Young volunteers are taking the lead in driving social innovation in the capital. A three-day UPSHIFT Bootcamp, supported by the Bhutan Youth Development Fund, is underway in Thimphu, with the programme uniquely led and facilitated by youth volunteers themselves.
The Bhutan Youth Development Fund is supporting the three-day UPSHIFT Bootcamp for 20 members of Young Volunteers In Action, also known as Y-VIA.
Five young leaders are leading the programme.
The bootcamp is designed to build creativity, leadership, and problem-solving skills through hands-on learning.
The programme also encourages participants to develop quick prototypes and pitch solutions to local challenges.
Lead Facilitator Pema Ugyen Namdrol Jamtsho said, “The three-day programme is a social innovation programme where the hosting is led by youth volunteers themselves. We are teaching Young Volunteers In Action from Thimphu about 21st-century skills, digital tools, and the core pillars of the UPSHIFT programme.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck, the Vice President of the fund introduced the camp in 2022. Since then, it has grown into a nationwide youth-led initiative, now implemented in 36 schools and engaging around 2,500 young people.
“The main objective of this programme is to promote a culture of peer-to-peer learning. In the past, UPSHIFT bootcamps were hosted by schools and taught by teachers. This time, it is different because it is fully led and taught by young volunteers themselves, which makes this programme unique,” said Pema Ugyen Namdrol Jamtsho.
The Thimphu bootcamp begins with identifying and understanding community problems, followed by solution design and rapid prototyping, and concludes with final team presentations and pitches.
The initiative reflects YDF’s continued commitment to empowering young people to take an active role in addressing community challenges, in line with its vision of ‘A better today, a brighter tomorrow’ for Bhutan’s youth.
With youth leading from the front, the UPSHIFT Bootcamp is shaping a new generation of change makers ready to turn ideas into action.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
