​MW2 2008
The second annual Machik Weekend was held December 5-7, 2008 in Washington, DC. The weekend-long education, community-building and fundraising event was an opportunity to discuss the growth of Machik’s work in 2008, as well as the new directions we hoped to follow in the year to come.

The weekend began with an informal dinner on Friday evening, where visitors from out of town, both new and long-time supporters of Machik’s innovative work on the Tibetan plateau, were able to reconnect with the staff and interns in Machik’s Capitol Hill office.

The highlight of the weekend, perhaps, was the Saturday morning Roundtable discussion, a stimulating and engaging brainstorming session where Machik supporters were able to openly discuss Machik projects as well as various topics, including: networking opportunities, media outreach, and fundraising. The crowd was varied and included Tibetan students from Tibet and now studying in the U.S., Western academics, and numerous other dynamic individuals who came to contribute to the thoughtful discussion of Machik’s work.

On Saturday evening we hosted a well-attended dinner event at George Washington University’s Post Hall on the Mount Vernon Campus. Again, the crowd was diverse, with nearly 100 attendees from all fields of work joining for a celebration of Machik’s initiatives. The evening included a silent auction, with a number of exciting items up for bid, the presentation of the “Machik Award for Engagement” to Achi Tsepal, founder and director of the Children of Tibet Trust Foundation, and a brief discussion by Tsering Rabgey, mother of co-founders Losang and Tashi Rabgey, about her year-long stay in the Chungba community.

The weekend ended with a Sunday send-off brunch, one last opportunity for friends and supporters to gather in the Machik office before returning home.