We are honored to haved hosted two exceptional Keynote Speakers from Tibet, as well as a dynamic roster of speakers who represent a spectrum of change-makers and civic leaders, at the 10th Annual Machik Weekend.
Keynote Speakers
NYIMA WANGDUE
|
TASHI SANGPO
Leading Conservationist in Tibet, Artist, Educator, and Filmmaker Buddhist Monk Saves One of World's Rarest Birds |
Nyima Wangdue is the leading advocate for blind-accessible education in Tibet. As Program Director at Braille Without Borders (BWB) Preparatory School for the Blind in Lhasa, Nyima works to maintain the school’s success in educating blind children from all across the plateau. Providing intensive training in orientation, mobility, daily living skills, Tibetan, English, Chinese and math braille scripts, the BWB School ultimately aims to reintegrate students into local elementary schools. As a graduate of the school himself, Nyima now travels extensively at home and abroad to raise awareness by stimulating conversations about the social and educational obstacles that blind students face. Born in Ganzi in Kham (Sichuan) in 1987, Nyima lost his eyesight when he was 3 months old. At age 15, he was enrolled in BWB in Lhasa where he excelled with a special interest in technology. In 2006, he received the opportunity to further his English studies in England where he also became a mentorship leader for others in the school. After beginning his career at BWB in 2007, Nyima won a competitive spot in a leadership program in Kanthari, Kerala in India. He has served Tibetan students at BWB in 2011 as the Director of the project. Nyima is the 2016 Machik Global Innovation Fellow.
|
Tashi Sangpo is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and self-taught conservation biologist, artist, educator and film-maker who has crisscrossed the Tibetan plateau, documenting the life history of and creating over 400 unique illustrations of birds and plants of Tibet. Known to his community as the “The Bird Lama,” Tashi Sangpo was born in Golog, Amdo and became a monk at age 13. He has been observing and drawing birds since his early teens and has won wide acclaim for painting birds individually and on traditional thangka scrolls. He especially calls on lamas to work together to inform and educate local people about the threats faced by rare bird species, such as as the Tibetan Bunting, one of the most under-documented birds in the world. In 2007, Tashi Sangpo founded the Nyanpo Yurtse Environment Protection Association, a group dedicated to conservation and public education. He is passionate about teaching the next generation to understand and care for the environment. He educates others through his art, his children’s books and through his conservation films. His life-long commitment to conservation is a part of his practice of the Buddhist principle of compassion. Tashi Sangpo is the 2016 Machik Global Innovation Fellow.
|
|
|
|
|
Watch Nyima's TEDx Talk
|
Vulture - a Film by Gen Tashi Sangpo
|
|
BARBARA KELLEY | EducatorBarbara is a retired educator from Bishop, California. For 33 years she taught many subjects to children of all ages and to adults. Barbara serves on the Board of Friends of the Inyo, a non-profit promoting wise management of the vast public lands of California’s Eastern Sierra. She was instrumental in the establishment of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. She is an avid bird watcher and past Secretary of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society. She is the very proud mother of two exceptional daughters. In 2005, Barbara taught English for two months at Machik’s Chungba Primary School, an experience that cemented her commitment to volunteer work. Upon returning home, she founded the Eastern Sierra Friends of Machik (ESFOM), which has long supported the education of rural students in Tibet.
|
|
BEN MIRIN | Explorer, Sound Artist, and Television Presenter, National Geographic
|
|
DECHEN TSERING | Co-Founder, Himalayan Sisterhood ACHA
|
|
DR. LOSANG RABGEY | Co-founder and Executive Director, Machik
|
|
DR. TASHI RABGEY | Research Professor of International Affairs, George Washington University, Co-Founder & Strategic Director, Machik
|
|
DR. FAISAL MOOLA | Director General for David Suzuki Foundation, Ontario and Northern Canada
|
|
DRIKJA | PhD Candidate, Institute of Arctic Biology and Resilience and Adaptation Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks
DrikJa grew up in the Amdo region and received his Bachelors in Science from University of Montana Missoula. He is interested in modeling environmental changes and assessing the social implications. His PhD focuses on the implications of climate change on the North Slope landscape in the Arctic. Before coming to the Arctic with the George Schaller Fellowship, Drikja worked on conservation issues on the Tibetan Plateau. |
|
KENNETH M. BAUER | Lecturer, Dartmouth College
www.drokpa.org Dr. Kenneth Bauer is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Dartmouth College. He teaches courses on environment and development issues, with a regional focus on Tibet and the Himalayas, and thematic interests in state-society relations, biodiversity conservation, and climate change. Among his research interests are resettlement and urbanization in Tibetan nomad areas of China and community development in the Himalayas. Bauer has more than 20 years of experience as a consultant for a variety of organizations including UNDP, USAID, TetraTech, and Winrock International. He earned a BA from Brown University, an MSc from University of California-Berkeley, and a DPhil degree from the University of Oxford. Dr. Bauer also holds a position as a Program Manager at the Dickey Center at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College. |
|
JAMPA LHATSO | Advocate of Women Empowerment in Tibet
www.time.com Jampa Latso is from rural Kham Karze in the eastern part of Tibet. Currently, Jampa is a MA candidate in Intercultural Service Leadership and Management at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont, U.S. She is a committed champion for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls and has completed several community development and literacy projects in her hometown in Tibet. She believes that positive changes and social transformation can be achieved through quality education, earnest communication, and reciprocal partnership. Her articles have been featured and published in Time Magazine, World Pulse Global Issue , World Pulse, and Newsletter of Tibet Foundation. Jampa has spoken at numerous events including Emerging Women Live Conference, Social Good Summit, Clinton Global Initiative, Twitter, Intel, KBOO Community Radio and Labdoo Conference in different places in the US and Spain. |
|
KIRTI KYAB | Master of Arts Candidate at Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
Kirti Kyab is a MA candidate in Sustainable International Development at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Currently, Kirti is a program fellow at Machik focusing on Machik's Social Entrepreneurship and Education program in Tibet. Kirti was born in northeastern part of Tibet where he spent his childhood. He later came to India and attended the Tibetan Children's Village for about 9 years. Kirti holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India. At JNU, Kirti worked as a secretary for the International Student Association of Jawaharlal Nehru University and served on the Executive Council of Tibet Forum, a student-led non-profit that held regular discussions and debates on Tibet. |
|
LHAMO TSEMETSANG | Manager, Chungba Project
Born and raised in Chungba, Lhamo Tsemetsang has spent many years' dedication on the development and success of Machik's Chungba Project. Lhamo has witnessed the construction and development of the Chungba schools from the opening of the primary school in 2002 to the addition of the Chungba middle school in 2008. Lhamo is Machik’s on the ground representative for the Chungba Project. In addition to her work on the development of the Chungba schools, she is also an mentor for hundreds of Chungba students in high school and those in post-secondary schools across the region. |
|
MADELINE JORDEN | Photographer, Videographer, Ranchlands
www.madelinejorden.com Madeline Jorden is Film and Photography Director for Ranchlands, a ranching and ranch management company that aims to preserve the American ranching tradition through sustainable and responsible use of the land. Based in Colorado, she lives and works on Ranchlands' properties in rural areas of Colorado and New Mexico. Having received her BA in art history from Georgetown University, Madeline was introduced to Machik during a class on Tibetan Buddhism and volunteered as a teacher at the Summer Enrichment Program in 2012. She subsequently returned to Tibet in 2014 and 2015 to work on photo and video projects about Machik programs. These include DOORS, a short film that highlights the impact of Machik's Mother's Wish Foundation. |
|
PENCHO RABGEY | Co-founder, Machik
|
|
PHURBU SAMDRUP | Field Officer in Tibet, Machik
|
|
RIGNAM WANGKHANG | Multimedia Journalist, Photographer
Rignam Wangkhang is a Tibetan-Canadian multimedia journalist, photographer, writer, and radio producer. He currently assists in producing CBC’s flagship national current affairs radio show The Current, along with CBC’s first true crime podcast Someone Knows Something. Rignam’s work focuses on politics, freedom of expression, migration and refugee issues. His writing has been published in OZY, TVO, IFEX, The Torontoist and other publications. His photography has been featured in The Star, ICT, Machik, Canada Tourism Board, India Today, and exhibited in municipal galleries. Rignam previously worked as a consultant for UNHCR India and as a communications officer with Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. In addition to his work with UNHCR India and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Rignam works on the CBC's radio accessibility program, which makes radio and podcasts available in written format for those that are hard of hearing. In 2013, Rignam taught in Tso Ngonpo, Amdo, Tibet through Machik’s Summer Enrichment Program. Rignam graduated from Queen’s University with a BAH in Political Studies. |
|
Sebi Medina-Tayac | Filmmaker, writer, and social activist Sebi Medina-Tayac (Yale '16) is a member of the Piscataway Indian Nation, currently working on cultural and land revitalization projects for his community in Southern Maryland. He is a documentary filmmaker, writer and activist who has been involved in the immigrant rights movement as well as the American Indian movement, and the many intersections of the two. |
|
SONAM LHAMO | CEO of ZomCommunity Inc.
Zomshow Channel Sonam Lhamo was born in Kardze, Kham; escaped to India in 1993 and attended TCV School in Dharamsala . She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from SDPT College in New Delhi in 2006 and has worked as a graphic designer, animator and creative director at Accutime Watch and KenCraft Inc, both located in New York City. Sonam has worked on projects with several organizations including Tibet House and International Center in New York. She is also the founder of Art &Technology. Sonam is the founding CEO of ZomCommunity Inc., a nonprofit organization based in New York that seeks to preserve Tibetan language and culture through animation and digital media. Their current flagship project is Zomshow Animation Studio, where they are producing a library of children’s animation films based on Tibetan traditional folk stories and popular contemporary Tibetan stories. |
|
TENZIN DOLKER | Independent Consultant
Tenzin Dolker is an international development and human rights specialist, currently based in Kosovo. She designs strategy, monitoring and evaluation, and organizational sustainability frameworks with social change organizations around the world, including local civil society organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and major donors. Previously, Tenzin worked as a human rights and governance analyst at the Ford Foundation, where she helped manage a $55m portfolio for the internationalization of the human rights movement. Tenzin graduated with a master’s degree in East Asian History at Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Lake Forest College. Tenzin also worked at Machik, supporting its program development and outreach initiatives and helping to expanding the circle of supporters from 2008-2010 -- this is her 9th Machik Weekend! |
|
Tenzin Mingyur Paldron is a filmmaker and PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley in the Rhetoric Department, with an emphasis in postcolonial theory and gender and women’s studies. Mingyur is the author of Nïngtam, an initiative to promote dialogue, goodwill and understanding on the subject of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Tibetans. He is the fortunate recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including the Dalai Lama Trust Scholarship.
|
|
TENZIN YANGZOM | Contemporary Tibetan Artist
Tenzin Yangzom was born and grew up in Lhasa in Tibet and is a recent graduate of Xiamen University in Fujian province. At Xiamen, she was the Chair of Tibetan Cultural Exchange Association and led programs that fostered awareness of Tibetan culture in the local community. She is also a graphic designer and has produced product graphics for Tibetan groups in Xiamen and Hunan. Tenyang's is interested in contemporary Tibetan art and history as well as Japanese animation. Her own art work has been exhibited at Imago Mundi, Fondazione Cini in Venice and in Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She recently collaborated on an art project called “Mandala & Root” series with Tibetan artist Sherab Gyaltsen who teaches Arts at Tibet University in Lhasa. Their artwork was displayed at the Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild in Lhasa in summer 2016. Tenyang will be pursuing her masters degree in animation and is currently working on producing animation of popular Tibetan folk stories. |
|
THUPTEN WOESER | MA in Environmental Management Candidate, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Thupten Woeser is a Master Of Environmental Management Candidate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He was born in Kham, eastern Tibet , and he did an English Training Program (ETP) in Qinghai Normal University for four years. He earned his Master's Degree in sociology from Silliman University in the Philippines. He was the Environmental Program Lead at Winrock International and worked in rural Tibetan communities assessing their livelihood needs and identifying environmental challenges to provide practical solutions. He has also worked in nomadic resettlements in Qinghai Province and carried out a series of training programs in 13 resettled villages . |
|
SAMPHE LHALUNGPA | Former UNICEF Representative
|
|
SAMPHEL BROTHERS | Musicians
http://www.samphelbrothers.com/ The Samphel brothers are two Tibetan brothers form Indiginis, paying homage to their roots as they forge their own path of innovation. Tenzin Dawa has been learning motion graphics for over 18 years and has been working professionally for over 5 years. Drawing from his experiences producing music with his brother, Tenzin visualizes most of what he hears like most musicians, but with the technical experience to bring them to life. Tenzin enjoys exploring what's possible in data visualizations, non-profit promos, music teasers, and his favorite speciality logo animations. Ngawage Samphel is a pianist, composer and music producer from DC. Some of his compositions have been featured in documentaries, animations, and short films. More recently, Ngawage has taken interest in rewriting and transcribing Tibetan music to the piano. |
|
SERTSO KYI | Tibet Field Manager, Machik
|
|
SHERAB DOLMA | Financial and Human Resource Manager, Street Level Health Project
|
|
TSERING RABGEY | Co-founder, Machik
|
|
YOUDON LHAMO | Healthcare Educator and Practitioner, Advocate of Women's Empowerment
Youdon Lhamo was born in Tibet. In her early years she moved to India and shortly thereafter to the UK where she received the majority of her education. Over four decades, Youdon acted as a midwife, public health nurse and lactation consultant. Now retired from these roles, Youdon works to increase maternal and child survival rates amongst communities living in high altitude environments who face multiple challenges during childbirth. Youdon also has a special interest in gender-based violence. She is an active participant in the Theatre of The Oppressed, a dramatic arts group associated with Shakti Women's Aid who provide support for minority ethnic women who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence. She has authored and acted in plays performed by the group. In her private life, Youdon has always maintained a special interest in Tibetan dance and music. She set up the first UK Tibetan community dance group in 1995. She is an enthusiastic student of the dramyen. |
|
ZARIN HAMID | Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers University
www.cwgl.rutgers.edu Zarin Hadmid is the program coordinator of the Gender-Based Violence Program. This program has several years of experience working with national and international NGOs, including the Afghan Women’s Network. She has previously worked in Afghanistan, supporting grassroots engagement and mobilization for women’s rights through a variety of advocacy and capacity building projects. Zarin has worked on UN SCR 1325 monitoring and advocacy and has written several articles and papers on gender. She is interested in continuing to explore themes related to conflict violence and resolution, human rights and gender-based violence. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and in Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Religion from Douglass College and a Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution with a focus on gender and human rights from the School of International Service, American University in Washington, DC. |
Machik 2016 Facilitators
|
CHEMI DOLKAR | Senior Financial Analyst, United Technologies Corporation
Chemi Dolkar graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Economics. She is currently working as a Senior Financial Analyst for United Technologies Corporation. She is one of the founders of Online Tibetan Education that includes both Tibetan language class and Online Buddhism class, which are all online based. Apart from the online classes, Online Tibetan Education also hosts annual weekend mindfulness and language retreats in conjunction with the Tibet Fund. |
|
ELLIE MCCUTCHEON | Associate Producer, Serendipity Films, LLC
www.elliemccutcheon.com Ellie is currently working as Associate Producer with Serendipity Films, LLC. Her photos, videos, and/or writing have been featured by the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Hoodline, Wired, the SF Examiner, The Mirror, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. |
|
ELIZABETH TSENG | International Development Specialist
Elizabeth lives in Washington, DC where she works in the international development sector to promote civil society in Asia. She first learned about Machik as a freshman at American University in 2007. While a student, she interned at Machik's DC office, and she is eternally grateful to have been entrusted with the role of Coordinator for the 2011 Summer Enrichment Program in Gyalthang. Elizabeth was part of the volunteer team that organized the very first Machik Weekend in 2007, and she is honored to be part of a community that has grown so much over the past decade. |
|
Gedun Tsering | Graduate student at Lincoln Memorial University. Gedun Tsering was born and raised in a big family in Ngawa, Tibet. He went to school in Gyarong for six years, where he first experienced and realized the cultural diversity of Tibet, and then he decided to travel across the Tibet Plateau someday when he grew up. He first got the opportunity when he was in college and that was a productive journey for him. Later, after his tour to Zhigatse he decided to launch an enrichment program in a remote school in Zhigatse, which he is working on now. Meanwhile, he is pursuing a master’s degree in education at Lincoln Memorial University. |
|
Kim Kaston | Senior Manager, Functional Excellence
Kim received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Master degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California (USC); she is a project manager for a fortune 100 company. She has also had a career on the creative side, being involved in entertainment production and choreography for the Walt Disney Company. Kim has traveled extensively and applies her study of network theory and diplomacy in her support of education, social development and entrepreneurship. |
|
LEKEY LEIDECKER | Recent Graduate, Swarthmore College
Lekey Leidecker graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Educational Studies. Throughout college, she helped develop Serenity Soular, a collaborative effort to bring sustainable livelihoods in solar energy to a North Philadelphia neighborhood. She is proudly from Berea, KY and hopes to travel to her father's homeland of Pemakoe, Tibet. |
|
Lyticia Li | Machik Intern
Lyticia Li was an Intern at Machik and is a recent graduate from Gettysburg College. She studied Sociology and Business for undergraduate and intends to pursue her Master degree in International Relations. Prior to Machik, Weiting had interned at a financial services company in Shenzhen, China and was the Chief Development Officer for Smart Woman Securities, an investment NGO at Gettysburg College chapter. Besides her interests in Finance and Business, Lyticia also involved in Alpha Phi Omega, which is a service fraternity that she has done many communities services and volunteering at college. Before college, she was one of the founders of Gongyi Changsha, providing community services and organizing fundraising events in her hometown Changsha. |
|
TENZIN CHOERAP | Academic Advisor, TRIO - Student Support Services (SSS), St. Olaf College
|
|
TENZIN CHOKKI | Coordinator, Tibetan Resettlement Stories, Senior at Tufts University
Tenzin Chokki grew up in various Tibetan communities across India before immigrating to the U.S with her family in 2009. During her years at Tufts she dedicated her education to learn more about child and human development, in conjunction with topics in community health. She's an avid reader, writer, cook, dancer, and singer, but often realizes that she can't do much of these while in school. To remain grounded in community work and organizing while attending college, Chokki became the coordinator for the Tibetan Resettlement Stories: Voices of Boston, an oral history project that aims to collect and share stories of the women and men who helped create a Tibetan community in the city of Boston. Chokki sincerely believes that the book created out of this project will inspire community members across time and space to instill in each other values of love, strength, resistance, and resilience. |
|
TSERING DOLKAR | Student at Trent University
Tsering Dolkar was born into a semi-nomadic family in Chungba, in Kham, Eastern Tibet. She spent most of her childhood helping her parents herd yaks in the mountains. In 2002, she became part of the historic first class of Machik’s Chungba Primary School. In 2009, with Machik’s support, Dolkar had the opportunity to study at Appleby College in Canada, one of the leading independent high schools in the world. Dolkar came to Canada without any English language skills, and four years later, graduated from Appleby College. The she enrolled at Trent University, where she pursued a BBA degree with special interest in Agriculture. In the summer of 2016 Dolkar spent four months interning at a Canadian organic farm in Hastings, ON where she gained insights from Canadian farmers. She hopes to integrate these lessons into Tibetan farming practices. |
|
TENZIN NANGKYI | Development Manager, Machik
Tenzin Nangkyi is the Co-chair of the 2016 Machik Weekend. She serves as the Development Director and Program Manager at Machik. A registered nurse by training, she previously worked as a critical care nurse in New York City and at a hospice in Washington D.C. Nangkyi was part of the startup of a medical clinic built by Machik in Jyekundo in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. Nangkyi graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a master's in Nursing and Business Administration. |
|
TENZIN NORDON | Program Development Specialist, Get Ready Program, Minnesota Office of Higher Education
www.mngetready.org Nordon immigrated to the United States with her family in 1998. In 2008, Nordon helped co-found and establish a mentoring and tutoring program called Lâmtön; she is currently the advisor for the program. She is also the co-founder and current president of Youth for Umaylam-The Middle Way Approach (Y4U), a nonprofit that creates awareness and support for the Middle Way Approach through education, political advocacy, community engagement, youth empowerment and peaceful conflict resolution. She obtained her B.A. degree in Biology from Carleton College and is currently pursuing her M.A. degree in Organizational Leadership through St. Catherine University. |
|
TENZIN NORYANG | Communications Director, Machik
Tenzin Noryang manages programs fostering post-secondary education in Tibet and leads the creative development of Machik's communication strategy as well as its global community engagement programs. Previously Tenzin worked in international broadcast journalism and has a professional background in design and creative digital media.Tenzin was born in India and studied at Tibetan Children's Village School in India and later in Hastings in England before moving to the United States. She is a graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota where she studied Sociology & Anthropology. She is the Co-chair of the 2016 Machik Weekend. |
|
Vidya Srinivasan | Machik Intern & Supporter
Vidya Srinivasan was born and raised in Washington, DC. While there, she interned at Machik for two years, focusing primarily on strengthening the Cultural Mapping Project (CMP). Vidya participated in SEP and CMP in 2010 and 2011, and she served as the 2012 CMP Coordinator in Khana Village, Gyalthang. A recipient of the Machik Youth Spirit Award in 2012, Vidya was also part of the Machik team that participated in the 2012 Cherry Blossom 5K in Washington, DC to help fundraise for the Chungba High School campaign. |