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Background The Asia Pacific Youth Conference (APYC) began as an initiative of Moral Re-Armament, now known as Initiatives of Change. The first APYC was held in 1990 in Taiwan, inspired by the vision of a Chinese from Taiwan, to bring together youth from around the region to learn from the experiences of those who had successfully taken action to overcome conflict and confront corruption. The concept was developed in order to offer practical ideas and encouragement to these youth who want to use their lives as change-makers addressing social issues in their countries and the region.
In subsequent years, APYCs were held in countries including Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Japan, Philippines, and Cambodia hosted by Initiatives of Change together with representatives of other organizations.
People participating in APYCs have had an involvement in different practical initiatives on a humanitarian, non-political and interfaith platform. These are a few examples:
In Taiwan, local youths took part in a national "clean election" campaign to offer an alternative to the usual forms of corruption such as vote-buying.
In Indonesia, conference delegates decided to develop a centre in order to meet and work together more effectively. They have undertaken to help develop constructive communication and relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Indonesians. They have organized a number of meetings between different ethnic and faith communities in Jakarta and intend to continue these activities in the long term.
In Cambodia, youth delegates from Battambang decided to rent a house as a hub for their activities. These have included initiatives to tackle environmental problems, offering tuition to poor children, and relationship-building between the city and the villages around it.
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