Port Moresby, Wednesday 13 May 2026 – The primary outcome of Transparency International Papua New Guinea’s (TIPNG) recent three-day Active Civic Engagement (ACE) Program is the transition of youth representation from symbolic roles into functional, action-oriented leadership.
Held from 8-10 May 2026, the program successfully equipped youth representatives from the Hiri Koiari District with the practical tools required to translate community concerns into structured, implementable actions at the local and village levels.
Moving beyond theory, participants dove into a structured process of identifying community bottlenecks and applying real-world solutions. This hands-on approach culminated in the creation of concrete community action plans, ready for immediate rollout in their local areas.
Through this immersive engagement, these young leaders built the skills to:
- Operationalize Integrity by translating abstract concepts of accountability into practical standards they can apply directly to their community projects.
- Practice Ethical Leadership by shifting their focus from identifying governance gaps to designing active, strategic responses to fill them.
- Exercise Functional Representation by moving past being “well-informed” to being “well-equipped,” gaining the tools to act decisively as the true voices of their people.
Reflecting on the significance of this engagement, TIPNG CEO Arianne Kassman acknowledged the commitment demonstrated by the Hiri Koiari youth representatives throughout the program. “Building a culture of integrity is a collective responsibility that starts with the individual. Through the ACE Program, we are empowering our youth to move beyond being spectators of governance to becoming active participants who drive accountability within themselves first, then in their communities,” said Ms Kassman.
The ACE Program is an initiative of TIPNG designed to strengthen community-level representation by equipping youth with practical tools to identify, analyse, and respond to issues affecting young people. By bringing together representatives from Hiri West, Hiri East, Vanapa Brown, and Koiari, the program strengthened their roles as active conduits between young people and local governance structures.
