Tibet Corps offers talented civic-minded Tibetan professionals and university students an opportunity and platform to serve their community through a voluntary service program initially involving the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and eventually selected Tibetan NGOs (TiNGOs). The program seeks to reduce barriers to voluntary service, to harness and mobilize available talent and link them back to the needs of the community and its various institutions, thereby building the capacity of the Tibetan system.
The overall goal is to mobilize professionals, both active and retired, and young leaders in the Tibetan refugee community and diaspora as a skilled voluntary workforce and create a knowledge community that will support the development of a vibrant, resilient and stronger Tibetan movement, poised to serve Tibet and Tibetans for generations.
Dhang-shab-pas (renderers of service) will be drawn from a large and diverse pool of working and retired professionals and university students. The three service tracks are: students, professionals and fellows. Tibet Corps service positions arise out of a clear need expressed by a host institute typically a department or entity affiliated with the CTA. Dhang-shab-pas fill a clearly defined and needed role and most service opportunities will require them to work in close partnership with one or more staff.
Key desired outcomes include:
- Establishment of a clear voluntary service track within CTA departments and selected TiNGOs with well-defined roles for Tibet Corps dhang-shab-pas.
- Dhang-shab-pas share their knowledge across various institutions, collaborate with staff of individual host institutes, and bring new perspective and innovation.
- Tibetans develop expertise and experience in areas of high priority for the Tibetan community.
- Students seek employment opportunities within CTA or rejoin the program as professionals and those that have served as professionals return for multiple stints and move up to the fellows level in significant numbers.
- Creation of a robust knowledge community where the community has access to a brain trust of fellows for expertise in a wide range of disciplines.
Tibet Corps, a public-private initiative of CTA, was launched with generous seed funding and ongoing support from the Isdell Foundation. The project will focus initially on servicing CTA and its various departments. The second phase of the project will expand to include a small number of select TiNGOs.