 2013, calling on youth aged

between 15 to 30 years of age to come up with creative,

inspiring and original lyrics with the words ‘Be the

change’.

Keynote Music House came to the aid of YACA by

donating the first prize—a digital keyboard. Mr Jim

McNeil, General Manager for Keynote Music House was

eager to support YACA.

Chin H Meen also donated an Acoustic Guitar and Electric Keyboard as the second and third prizes

for the song writing contest. “Anything supporting our youth, especially through music, we will

always be happy to support!” Mr Braden Chin, Music Manager at CHM said.

Both companies were delighted to support a great

initiative and look forward to hearing the winning song.

Their contribution helps to give the members of YACA

and opportunity to be heard by a wider community and

create a new generation of young people actively taking

a stand against corruption.

The three overall winners will be announced in

September and the winning song will be produced in the

lead up to International Anti-Corruption Day on 9th

December 2013.

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YACA Members participate in Climate

Change Open Day! PNG is already being affected by Climate Change and we as young people need to help raise awareness in our local communities and with our people.

Eleven enthusiastic YACA members volunteered their time on Friday 16th August 2013 to participate in the Climate Change Open Day organized by the Office of Climate Change & Development (OCCD) at the Sir John Guise Stadium in

Port Moresby. The Open Day was themed ‘Changing our Mindsets’ and was aimed at raising awareness on Climate Change in PNG. YACA was invited to be part of the float parade, set up a booth, do face painting for kids and to give a paper presentation on our involvement in the fight against Climate Change.

YACA also took this opportunity to speak about the climate change network we are involved

in— 350 Pacific. 350 Pacific is led by young climate change activists and is a grassroots network working with communities to fight climate change from the Pacific Islands. 350 Pacific works with organizers across 15 Pacific Island nations to highlight the vulnerabilities of our island countries to climate change while showcasing our strength and resilience as one people.

Fr. John Glynn first arrived in PNG at

the age of 27. He came from Ireland to

Australia in 1961, and was recruited

from Sydney to come to Papua New

Guinea to be a Primary School teacher

in 1963. In 1969, he worked at the

Education Department writing the

Primary Mathematics Syllabus before

becoming a High School teacher in New

Ireland. In 1975 he went to Australia,

studied for the Catholic Priesthood, was

ordained in 1980 and returned to serve

in the Diocese of Kavieng, Manus and

New Ireland until 2000. He became a

PNG citizen in 1987.

Since retiring from active ministry in

2000, he has been living in Port

Moresby where he is the Chaplain at the

Jubilee Catholic Secondary School and

helps out at Sacred Heart Parish in

Hohola and at other parishes too when

needed.

He was teaching at Jubilee when he

came up with the idea for the Youth

Against Corruption Association. It was

in 2002 that he began challenging his

students on the issues of corruption

and the general acceptance and

tolerance of it by the population as a

whole. He designed an anti-corruption

pledge which led to the formation of the

Youth Against Corruption Association.

Fr. John also set up an organization

called WeCare! Foundation, sits on the

TIPNG Board and Digicel Foundation

Board.

Meet the

Founder!

YACA supports The Voice Inc. with

the Clean Generation campaign!! As early as 6.00am, over 300 young people gathered at the UPNG Drill Hall to

participate in the Clean Act, an event organized by The Voice Inc. YACA also showed its

support with members signing up and helping to clean the streets from UPNG to

Waigani and back again.

The Clean Act was not just a clean up. It was a symbol of change. We as young people

have a responsibility to speak out against violence, crime corruption and all that

threatens society. It was about creating a generation of young people willing to be the

change they want to see in this country. To have purpose, to be virtuous and to be

honest, were the three things that the Guest Speaker, YACA Coordinator, Ms. Arianne

Kassman, encouraged young people to remember and work towards building the

society we want.

YACA continues to support the work of The Voice Inc. and looks forward to working

together with them in empowering young people for change. It is our hope that

together, we can create a clean generation of like minded citizens working to develop

the PNG we want.

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Youth in Madang are speaking out strongly and

expressing their opposition to corruption in PNG!

Anna Omba, YACA DWU President says being a member

of YACA means so much to her. It shows others that she

is a young person who strongly opposes the practice and

attitudes that cause corruption. ‘It identifies and gives

meaning to my citizenship, and as the elite of this nation

YACA gives me the strength and responsibility to fight for

my rights and the rights of my other young friends in

saying "No to Corruption”, YACA makes me feel

responsible, be responsible of my actions and thoughts to

become a good role model’ Anna adds. Her passion and

commitment empowered the DWU YACA group to take

up the responsibility of organizing this year’s Sir

Anthony Siaguru Walk Against Corruption in Madang on

behalf of TIPNG. Ms. Omba attended the MMYDC in 2009.

Stanley Phillipae, a student at Tusbab Secondary School

and a participant at this year’s Mike Manning Youth

Democracy Camp has also obtained a partnership with

NBC Madang, using it as an opportunity to speak to the

people of Madang about corruption and its effects. His

efforts have inspired his friends and there is now a

growing interest of young people wanting to be part of

YACA. He plans to visit other schools and communities

and build the YACA movement in Madang.

Kimbe youth take

action!

Sixty youth came together at a beautification activity at the Kimbe

Police Barracks, organized by Jonty Rangit, 2013 Mike Manning

Youth Democracy Camp participant. Jonty explained that he started

the group in his community because he believes that he must first

start with himself and his community before going out to other

communities. The ’Police Barracks Youth Against Corruption’ have

come up with a motto of their own: ’TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A

CHANGE!’ When asked about what some of these are Jonty says,

‘We came-up with plans to visit schools, communites, villages,

blocks, and churches in WEST NEW BRITAIN informing and

advocating about the things in relation to CORRUPTION and

different issues affecting our country and economy. Some of the

areas I have targeted to visit are GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS IN

WEST NEW BRITAIN and also visiting sick patients and less fortunate

ones.’ The volunteer Sir Anthony Siaguru Walk Against Corruption

Committee in Kimbe is also supporting the youth in their efforts to

fight corruption in Kimbe.

MMYDC brings

together change makers

Transparency International PNG, in line with its

continuous efforts to build relationships and empower

young people in PNG to take action against corruption, and

also contributes to instilling a higher level of integrity, as

stated in the Constitution of PNG brought together fifty-two

students in Kefamo in Goroka. From the 1st to the 10th of July

2013 , these students participated in the 6th Mike Manning

Youth Democracy Camp. They were taught about basic

advocacy skills, leadership skills, notions of human rights and

about democracy. The participants took part in hands-on

activities, capacity and skills building exercises, simulations

and presentations by guest speakers, giving students a wide

ranging learning experience. Two students from the Mt Sion

Centre School for the Blind also took part in the camp.

Governor for Easter Highlands Julie Soso was one of the 24

guest speakers invited to the camp, including former

politician Dame Carol Kidu and Dame Meg Taylor, Vice

President and Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, World Bank

Group. The participants have now returned to their schools

and communities to use the tools and information they

receoived from the camp to help raise awareness on

corruption in PNG and empower other young people.

VOICES of the

youth strong in Madang

4 1st - 10th July -

17th August -

Sports Clinic

We are youth against corruption

We are pledged to honesty

By our actions, by our words

We the students of Kila Sec

We know what we gonna do

We promote integrity!

Honesty & Citizenship

Turn on the radio what do you hear

YACA! YACA! YACA!

Give us a cheer! We gonna beat it! Bust it fight corruption!

Go YACA!

One person: I said what?

Everyone: you said boom! Chika!!

Waka! Chika! YACA bin bon!

One person: show me the glory?

Everyone: wha wha!!!

One person: give me the glory?

Everyone: Kauka!!

Go YACA!!!

This was the war cry chanted by the students of Corona-

tion Primary School when 45 students from Kila Kila Sec-

ondary School and Gordons Secondary School combined

to raise awareness on the Youth Against Corruption Asso-

ciation. The interactive session included two dramas:

‘Corruption in the Workforce’ and ‘Things that amount to

Corruption’. Four speakers went on to speak about YACA,

the history of YACA, Good Citizenship and Patriotism

while the rest of the students held up posters and gave

out brochures.

This same inspiring group took their message to

Wardstrip Primary School addressing five groups of

grade eight students about corruption, YACA, what they

do as members of YACA and a number of them shared

their own experiences.

The combined visit is the first of its kind for YACA and we

look forward to more schools getting involved!

Written by: Kaleichris Maha, YACA member

My name is Christopher Lam and I am a Year 11 student at Lae Sec-ondary School. After attending the 2013 Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp in Kefamo, EHP, I became interested in the work of YACA and TIPNG. I felt empowered and inspired to come back to my school and make a difference. So after discussing with my senior, and camp-mate Ray-lance Mesa, we both agreed that we should establish a YACA group in our school. We talked and organized with our teachers for a school talk and in Week 4 we spoke to the school about what we thought were im-portant things that we learnt at camp. Even though the majority seemed disinterested, we stood and talked on, because we believed that somewhere somehow it would be relevant to them, and that there were good students who would also like to make a change. I also talked about YACA and by the time we ended our talk, 29 inter-ested students turned up to give in their names. Right now I am organizing for us to become financially part of YACA. I have also included us to take part in the BSP Go Green Clean-Up Cam-paign that will be coming up. My hope is that we become official members of YACA as soon as possible and to start making a difference in our local areas.

Gender based

violence is one of

the biggest social

issues in PNG

today. YACA

members,

VInzealhar Nen,

Oliver Nobetau

and Jacob Segodi

joined with other Port Moresby residents at a

photo shoot for a viral campaign to stop

gender based violence in PNG. The Leniata

Legacy, the group that organized this session is

a Brisbane based group started by four young

passionate Papua New Guinean women. They

continue to work on this campaign and we

urge everyone to join in and support.

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Song Writing—Title: Believe

Living in a world

That is full of corruption

I bet we can take the risk

To fight for your own rights

Lets work together

As youths we fight

Never let go of anything

You have to believe

Bridge

Taking the chances everyday

Never losing hope in yourself

Too…fight corruption…

Change of cords

B2 V1

Verse 2

Living in a world

That is full of corruption

I bet we can take the risk

To fight for our own rights

Lets work together

Never losing hope or anything

You have to believe

Opportunities everyday

Never losing hope in yourself

To fight against corruption

Written by: Solomon Mape, YACA Member, Gordons Secondary

Let us fight

Somewhere beyond this life I see change

Somewhere beneath this misery I see hope

Under all the turmoil I see light

Through all fear I see courage

The world is bleeding a new set of army

With eyes set ablaze

And jaws set on straight

They are here to restore peace and humanity

They are the world’s unanswered prayer

They have set their goal to destroy

Destroy and smile the termites that eat us

They are here to advocate for change

They display my vision of change

They have my hand

We are taking a stand

For we will mend

The destruction corruption has brought

Composed by: Vinzealhar Nen, YACA Member, POMIS

Like a bushfire, no wonder we don’t go far

Too much greed and need

Such a small country

It takes us slowly 1,2,3

Less development

All words said are not meant

It happens here, it happens there

In front of everyone, everywhere

When will it stop?

that we don’t know

For a better nation

Stop Corruption!

Composed by: Yolandrea English, YACA Member, Pom Grammar

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It’s 5.30am and I’m sitting in the Airport Cafe having a cup of coffee before I head to the departure

lounge to wait for my flight to Brisbane which will connect on to Fiji. The Fiji Islands...aaaaahhhh...

One place I’ve always wanted to visit and now I was finally going there. Waiting in the departure

lounge made me excited and anxious at the same time, excited because I was visiting another

pacific island, anxious because Fiji is...well...a dictatorship. I’d never travelled to a place which was

under a dictatorship so I didn’t know what to expect. So my flight finally gets called and I board

the Air Niugini flight so eager and excited. The whole journey from Port Moresby to Brisbane

then Nadi and Suva will take a full days travel. I’m scheduled to arrive at Nausori Airport at

8.15pm Fiji time (10.15pm PNG time).

When I get to Nadi airport I have to come out of the International terminal and make my way over to the domestic terminal

to check in for the flight from Nadi to Nausori. I check in and find out that the flight is delayed. I pass time by reading a novel

and by 8.15pm I’m on the plane to Nausori airport. It’s a short flight, taking approximately 40mins. When I get to Nausori,

I’m greeted by the smiling faces of Tokasa Alefaio, Taina Natube and Jone Siqila – three of the staff from Transparency

International Fiji. These are the people who’ve invited me to Fiji, to be part of their Youth Integrity Initiative Workshop

which will be held from June 14 – 16.

The Youth Integrity Initiative is a two-day training camp for young people and is themed “Mobilising Youths Against

Corruption.” The workshop is being organised by the Youth Integrity Programme at Transparency International Fiji (TIF). I

was invited to take part in the workshop as facilitator because I run a similar programme at Transparency International

Papua New Guinea called the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp. Also before actually travelling to Fiji I was already

assisting the programme manager, Tokasa, with putting programme content together and giving her tips on how to pull

together the logistics for such a workshop. After my luggage has been loaded, we start the drive to Suva, the capital city of

Fiji. The drive takes about 40 minutes and I get a specialised tour from Tokasa, Taina and Jone. We finally get to Suva and I

check into my hotel and am informed I’ll be picked up at 8.30 to visit the TI Fiji office.

The next day I get picked up and we make our way to the TI Fiji office. Their office is different to ours. It consists of two

buildings, old houses that were converted to offices. I meet the staff and am surprised to find two PNG wantoks interning at

TI Fiji. Tokasa makes other preparations and the support staff for the workshop are allocated to 5 buses that will go around

to all the different schools to pick up the selected participants. We leave at 1.30pm and drive to the Centre for Appropriate

Technology in Nadave which is going back towards Nausori Airport. We get to Nadave and find all the students are already

there waiting for us. Everyone makes their way to the conference room for the official opening of the workshop.

Registrations and introductions are done and then the workshop is officially opened by Mr Joseva Sania, the Permanent

Secretary – Ministry of Youth & Sports. During Mr Sania’s speech he says one important thing, “leading is not what you do,

but who you are.” That same evening after dinner, we watch a movie – The Power of One. After that everyone is sent off to

bed to rest and prepare themselves for day 1 of the workshop.

Day 1 of the workshop covers mostly topics about leadership. Various speakers talk about leadership in democratic

development, what it takes to lead and good governance and civic education. After lunch time is given to talk about Fiji’s

electoral system. This was an interesting topic for me as Fiji was going to have elections in 2014 and I wanted to know how

it all worked in a dictatorship. That afternoon I also gave my presentation about mobilizing youths against corruption. I

spoke about the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp and the Youth Against Corruption Association which are examples

from PNG and then I also told the participants about the Global Youth Anti Corruption Network where young people can

connect, learn and share with each other at an international level. The students were very receptive to the presentation and

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discussed ideas about how they could start their own youth organisation dedicated to promoting good governance and good

leadership in Fiji.

Day 2 of the workshop focused on Human Rights during the morning part. The afternoon part was the report back session

where the students were split into groups and told to creatively report back about what they had learned or gained from the

workshop. There were eight groups in total and they all chose different ways of presenting what they learned. One group

wrote a song about all the things they learned and sang it to the tune of “We are the World”. Two groups did role plays, one

group made a short video and another group did a power point presentation. Another group wrote a poem and the group

that I assisted made a newsletter and then presented it as a TV news item. It was very encouraging and inspiring to see how

much all these students had picked up in two days and also how closely they had bonded in such a short period of time. The

workshop was officially closed by Apisalome Tudreu, the Chairman of Transparency International Fiji.

Day 3 was pack up day. All the participants and facilitators had to return home. We drove back to Suva and gushed about

what an awesome experience it all was, not only for the students but also for the TI Fiji staff and me also.

I felt proud knowing that our youth initiative is being replicated in Fiji. This strengthens the TI movement in the Pacific.

Feeling elated, I thought about how awesome it would be to have a regional forum, bringing together young leaders from

PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands to participate in a camp to share their TI movement ideas with each other. Maybe

one day this thought of mine will become a reality and will be something that youth in PNG and Fiji will push for.

I thought about this some more on the plane as we were leaving Nadi airport. It truly was a whirlwind trip - short but very

fruitful and I made some new friends. When I returned to Port Moresby, I checked my facebook profile and found that the

participants had created a group/page called Teens With Integrity, which Fijian youth use to share what they learned, ideas

for campaigns and networking. It’s my hope that YACA and Teens With Integrity will link up and share ideas and

information.

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Corruption Questions and Answers

What is Corruption?

Corruption is the abuse of power and au-

thority for private benefit. What this means

is that only people who have power and

authority can be corrupt. People who have

power and authority might be leaders in

Government or the Public Service. They

might be leaders in the Church, or in the

private industry or in business. They have

been given power and authority so that

they can take responsibility on behalf of

their people, and be leaders, and look after

their people, and get things done.

How do people Practice Corruption?

Abuse means to use something in a bad

way. People abuse their power and authori-

ty by using bribery, extortion, influence

peddling, nepotism, fraud or embezzle-

ment.

Why is Corruption bad?

There are many reasons why corruption is

bad—here are some of them:

1. It creates poverty

2. It prevents development

3. It steals away our freedom and our

Democratic Rights

4. It destroys the economy

5. It kills the State

How does Corruption Create Poverty?

Corrupt people soak up money like a

sponge soaks up water. They will not do

things that help other people unless it helps

themselves even more. The only way to

overcome poverty is by creating jobs, and

developing local business and agriculture so

that people can work and provide them-

selves with a steady income. Corrupt lead-

ers do not like spending their time and en-

ergy working for these things. They want to

By Father John M.Glynn

How does Corruption prevent Develop-

ment?

Development means making new things—

infrastructure, like roads and bridges,

schools, hospitals. It means helping people

to use their resources and assets, to set up

businesses, to create employment opportu-

nities. Development requires putting in

money, hard work, good ideas, motivation,

cooperation, good leadership and so on.

Corruption involves taking away from other

people, and diverting money, time and en-

ergy towards serving self, and not the com-

munity

How does Corruption Steal Away Our Free-

dom and Democratic Rights?

We live in a free and democratic country

and therefore we have the right to freedom

of expression, freedom of religion, freedom

of movement, freedom of assembly, free-

dom to elect our own leaders and sack

them if we are not pleased with their per-

formance. We have the right to education,

and health care, the right to be informed

about the affairs of the country, the right to

security and protection from crime and

exploitation, the right to justice.

Many of these rights and freedoms do not

support corrupt leadership. A corrupt lead-

ership does not like ‘watchdog’ organiza-

tions like Transparency International, Hu-

man Rights Watch or others. Corruption

likes to operate in the dark, in secret, so too

much information is bad for corruption, as

is too much talking about it, or writing

about it. Therefore, Corruption is the ene-

my of democratic rights and freedom.

How does Corruption destroy the Econo-

my?

The life blood of the economy is money.

When money is put to work it creates new

money. Corruption soaks money up and

takes it out of the economy. Good citizens

invest in their own country and help our

economy to grow. Corrupt people get their

money here in PNG and invest it outside the

country, helping another country’s econo-

my to grow and weakening ours. In a weak

How does Corruption kill the state?

When Corruption becomes widespread,

and widely accepted and tolerated, the

lives of the people are placed in danger.

The failure in the Police Force becomes

worse, and the Public Service becomes

more and more ineffective. The services

people need, in Education, Health, Commu-

nications, etc., begin to fail and poverty

drives more people into crime and violence.

The structures that hold the nation togeth-

er will begin to break down.

What can I do about Corruption?

First of all you must understand that SI-

LENCE SIGNIFIES CONSENT! What that

means is that if you say nothing you are

saying yes. If you say nothing, and do noth-

ing, to oppose corruption you are accepting

it and giving it your approval—even if you

despise it. At the moment in Papua New

Guinea there is a general acceptance of

corruption as a natural part of life. This is

why we have increasing poverty, a slow

collapse of infrastructure, little or no

maintenance on roads, schools, police sta-

tions, health centers, etc, a very bad crime

rate, loss of confidence in our leadership,

and so on. You must ask yourself -’Is this all

right? Am I going to accept this passively?

Am I just going to do nothing and wait for

someone else to do something to put

things right? If you think this is not all right

then you must do something about it your-

self.

What is the opposite of corruption?

The opposite of corruption is Integrity.

Someone who has integrity can be believed

when he or she speaks, and can be trusted

to do what he or she says they will do, and

can be relied on to do their work honestly

and well, and will repay any debt without

being asked

Will we ever put an End to Corruption?

Yes, when we tell our leaders that corrup-

tion is unacceptable and that corrupt lead-

ers must all go.

Do your part by saying NO to Corruption for a better future in PNG Memorize and Recite the YACA Pledge every day to remind you of your commitment to opposing corruption.

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60 1000+ 45

Member NGOS Members Countries

Supported by the World Bank Institute (WBI), the Voice Against Corruption Program facilitates the Global Youth Anti-

Corruption Network (GYAC), a network of young leaders, journalists, artists, and experts in information and communication

technologies (ICT) from civil society all over the world who work to improve transparency and social accountability for

better governance. GYAC provides a platform for its members to share knowledge and experience, so they can learn from

each other. It also provides its members support for capacity and knowledge building in various governance areas, and on

using ICT tools so that the youth will be enabled to drive reform processes and contribute to positive changes in their

respective countries and regions.

The Youth Against Corruption Association PNG is a part of this network and contributes ideas and stories to other members

on a web based platform called Voices Against Corruption. We work with other member countries in the East Asia Pacific

Region to see what we can do to raise awareness among not only young people, but the general public as well. The GYAC

assists YACA by providing tools and resources that we can use to help advance our fight against corruption in PNG.

If you would like to become a member of GYAC, log on to their website: GYAC—Voices Against Corruption and fill in the

necessary details.

YACA Member

Profile

Why did you join YACA?

I joined YACA because I wanted to make my country and the world a better

place. I joined YACA because I believed and now have confirmed that YACA

can help me make the change I want to see—to fight and oppose corruption.

What YACA activities do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy the forums because a lot is learnt about YACA and Corruption and

other organizations that can be used as vehicles of change. I also enjoy YACA

outings because they give me the chance to share my passion for change,

share my passion for YACA.

What has been most outstanding for you in YACA?

I have realized that as a YACA member, I can make a difference in PNG.

Through the activities we do, I am able to use my voice effectively and speak

out against corruption.

What activities do you plan to do?

I plan to educate my peers and other youth on social issues such as

corruption and encourage them to join YACA. I plan to empower youth, as a

youth who has been empowered by YACA. Last but not the least, I plan to use

the skills I have to promote YACA and educate more people on corruption

and other social issues.

Dagia Aka 18 years old

Papua New Guinean - originates from

Central Province

Active member of the Jubilee Catholic

Secondary School YACA Group

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I was told at a training I attended with

my fellow YACA member Dagia Aka that

we were possible Liaison Officer

candidates for the upcoming big meet in

April after Dagia as usual inspired and

greatly impressed the facilitators with his

extremely young charismatic and

confident personality and I with, oh well

I do not recall much but we were the

youngest leaders at the Leadership Skills

Training that gave us the opportunity to

be Liaison Officers in the 8th

Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting

in April from the 15th-18th 2013 that

Papua New Guinea was hostess to.

Believe me when I say we were both

excited at the widened exposure but we

had no idea what a liaising was, so it

became a memory until April arrived and

we received texts messages to be

informed of a string of meetings that was

to be held at Adcol to arm us with very

much needed knowledge of the Foreign

Ministers that were going to set foot on

our shores, the National Youth

Commission ran the show. At those

meetings we were educated simple basic

protocols of know how’s, do’s and don’ts

and we learnt which VIP’s we were to be

Liaison Officers for alongside 50 other

selected youths from different

Educational Institutions, I was appointed

to liaise for Katherine Ellis the

Commonwealth Secretariat Director and

Head of Youth Affairs.

On the Saturday the 13th we attended

the final meeting. Good manners were

strictly stressed on, appropriate formal

dressing of black lower clothing and

shoes because uniforms for the upper

top of the body were going to be

provided and we were reminded of the

great responsibility we carried as youth

ambassadors of our Nation. I was

unlucky to have caught the Tiger Malaria

outbreak on that same day, the next day,

Sunday, were to collect our uniforms but

the thrill of being a Liaison Office beat

my feeling of being sick I must say. I

forced myself to get better, at least half

better. When I went over to Adcol to

collect my uniform, I was informed that

my VIP was already in the country, with

other Liaison officers whose Ministers

had arrived, the Welcome Barbeque was

at Paddy’s, bar, there for the first time I

met Katherine Ellis, she is very lovely

person and an expertise with Youth

Affairs. And I felt so much pride just

donning my uniform.

The (5) five days that followed were

hectic ,the delegation I was responsible

were familiar with Port Moresby so they

found their way around very easily, I was

told if I was needed they’d give me a call

so I went out of my way to assist my

other friends with delegations that had

plenty delegates. We mostly dealt with

meeting with them and checking in for

them at their respected hotels, ensuring

they are familiar with the (5) five days

meeting timetable or remind them of the

daily program so as to ensure their

arrival in a timely manner, confirm

ground transportation arrangements’ to

and from where it is they are to go,

familiarise them with standard protocol

requirements and lastly to make them

feel at home as best we can by

discussing the local history, different

cultures, services and everything that is

interesting else that makes our country

diverse.

This experience has greatly enhanced my

knowledge base, I made great friends

with similar mindsets like mine and

international figures who promise to visit

the country again someday, all of the us

the 52 Liaison Officers were all were

honoured to be Youth Ambassadors,

Dagia and I again the youngest, despite

mini hiccups and setbacks we had, we all

stuck together as a group, we worked

alongside and helped each other get our

tasks done, we all managed to send off

delegations that spoke highly of our

hospitality, which greatly reflects Papua

New Guinea as a whole. “The ever-

smiling very kind people”

My Liaising Experience

Written by Lisa Kasnari

11

‘We are not drowning, We are fighting!’ were the words echoed by the

Pacific Warriors at Global Power Shift in Istanbul, Turkey from 24th-

30th June 2013. YACA Coordinator Ms. Arianne Kassman was invited to

represent PNG at this youth climate change conference.

500 young climate leaders from around the world spent the week

undergoing training, community building, aligning their different

strategies and building a global movement called 350.org.

YACA is leading 350 PNG and will be hosting various activities aimed at

growing our warrior base in PNG, mobilizing young people to join with

us and to build their capacity to fight climate change not only PNG, but

within the Pacific and the world.

What is 350 Pacific?

350 Pacific is a youth led grassroots

network working with communities to

fight climate change from the Pacific

Islands, working with organizers across 15

Pacific Island nations to highlight the

vulnerabilities of our island countries to

climate change while showcasing our

strength and resilience as a people. We

are part of a larger global climate

movement, 350.org. It is well recognized

that the pacific contributes minute

amounts to the carbon problem, but are

at the forefront of the climate impacts.

What does the number 350 mean?

350 is the number that leading scientists

say is the safe upper limit for carbon

dioxide—measured in “Parts Per Million”

in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it’s the

number humanity needs to get back to as

soon as possible to avoid runaway climate

change. From the beginning of human

history until the Industrial Revolution,

global atmospheric carbon dioxide did not

exceed about 280ppm. Now, after three

centuries of burning coal, oil, and gas,

we’re at 400ppm – that’s above any levels

we’ve seen in recorded history.

What is global warming?

Global warming is caused by releasing

what are called greenhouse gases into the

atmosphere. The most common

greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Many

of the activities we do every day like turn

the lights on, cook food, or heat or cool

our homes rely on the combustion of

fossil fuels like coal and oil, which emit

carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping

gases when burned. This is a major

problem because global warming

destabilizes the delicate balance that

makes life on this planet possible.

If we are already past 350, is it too late?

No. We’re like the patient that goes to

the doctor and learns he’s overweight, or

his cholesterol is too high. He doesn’t die

immediately—but until he changes his

lifestyle and gets back down to the safe

zone, he’s at more risk for heart attack or

stroke. The planet is in its danger zone

because we’ve poured too much carbon

into the atmosphere, and we’re starting

to see signs of real trouble: melting ice

caps, rapidly spreading drought. We need

to scramble back as quickly as we can to

safety.

The 350 campaign is focused on making

the connections between our actions and

climate change easier to understand so

we can turn this around.

Joining the Climate Change fight!

For our Cultures, our Islands, our Homes…...

12

YACA carries out school and community visits all

year round. If you are interested in getting a team

to visit your school or community, please contact

the YACA Coordinator, Ms. Arianne Kassman on

Phone 320 2188 / 2182, Mobile: 7619 4578,

Email: yaca.tipng@gmail.com or Fax: 320 2189

YACA President

Vinzealhar Nen is an year 11 student at Port Moresby International School. She comes

from Southern Hghlands , Morobe and Manus.

This young woman is leading YACA and believes that together with other young people

from all over PNG, we can find a way to promote the YACA principles of Honesty, Integrity

and Good Citizenship with all young people everywhere.

YACA Secretary

James Lunge hails from Yangoru in the East Sepik Province.

This year 11 student at Jubilee Catholic Secondary School is enthusiastic and eager to

bring the message of YACA to more young people throughout PNG.

YACA Vice-President

Oliver Nobetau is an year 11 student at Port Moresby International School. He comes from

a mixed parentage of West New Britain and Bougainville.

He is passionate about fighting corruption and wants to do his part to positively

contribute to PNG’s development.

YACA Treasurer

Tadius Sesega an year 12 student at Port Moresby Grammar School.

Tadius commitment to growing the YACA movement is strong and he believes that all

young people should take an active role in the fight against corruption in PNG.

13

YACA carries out school and community visits all

year round. If you are interested in getting a team

to visit your school or community, please contact

the YACA Coordinator, Ms. Arianne Kassman on

Phone 320 2188 / 2182, Mobile: 7619 4578,

Email: yaca.tipng@gmail.com or Fax: 320 2189

14

N A W A R E N E A Y S S

E A G O V E R N C C E D

P R Z W S F G F O A C N

O C I Q A V O F R R A S

T P M H I P Y R R C O B

I Y H X B G A E U O W T

S X B U V P N F P M K F

M A L J S K B D T E D S

M D P N T N U O G C I D

Q K A M Z E O M J H O R

S R I G H T S E L I N L

T A N J C H A N G E K F

Corruption

Transparency

Nepotism

Bias

Change

Democracy

Govern

Freedom

Rights

Awareness

(Created by Yolandrea English, YACA member, Port Moresby Grammar School)

15

16

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

Name:_______________________________________________

Organization: _________________________________________

Postal Address: _______________________________________

Place of Residence (Village/Suburb): ______________________

Phone: ______________________________________________

Mobile: _____________________________________________

Fax:_________________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________

MEMBERSHIP FEE—YACA Membership Fee = K5.00

Each new member will receive a Membership Certificate, a

Pledge Card and a Membership Badge.

PAYMENT METHOD & BANKING DETAILS

Payment can be made in the form of bank transfer OR direct

deposit.

Account Name : Transparency International (PNG) Inc.

Account Numbers : 1000038232

Bank : Bank South Pacific

Branch : Douglas Street

PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH IN THE MAIL!

YACA Groups in PNG!

12

2

1

1 2

2

1

Port Moresby National High School, Port Moresby Grammar School, Port Moresby International School, Gerehu Secondary School, Gordons

Secondary School, Kila Kila Secondary School, Jubilee Catholic Secondary School, La Salle Hohola Youth Development Centre, Kopkop

College, Sogeri National High School, Badihagwa Secondary School, Don Bosco Technological Institute, University of Papua New Guinea,

Aiyura National High School, Kimbe Police Barracks Youth, Tusbab Secondary School, Divine Word University, Lae Christian Academy, Lae

Secondary School, Don Bosco Vanimo, Malala Secondary School