A Journey in Ladakh : The future of a remote, Himalayan mountain culture young community. Buddhist the among models role enterprise few and companies The brought plains numberslarge theof army personnel and thewith spread of the Ladakh linking 1960s the in road a of opening The yaks. and goats tending nomads subsisten were Ladakhis most Traditionally, settlementsdepend on waterfrom snow melt year. each remote is area The and and Pakistan L economicfeet, and makeavailable micro mindsets, entrepreneurial engender to economically of creation the Government Union the from funds budgetary on dependent highly Livelihoods urbanisation pollution, unemployment supply, water change, climate skills w analytical particularly are mathematics and unemployment, livelihoods,to linked not are that subjects study matriculation the fail inappropriate District Leh in examination students of majority understanding and thinking than t However,100%. and Ladakh across present & Knowledge lacktoof resources. and visit to directions. many movies from Hindi brings threatTelevision under is culture That society. free a in survive traditions spiritual and culture Cultur unplannedand lack town. in driver taxi or guide trekking a as life’ better ‘a seek and parents their day seeking more town; u Uncontrolled solutionswill require sewerage mains no is There acute. permafrost adjacent when Water Challenges adakh Kargil Leh Valley lies at an altitude of about 3,500m and the surrounding mountains rise to over 6,000m over to rise mountains surrounding the and 3,500m about of altitude an at lies Valley Leh private sector is sector private al erosional . Ladakhis

C limateaffectingchangeis weatherpatterns. Glaciers Someare receding.villages are

(

predominantlyMuslim

- flaunt flaunt Th and youth unemploymentyouth and . are are work. Many young people from rural villagesruralfrompeople young Many work. s, via the army and army the via s,

-

the People’s Republic of Chin of Republic People’s the For those who dothose whoFor

is s : t : careers

oeie kon s Ltl ’ ‘Little as known sometimes rban kills isobtainto government andhealthcare are largely missing. . unskilledlabourers as precarioussituations in up endnomads Many future. followin to likely required create

he main road linking Ladakh with the with Ladakh linking road main he is he system relies heavily on rote onheavily systemrelies he Ladakh is one of the of lastLadakh one is their s basics

a isation. Fastfoods areimported and contribute decliningto healthstandards. gaps leadership,knowledge small high advice lead many many lead advice frustration and risk social unrest. social risk and frustration material wealth. material .

infrastructure. o address to

- , comprising mainly seasonal mainly comprising , liue desert altitude The government education system is system education government The

ice ice - Many nomads from the Tibetan plateau have sold their animals and moved to moved and animals their sold have plateau Tibetan the from nomads Many viable jobs in Ladakh. There Ladakh. in jobs viable oeae is coverage , melts pass plus the ) . n, o vros reasons various for and,

(age16+) and Indian cartoons. American and Japanese civil administration. administration.civil

treatment and disappears and urgent . a i Ldk, n the and Ladakh, in eak

employmen - The rae oe models, role create due decaying are artefacts and buildings heritage many Meanwhile, finance

students remaining a theoretically environment . and e amr goigmil barley mainly growing farmers ce

Ladakh Ladakhi economy is economy Ladakhi ,which flowstowards the , poor teaching,poor and problems

skills,political willtechnology.and aggravateyouth ytm n wtr courses water and system andmanagement skills. -

learning - t to

,even though fewsuch jobsare available has two has . placeswhere planet this onindigenous Tibetan Buddhist is Water supply in the main town of Leh could become could Leh of town main the in supply Water Indian and State and rest of India of rest o n to on go , kingdom ancient an ls to close

tourism uh as such , Science where A key to key A are are rather youth ,

administrative the civiladministration. eco t etr on pol t sad n hi own their on stand to people young mentor urn - ae i precious is water related activities related nomic opportunities nomic ing future is cut off cut is

theirback importanceofpreserving the valuable aspectsoftraditional a cultureis very Indus River. providesan ideal location developto “The ideaof havinga m

His Holiness14 the

self this idea.this Ihave always sometimes knownas‘Little Tibet’, modern,scientific knowledge and whichlays equal emphasison the givingequal importanceto both Districts: Leh Districts: encouraging.Ifeel that Ladakh, are are -

n north in by snow for 6 months or more or months 6 for snow by reliance and self and reliance traditionalBuddhist culture. “ The main aim in life for many many for life in aim main The and vegetables and s The resulting urbanisation is urbanisation resulting The

becoming ways of the andthe land on . T . international touristsinternational

Arclue n human and Agriculture .

here are here Patron, Drukpa Trus , b , - et India west ut support is needed is support ut

( majority Buddhist majority p . olluted. th

few forced , -

odernschool esteem or or believedin , substantial they were they bordering to Finding

lies in in lies mov come . The The . t

e )

The Druk White Lotus Initiative

The Druk White Lotus campus is located in the village of Shey, about 30 Druk White Lotus School minutes’ drive from the main town of Leh. In 1992, Shey villagers requested help from their spiritual leader to develop a school offering higher quality, Shey, Ladakh, modern education. Now, 17 years later, over 500 students are being Jammu & Kashmir, India educated on the campus, including more than 150 from remote areas. Tel: +91 1982 267 255 Why is Druk White Lotus special? [email protected]

 The initiative is anchored in Ladakhi culture: it is managed by local International Enquiries people and is conducted under the personal guidance of one of Ladakh’s main spiritual leaders, His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa (www.drukpa.org). Rachel Glynn The school is particularly strong in teaching Bothi language (Ladakhi, which uses Tibetan script). London, England  The school offers an education that grounds students firmly in their own Tel: +44 20 8468 1339 culture and equips them to thrive in the modern world. Students learn [email protected] Bothi, English and Hindi languages; they learn science in the laboratories, study creative arts, and learn life & livelihood skills, Carrie Lee including team work, presentation skills, leadership and problem solving Santa Monica CA, USA through formal and co-curricular activities. Tel: +1 310 663 6807  Beyond class 10 (age 16+), the focus will be initially on commerce, [email protected] enterprise and job creation, possibly through a new ‘Shey Enterprise College’. Beyond that, the aim is to offer high quality science courses at Senior Secondary level (age 16-18). www.dwls.org  The project serves the particular needs of disadvantaged, remote area families who face many difficulties in their lives.

 Druk White Lotus is a beacon of world-class ecological design. The Druk White Lotus School /Druk Padma Nursery & Infant Courtyard won a World Architecture Award in 2002 for Karpo Institute is managed by Druk ‘Best Green Building in the World.’ The campus makes extensive use of Padma Karpo Educational Society (a passive solar energy and is almost energy self-sufficient. Architects and non-profit society registered with the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir) in engineers from Arup Associates design to the highest international partnership with Drukpa Trust, with standards combining smart ideas with local materials. Their skill was support from the Drukpa Charitable recognised recently through an award for ‘Inspiring Design’ by the Foundation (a US 501(C)(3) organization) and Drukpa Humanitaire British Council for School Environments. (France).  A ‘Living Traditions’ heritage project based on the campus includes conservation of traditional artefacts, creation of a Cultural Archive, and hosting a spiritual community of nuns from the of DRUKPA TRUST is a UK registered charity No. 1014948 . Patron: H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama Founder Director: H.H. The 12th Support for the next stage of the journey Gyalwang Drukpa Druk White Lotus School Patrons: A great deal has been achieved, but still the challenges are numerous and Rt. Hon. The Dowager Countess Cawdor pressing. Educating young people takes years of sensitive, careful nurturing The Viscount Cowdray and needs resources: people, expertise, money and love. Druk White Lotus is The Viscountess Cowdray Richard Gere a non-profit, fee-paying school and operates a balanced budget. Joanna Lumley Raja Thinles Namgyal – King of Ladakh Over £1.3/€1.5/US$2.0 million have been invested to complete Nursery & Infant, Junior, Science and Administration ‘Courtyards’; Residences 1-3; Kitchen & Dining Hall; and the ground floor of the future Auditorium/Library. Funds are still needed to develop the Teachers’ Resource Centre, open branch schools, offer scholarships and sponsorships to needy families, and complete facilities on the Shey campus including: Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools, more residential accommodation, Dining Hall extension, Auditorium/Library, Sports Pavilion and extension of the Solar Energy System. Jullay - Thank you