The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is a worldwide Organisation of Tibetans united in our common struggle for the restoration of complete independence for the whole of Tibet, which includes the tradition three provinces of U-Tsang, Do-toe, and Do-med. An independent Organisation, with a written constitution and its own plans and programmes, TYC has emerged as the largest and most active non-governmental Organisation of Tibetans in exile. It has more than 30,000 members worldwide.

TYC does not subscribe to any particular political ideology nor to any particular religion or religious" sect. Being a national movement, activities of TYC is not restricted just to its members, but. also receive the active support of all Tibetsans -young and old, men and women, monks and lay, Furthermore, TYC commands a targe following inside Tibet. TYC was founded on October 7, 1970 in Dharamsala with His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivering the inaugural address. The founding of TYC in 1970 came at a time when the first group of young Tibetans who had received a balanced modern and traditional educationwere graduating from schools and colleges. This strengthened the Tibetan people's struggle for independence and ensured its continuity.

The founding members of TYC were : Tenzin Geyche Tethong, Lodi G. Gyari, Sonam Topgyal and Tenzin N. Tethong. Tenzin Geyche Tethong was the first President.

From its very inception TYC emerged as an active force with clear aims and objectives. It also served as a catalyst to bring out certain reforms and changes within the Tibetan community so as to enhance the development of truly democratic society. TYC therefore, sees itself as an instrument

< <TOP>>

Members of TYC accept to perform the following tasks :

1. To dedicate oneself to the task of serving one’s country and people under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Spiritual and Temporal Ruler of Tibet.
   

2. To promote and protect national unity and integrity by giving up all distinctions based on religion, regionalism or status.
   

3. To work for the preservation and promotion of religion and Tibet’s unique culture and traditions.
   

4. To struggle for the total independence of Tibet even at the cost of one’s life.
   

TYC also organises cultural exhibitions and festivals to create awareness among the people of the world of Tibet’s culture. Social & Educational: TYC engages in a wide variety of activities aimed at helping those in need and alleviating some of the most urgent social and educational problems. These range from organisms broom squads to building public toilets, conducting health education programmes to blood donation, holding adult education classes to starting schools and planting trees.

<<TOP>>

Membership

Membership in TYC is open to any Tibetan who subscribes to the Aims and Objectives of the Organisation. The individual should be prepared to abide by the Rules and Regulations of TYC and to work within the framework of the democratic Constitution of Tibet. Since TYC is primarily a freedom movement, there is no age limit and no distinction between men and women. However, the vast majority of members and the leadership continues to be youth.

Regional Branches

TYC has 81 regional branches in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Norway, Canada, France, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, USA and the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe (Switzerland) is affiliated to TYC. Every regional branch has 5-10 Regional Working Committee members elected by the grass-root members, who supervise and lead the activities of the respective branches. The regional branches, besides initiating their own plan of activities, undertake the recruitment of the members and also implement the resolutions of the Annual Working Committee Meeting. The meeting is attended by all the presidents and general secretaries of the regional branches and the members of the Central Executive Committee. The activities of the regional branches are supervised by the Central Executive Committee.

Central Executive Committee

The Central Executive Committee (CENTREX) is the highest office of TYC. The members of the Centrex are elected for the term of three years by the General Body Meeting (GBM). The GBM held every three years, is the highest policy making body of the Tibetan Youth Congress. It alone is empowered to amend the Constitution of the Tibetan Youth Congress.

CENTREX supervises the entire functioning of TYC, provides guidance to the Regional Working Committee; represents TYC in all national and international forums.

<<TOP>>

TYC is funded through the membership and voluntary donations from the public. All regional branches organise fetes, cultural shows and other fund-raising activities. From this a contribution is made to Centrex to maintain the TYC head office. But the main source of income continues to be the voluntary contributions made by the public. This is a reflection of the wide support that TYC enjoys among the Tibetan people and the appreciation for its work by friends of Tibet.

The members of the Centrex, who work fulltime in TYC office, get a nominal salary without any extra benefits like housing or medical allowances. This helps to minimise administrative costs

<<TOP>>

In 1949 when Mao Tsetung launched invasion of Tibet in the name of liberation' the world stood a silent spectator.A small nation of only six million and a standing army of only 8000 soldiers armed with outdated rifles were left to defend themselves against the most populous nation with the largest armed force in the world. The result is now history: occupation and devastation of Tibet, the destruction of its religion and the slaughter of its people. More than 1.2 million dead and over 6000 monasteries ruined to the ground.Today, as Chinese authority in another kind of army-an army of landless and Jobless immigrants to Tibet in the name of "liberalisation" and "development' the world continues to ignore the violation of all international norms and covenants as countries vie with each other to capture the Chinese market.

Already outnumbered by a sea of Chinese immigrants, the Tibetan people are today not only fighting for freedom, they are also struggling for survival. Some believe that the present policy of population transfer could will be China's final solution' for Tibet. But this need not be the case, you can help to save Tibet. To find out what you as an individual can do, join the International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress (IFTYC).

International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress Tibetan Youth Congress is a worldwide Organisation of Tibetans dedicated to the restoration of complete independence for Tibet and the creation of democratic Tibetan society.

What is IFTYC ?

The International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress (IFTYC) is a network of supporters all over the world who support the Tibetan people's aspiration for independence and believe that Tibet should become independent not only for the Tibetan people but also in the interest of global peace and stability.

IFTYC is not an Organisation. It is an international forum for TYC supporters to express their support for Tibet. Any non-Tibetan, who believes that the Tibetan people have the right to Independence, like all other people, may enroll as a member.

How do you join ?

Joining International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress is essentially an act of one's endorsement that the Tibetan people have the right to be free. The list of suggested activities are only for those willing and able to give practical shape to their belief. It must be said, however, that even if a member undertakes only one of the suggested activities, it will help to make a big difference to the Tibetan people's struggle for independence.

Suggested Activities:

• Read books to learn the truth about Tibet's past and present (see list of recommended books).
  

• Encourage your friends to read TYC's quarterly journal, Rangzen, to keep up with developments on the Tibet.
  

• Join the Tibet Support Group in your country/city, if there is one.
  

• Write letters to newspapers and magazines to keep Tibet in the news. Please remember that letters need not always be written only to refute some mistaken report. Most newspapers will print letter which express your concern or opinion on a particular issue which may or may not have been previously reported in the news. They will also print letters giving facts and figures on specific issues like imprisonment, torture, deforestation etc.
  

• Write letters to your government and to your elected representatives to draw their attention to the ongoing tragedy in Tibet and to the imminent threat to the survival of the Tibetan people and their culture.
  

• Write to the United Nations & its member states in particular, to remind them that the problem in Tibet is far from over and to urge them to actively seek to implement three resolutions that the UN General Assembly has passed on Tibet: Resolution 1353 (XIV) of 21 October, 1959: 1723 (XVI) of 20 December, 1961 and 2079 (XX) of 18 December, 1965.
  

• In particular the United Nations should be called to seek the implementation of Resolution 1 514(XV) of December 14, 1960 entitled "Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples. This is one of the most Important resolutions of the United Nations and has a direct bearing on China's colonial rules in Tibet and the aspiration of the Tibetan people for independence. It should also be borne in mind that the United Nations has declared the 1990s as the ^ Decade of Anti-Colonialism'. While the desire of the United Nations to end colonialism during the next decade is highly laudable it is sad that Tibet, the largest country under the worst form of colonial rule is not even on the UN's list of colonies.

• Write to the government of China to express your concern over the situation in Tibet.

• Support Tibetan Youth Congress by: (a) being a member of the International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress.
  (b) make cash donations to support TYC's various activities. TYC functions solely on membership fees and donations from friends and supporters. Please remember that sm^ll contributions from many friends will add up to make a big difference.

• Join the International Friends of Tibetan Youth Congress.
  Donations should be send by cheque or bank draft and made payable to:

The President,
Tibetan Youth Congress,
Mcleod Ganj-176219,
Dharamsala, H.P. (India)

Recommended Books >

face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. My land and My people - H.H. the Dalai Lama
2. Tibet, A political History ~WP Shakapa
3. Seven Years in Tibet - Heinrich Harrer
4. In Exile from the Land of Snows - John Avedon
5 . Tibet-Past and Present - Charles Bell
6. The Status of Tibet - Michael van Walt Praag
7. Tibet: The Facts - Tibetan Young Buddhist Association
8. Freedom in Exile H.H. the Dalai Lama
9. Tibet- The Road Ahead Prof. Dawa Norbu
10. Dragon in the land of Snow Tsering Sakya
11. Ranzen Charter Jamyang Norbu

Yes, I want to become a member of IFTYC click here

<<TOP>>