Pangkalpinang – The Provincial Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports Office (Disparbudkepora) of Bangka Belitung, together with alumni of the Purna Caraka Muda Indonesia (PCMI), discussed strengthening the International Youth Exchange Program (PPAN) for 2027. The meeting also covered preparations for selection, program implementation, and the development of post-program activities (PPA) as a follow-up to alumni contributions after participating in the program.
The Head of the Youth and Scouting Division, Fitriyanto, said that the discussion was a follow-up to the Youth Deliberation activities and the Wirasena program. There are several youth capacity-building activities in Wirasena, including youth camps, internships, public debates, and international youth exchanges.
"Youth development doesn't just stop at the selection and sending off of participants. What's more important is how the experiences and networks gained during the program can have an impact on the youth and the region," said Fitriyanto.
In the discussion, PPAN alumni mentioned that English skills are one of the important aspects to prepare from the start. Therefore, support for English training from Disparbudkepora is needed, including building networks with language institutions for TOEFL, IELTS, or IBT certification required in the selection.]
PCMI alumni also provided input regarding the pre-selection process, national-level selection, up to the post-program stages. One concern is the age requirement, which is considered quite limiting. They hope there will be a policy that allows a wider age range while still being within the youth category.
Besides that, equal opportunities for young people from all regencies/cities need to be taken into account. The number of participants from Pangkalpinang is considered relatively higher because they have good coordination with universities. Meanwhile, Belitung Timur and Bangka Barat are considered to still need support to increase the number of participants.
Fitriyanto emphasized the need for more massive socialization of PPAN so that people know the benefits of the program.
"We need to do better dissemination to improve the quality of Bangka Belitung youth, especially in certified English skills. Networking is also very important because it can support personal development while opening up opportunities for regional progress," he said.
The meeting also discussed the PPA PPAN in Belitung with about 100 participants. The two planned programs are strengthening the capacity of Belitung youth through local food-based nutrition education and global literacy to support international tourist destinations.
Through strengthening pre-program activities, selection, implementation, and post-program stages, PPAN is expected to shape young people in Babel who have a global perspective, international communication skills, a wide network, and are able to make a real contribution to regional development.
