Young Pacific Leaders Regional Workshop on Cultural Preservation and Storytelling Advocacy

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Regional Workshop on on Cultural Preservation and Storytelling Advocacy sometime 2025-2026 to provide emerging Pacific leaders with skills, knowledge, and networks to preserve cultural heritage leveraging digital tools and technologies like AI to support these endeavors. The workshop should preferably take part in a Pacific nation in 2025-2026. The proposed workshop will focus on building local capacity within Pacific nations to help participants develop storytelling as a tool for advocacy and a means to preserve cultural heritage leveraging digital tools and technologies like AI to support these endeavors. Workshop sessions should be designed to introduce and operationalize best practices in this space to elevate Pacific cultural heritage and sovereignty. This workshop will bring together practitioners from all levels of society and administration including government, civil society, and experts to discuss challenges, develop action plans, and leverage opportunities for regional collaboration to foster the implementation of security practices.